Ben thought to himself, “I’ll never get this finished in time.” He was working on rails and posts to keep his goats sheltered. They drifted off more than was sufferable.
He had set himself a deadline of the last of the month. He was just too harried, he went on thinking to himself. Chores and more chores and watching out for grizzlies and pumas. He would never get the corral done by the time he wanted. It seemed to always worked out that way for him.
He did not finish on time and a goat that was extremely important to him ranged too far and was killed by a puma. Ben knew the corral he was building would not guarantee that no bear or lion would get his goats. He could, however, better keep an eye on them if they were penned some of the time.
It came to Ben that he was always setting misplaced deadlines. He always found other things to keep him from getting done what he wanted in the time he wished.
He pondered while sitting on a stump. This was uncommon for him. He was not much of thinker. Just a minute, now. He realized he thought all the time.
He surveyed his little homestead in the Alaskan “wilderness.” He was married to Sally, and they had three small children: Ted, Ed, and Fred. Fred was really Frederica but everyone called her Fred to keep the rhyme going. His family was Ben’s joy.
He had nothing to be extraordinarily worried about in his life. But why was he never accomplishing anything by the time he wanted? He did finish but much later than he set out to. He just had so much else to do.
Now wait a minute, he reasoned. I am the one who thinks. I think I won’t get things done on time. The chores are always the same. I am the one who counts them too many. I throw up barriers in my own path.
I will change my thoughts, he reckoned. I will accomplish what I want to by saying I will finish when I want.
This took some doing. Ben discovered that he could not merely say, “I’ll change my thoughts.” He noticed he had to work at it. He had to be wary against incarcerating ideas he developed himself.
With the passing of time, however, Ben did corral his own thoughts and made himself master of them instead of them mastering him. This did not keep the panthers and bears away.
He simply had a smoother life because he orchestrated his life. His thoughts no longer did.
The same for you, dear reader. Are you a prisoner of your own thoughts? These thoughts can be about small things, big happenings or even untoward events.
What are you selling yourself with your thoughts? Are these thoughts contributing to your happiness or misery?
Want to be free of your prison of thoughts? Free yourself by changing your thoughts. No, it not as easy as my writing it. You have to put in effort.
Just knowing that you can alter your thoughts, allows you to give yourself the license and the energy to change your thoughts. Do not let yourself be incarcerated by your own brainwork.
You are what you think. Think dissimilarly and you will be different and your world will be brand-new. Begin now.
