“What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: our life is the creation of our mind.” Buddha’s quote is ageless, and one of the main tenets of transformative work. There is so much in these few words:  freedom, choice, empowerment, responsibility, inspiration, change, and wisdom.

The important lesson here is that we have the ability to be the controller of a situation (from a mental perspective) and that in so doing, can find more happiness.  Using traumatic events or adversities can even stimulate a more robust and healthier future.  It’s all in the way we think about it.  Adverse fortune, when looked at in this way, benefits us far more than good fortune: the former of which reaps lessons, feelings of accomplishment, and strengthens resiliency; the latter of which leaves us with only an insatiable desire for more.

As the ancient Boethius text says “nothing is miserable unless you think it so; and on the other hand, nothing brings happiness unless you are content with it.”  How do you think about events that have happened, are happening, and will happen?  Are you using yesterday’s thoughts to build a new life tomorrow?  Is it not surprising that this methodology is not working?  Are your results always the same?  My clients work with me to begin to shape new thoughts that get at the core of changing their beliefs and attitudes.  This lays the groundwork for a new way of thinking—one that will benefit their future.  Are your thoughts empowering you?