Dennis Merritt Jones, award-winning author and spiritual mentor invites us to “see yourself as a master sculptor. Each thought you have is like another chip in the stone, shaping your unrealized potential, your future, your life. Understanding that your mind (where your beliefs are formed) is the point of origin for every thought you have, it is encouraging to know that it is not the errant thought — the accidental slip of your carving tool — that does the real damage. By this I mean that an occasional negative thought related to fear, judgment, jealousy, and so on will not ruin your creation. However, the same thought repeated over and over countless times is bound to put quite an indentation in the stone. This will weaken the foundation upon which a healthy life is built.”
Merritt Jones shares below the things to consider for a mindfulness practice:
~ What are you thinking? As a rule of thumb, what is the direction, tone, and intent of your predominant thoughts? Ask yourself, “What kind of life is my mind shaping for me?” Awareness of your thoughts is where it begins.
~ Then realize it is not just your thoughts that may need to change; it’s the beliefs you hold that create the thoughts as well. Ask yourself, “What beliefs about life do I hold that stimulate the thoughts I am having?”
~ Monitor the thoughts you think today and, if needed, challenge the beliefs behind them. See how they have shaped your life up until now and how they will form your destiny.
~ If you catch yourself chipping away at the foundation of your own happiness and joy, stop and invite the infinite intelligence within to help you craft a new thought — one based in a belief that supports who you would like to be in the future — one that honors the gift of the life you have been given.
