Change Your Mind—Change Your Destiny

Words don't just prick our feelings—they make the entire world go round. Whether spoken by others or repeated in our minds, words shape our beliefs, transform our choices, and ultimately determine the paths we take in life. Our words are reflections of our thoughts and so if we want to change where we are in life, we have to transform them both.

Want evidence of the importance of words?

Our entire universe was SPOKEN into existence by a Divine word.

It says in Proverbs 18:21 that, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."

Experiments have concluded that consistently speaking positively or negatively to a living plant can change the very vibrational energy fields that influence its growth or decay.

A nurturing home with a focus on encouragement and life-giving words will more often produce a healthy adult versus one of verbal and emotional abuse and degradation.

The examples could go on and on.

Words influence, but they also create, break down, and initiate healing. They set the course for proper mental frameworks that govern our entire life experience.

To better understand this, let's take a small step back and start where words truly begin: our thoughts. Thoughts become our inner language, our outer expression, and the basis for our life habits.

Take it from this famous quote, believed to be attributed to Lao Tzu—

Watch your thoughts, they become your words;

Watch your words, they become your actions;

Watch your actions, they become your habits;

Watch your habits, they become your character;

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

You don't have to be a writer or an editor to understand and eventually master the earth-shaking power of words in your life. If thoughts become words, and words inevitably become your destiny, that means that your fate (outside of the overarching hand of our Creator-God) rests almost solely on the words we think and speak—to ourselves, to others, and TO our dreams.

You read that right. I'm not a proponent of Name-It-and-Claim-It Theology, but I do believe there is some truth in a faith-based manifestation of the desires that are put on our hearts. After all, Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." While this verse, in context, is more speaking to the faith in God that keeps us strong during trials, I believe the definition is transferrable. If our dreams and/or plans for the future are based on the will of God (as they should be) then until He shows us otherwise, we can plan, pray, and work toward those desires being fulfilled! It's not a guarantee, but man, isn't it worth the try?!

Check out this amazing podcast "Acting on Your Hearts Desires!" from my girl, Jennifer Allwood, talking about this very thing.

Here's my point... we all have areas of our lives that need growth or even need to be completely transformed. It doesn't start with programs, memberships, or lifestyle overhauls. Know where it starts? You're catching on...

Your thoughts. Your words. Your inner dialogue and outer expressions.

• Healing—Starts with the thoughts and perceptions about the trauma(s) you or a loved one experienced.
  

• Balanced Emotions—Start with how you understand and perceive your feelings and ultimately, the world around you.
  

• Confidence—Starts with a healthy inner dialogue based on speaking TRUTH to yourself.
  

• Impact on Others—Starts with healthy self-talk and intentionally filtering the words you choose to use with others. (Yes, I did say "choose." You're not a slave to the words you THINK you need to say. That toe-stepping will be for another post.)
  

• Habits & Legacy—Thoughts become words, which become actions, and ultimately dictate the habits you form and the legacy you leave behind for others.

Starting to see the connection?

Here's the catch...

Our society and world today have trained us to think less and act more impulsively. This means we are thinking less about what (and how) we think.

Guess what happens when you have a bunch of hurried, stressed-out people, who jump into relationships, don't think about the words they say to themselves or others, and believe that whatever emotions and impulses they have in the moment are completely valid and should just be "dealt with."

What do you get? Chaos. A society filled with full-grown children who cannot self-regulate, filter, or choose wisdom over impulsivity. Sound like the world we live in today?

We can change that, and it starts with you. It starts with me. Nothing is irreversible besides the pre-ordained will of God. That means wherever you are in life right now, it doesn't have to be permanent. Think you're stuck? I beg to differ. Feelings don't dictate our realities, and just because you may feel like transforming your life is a lost cause, that the world is what it is—an equally lost cause, does not mean that's the reality.

I'm gonna flip the script on the quote I mentioned earlier and deconstruct it a bit...

Do you want to transform your destiny? Watch your character.

Does your character need an overhaul? Change your habits.

Feel stuck in your habits? Shift your actions.

Want to act differently? Change your words.

Struggle with your words? Reframe your thoughts.

Boom goes the dynamite!

It's easier said than done, of course, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. Prove me wrong. I dare you.

This isn't just the passionate rantings of a Word-Girl. The entire reason I do what I do is because ever since I was young, I became acutely aware of the power of thoughts and words, and how important it was to use them honestly and carefully.

I've heard loved ones say horrible things about themselves, which then evolved into an extreme lack of confidence and constant paranoia. I've seen people ruin their lives (or at least many years of them) because they believed the lies they told themselves or ones that others told them. I have personally struggled with knowing what to believe when someone's words consistently didn't match their actions, resulting in years of confusion and spinning my wheels, until I finally saw a character for what it was.

Think about someone you know. Is the life trajectory they're on a good one? I don't mean does it look pretty/successful on the outside; I mean, will their legacy be one that would make them proud, based on their current character? If not, then I promise you, it can be traced all the way back to the very foundation of who they are—their thoughts.

What about you? Will you be proud of your legacy? If you can't give a confident yes, then you may need to make a mental shift.

Change your mind and you change your destiny.

Let me say it again:

CHANGE YOUR MIND—CHANGE YOUR DESTINY!

Brain-training, emotional balance, and filtering your thoughts all have a direct impact on the words you speak and the actions that follow. What else is a destiny other than the overall arc of your life that, regardless of external influences and events, is the sum total of your thoughts and actions?

This is the beat of my heart. I desperately want you to join me on this journey of personal growth and self-discovery that not only heals our past but also changes the direction of our futures for the better. I don't want to waste this one life I've been given, and I want to leave a legacy that I can be proud of. Life transformation starts today: one thought, one word at a time.

So, what do you think? Do you think it's possible to change where your life is headed just by changing your thought processes? Which ones are the hardest or easiest to change? Leave a comment below with your thoughts. I respond to ALL of them!