The Most Valuable Lesson of Life

Really, this is the most valuable lesson; how to control your mental and emotional state.  One of my favorite books on motivation "You Can Heal You Life." By Louise L. Hay reads, "The point of power is always in the present moment.  What we think about ourselves becomes the truth for us. Your thoughts create what you believe about yourself.  Change the thought.  Change your life." 

One of the foundational teachings by Tony Robbins is a model called "The Triad" that describes the influence on our emotional responses.  Here's the bottom line.

What we focus on we feel.  Focus on a horrible thought and a horrible emotion arises.  Focus on a fabulous thought and you feel fabulously.  Thousands of thoughts occur to us each day.  We discard most of them at an unconscious level.  We discard others at a conscious level.  And some take hold.  We focus on them and they create our life. 

In the last couple of years many people were fascinated by the book and movie, "The Secret" that strongly presented "The Power of Attraction."  This is the power of putting things in your subconscious mind in ways that bring them into existence.  Control of your mental and emotional state adds the power of your conscious mind.  That is enormously powerful.

Many times, each of us notices a thought that we know we would be better off discarding instead of dwelling on.  But, out of habit or carelessness we allow the thought to take our focus.  I am reminded of arguments with loved ones.  A thought occurs that we could or should stop... and too often we continue.
Imagine catching those thoughts early and replacing them.  Imagine catching the thought that you know will deepen and lengthen the argument with the loved one and perhaps deepen the hurt feelings.  Imagine replacing it, just in your mind, with, "I love you" purposely ending the argument for the sake of the relationship  Imagine having that kind of control over you mental and emotional state. 
It is a pursuit that I have worked hard to master.  Of course I have not mastered it.  It is a lifetime pursuit of continuous improvement.  It is an ability that I have shared with my spouse, taught my children, and work to develop in my Clients (Real Estate Agents). 

Winning or losing, rich or poor, busy or idle, the ability to create a great empowered feeling out of nothing or to shift from a bad feeling to a good one, at will.  That ability is, without a doubt the most valuable lesson of life.