I have but one prediction for 2011 and this is it. “The things you are thinking about now will create the results you will experience in the next year.” I am not just talking about “thinking positive” in the traditional sense but suggesting we have a very real ability to create tangible results in our lives by choosing our thoughts in an intentional manner.

Many are familiar with the proverb, “as a man thinks, so is he…” Sounds good, but is this really true? Do we think about negative things because of our circumstances or are our circumstances a result of our negative thinking? For the answer, let’s take a closer look at how we, as human beings, make decisions to take action in our lives.

The way this works is a result starts with a thought then leads to an idea which in turn, stirs emotion and finally leads to action. We tend to act on emotion and our emotions are driven by our thoughts. We think about something that stirs our emotions and this leads to action. Sometimes these patterns are positive and sometimes negative, but the principle is always in place. Thoughts are physical things.

Need evidence? Have you ever met a wealthy person who “thinks” of themselves as poor? Have you met a person in poverty who “thinks” of themselves as wealthy?  It is easy to miss but if you look closely, I am confident you will find a pattern. The wealthy person has always thought of himself this way even before he had achieved his success and in most cases, the poverty stricken person has seen himself as poor even before his circumstances were so dire.

The good news is each of us has a choice! Each of us is constantly bombarded with messages from friends, family co-workers and the media. Some of the strongest messages come from within ourselves as a result of our past experiences and fears. Some of these thoughts are positive and some negative. Choosing the positives set’s up right thinking which fires up creative ideas, stirs positive emotions and leads to desired results. On the other hand, choosing negative thoughts leads to wrong thinking, bad ideas, negative emotions and destructive results.

Let me give you a real life example to prove the point. Let’s say your boss is micro managing your activities. You take note of this and think about it. As you continue to think about it, you begin to feel anger, resentment and as though you are being treated unfairly (emotions).  As these emotions are stirring, you begin to notice it seems as though the problem begins to happen more frequently. Your boss has sensed something is wrong and it is causing him to lose confidence in you, so he begins to monitor your work more causing a greater clash between the two of you. Eventually the emotions spill over to action and your boss hires someone new.  In this example, the link between wrong thinking and negative results should be clear.

Focus is the fertilizer of thoughts. What we focus our thoughts on is what grows and prospers in the garden of our lives. While it may seem daunting to change the direction our finances, careers or relationships are headed, it is very easy to simply change our focus one thought at a time.

I’ll leave you with my wishes for your absolute best year ever with this final thought gathered from a Face Book Post this morning…

If it didn’t bring you joy, just leave it behind.

Let’s ring in the New Year with good things in mind.

Happy New Year!