Thoughts are things

“Every thought sets the fulfillment of its desire in motion in Mind, and Mind sees the thing as already done.”

– Ernest Holmes

My mother was fond of saying “thoughts are things.” (This is also the title of a book about the power of thought written by Prentice Mulford more than 100 years ago.)

Growing up, whenever I made a negative comment about a situation or expressed a lack of confidence in my ability to successfully complete a task or seize an opportunity, my mother would remind me of this wisdom.

She meant that my attitude helped to shape the outcome of my situation. If I thought I would fail, I had created an energy – something real – that increased the likelihood that I indeed would fail. If I genuinely believed I could be successful, I had created a positive energy that would help me to succeed.

At first, I was skeptical of this connection between thought and outcome, but by high school I began to take my mother’s advice to heart. I still remember one time muttering about the likely difficulty of an upcoming test in math — not my best subject — but Mom nudged me with her “thoughts are things” admonition. I responded with a more positive approach and was pleasantly surprised at how well I performed. Mom was right.

Since then, no matter how difficult the task before me, I picture a positive result. In doing so, I create something real that helps me to succeed.

I still do not understand how it works, but it does. Our thoughts indeed shape our reality, so think positively: you’ll be surprised at the power you create.