When I was in my late teens, I remember getting a fortune cookie with a message inside that still resonates with me today. “You attract that to which you give a great deal of thought.” At the time, it scared me a little. The words felt so powerful and true. For the first time, I started to pay attention to what I was thinking. If the thought was something I wanted more of in my life, I continued to think about it. If the thought was negative or fearful, and something I did not want to attract to me, I immediately thought of something different.

A clear example of this in my adult life was when my youngest son was in college in Flagstaff and would drive home…down the mountain to the Phoenix area during winter. I could have focused on the “what if’s”. What if he hits black ice? What if an elk or deer is in the road? What if there is a white out from the snow? What if …well, you get the picture. When he was driving home, I practiced staying present in the moment. And guess what? He always arrived safely.

What started as a fear-based reaction to a fortune in a cookie, grew to become one of the operating principles for my life and in my work. “Whatever you focus on grows.” That little inner voice that can chatter away, sometimes needs to be reigned in. Is the chatter helpful and focused on what you do want? Or is it fearful, self defeating, negative, critical, or worse? Every thought we have has a chemical and energetic component. Becoming aware of your thought and then consciously changing it to a loving thought will have powerful benefits to you emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

Inspiration and wisdom show up in amazing places. How could I know at that young age that I would later help others learn to think differently by taking control of their thoughts, and to make profound change in their lives.

About the Author

Nancy is a therapist in Arizona. She helps individuals and couples overcome a variety of issues which prevent them from feeling joy in their lives. These issues include depression, anxiety, divorce, single parenting, PTSD, relationship conflict, addictions, and stress. Her specialty is working with people who spend large amounts of time away from home (airline pilots and professional athletes) and are looking for ways to stay connected to their families. She recently developed a DVD series for airline families. Read more about Nancy.

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