How To Invite Positive Change In Your Life

Gnothi seauton,, said Socrates. "Know thyself."

These words remain as true today as in the days when the portly philosopher in his rumpled tunic sauntered through the dusty agora of ancient Athens and pondered aloud about the riddles of the human experience.

"What is man?" he asked. "What can he become?"

This is a fascinating question. Once we set out to know ourselves, we also pave the way to become more authentic and powerful in our lives.

While we may appear predisposed, due to genetics or environmental factors, to certain character traits, we are, as far as I can tell, creatures of infinite possibilities and amazing self-invention.

Who we are, then, has less to do with knowledge and more to do with imagination. We appear to be who we choose to be rather than merely the consequences of our experiences.

However, this elasticity of possibility, is seldom exercised, for rather than explore, we prefer to be safe, and rather than risk, we would rather remain restricted in our self-expression. We prefer homeostasis to adventure.

Still, when we hear or read about someone who has changed in a remarkable way, we feel a curious envy and joy, a sense of what may be possible for us were we to shift away from our stable moorings. In fact, the books or movies that move us the most are those where the main characters undergo transformation from a lower to a higher state of being.

We admire change, but don't feel sure about it-- which, of course, is understandable, because change, after all, is based on uncertainty.

Change awaits us all...but will it be positive or negative?

If the change is reflexive, as a response to circumstances, the change may not be positive. On the other hand, if the change is reflective, as a response to a stimulating thought, we feel the thrill of embarking upon a whole new realm of experiences. Our potentialities cry to be awoken and brought into the light of manifestation and actuality.

Since change is inevitable, then, we may as well embrace it by making it deliberate. In fact, we can expand our possibility thinking and accelerate positive change in our lives by using two cognitive tools.

The first tool is Critical Shift Thinking. By making small changes, we can precipitate big effects. For example, by changing how we eat, or exercise, or organize our finances, or relate to people, we can invite a massive personal transformation over time.

The second tool is Influential Thinking. While we're all aware of how other people can and do affect us, we seldom pay attention to how we can enrich ourselves through choice books, music, and other educational and inspirational media.

When we spend time to get to know ourselves better, when we ponder on who we are and what we can become, and when we sketch a bolder picture of what is possible for us, we begin the process of motivation and invite positive change in our lives. How much change, of course, depends on our level of purpose, passion, and persistence.

Resource Box

Saleem Rana got his masters in psychotherapy from California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, Ca., 15 years ago and now resides in Denver, Colorado. His articles on the internet have inspired over ten thousand people from around the world. Discover how to create a remarkable life

Copyright 2005 Saleem Rana. Please feel free to pass this article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or newsletter. It's a shareware article.

Latest News


Hormones: Learning the rules of attraction
Independent, UK - 12 hours ago
What really draws couples together? The mysteries of hormones are only now being unravelled – and giving us fascinating new insights into why we behave the ...

PIRATE: A magnetic attraction to North Carolina's beaches?
StarNewsOnline.com, NC - 2 hours ago
Researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill believe sea turtles use the Earth's magnetic field to find their way back to their birthplace to ...

TheImproper.com

'Twilight' stokes our immortal attraction to the vampire
New York Daily News, NY - Nov 30, 2008
In this image released by Summit Entertainment, Kristen Stewart, left, and Robert Pattinson are shown in a scene from, "Twilight." 'Mad, bad, and dangerous ...
Life and love eternal Philippine Star
E-mail this page Northern News Services (subscription)
Movie Review - "Twilight" sizzles but squanders dark romance University News (subscription)
Longview Daily News - Times-Standard
all 288 news articles

Sunoco becomes local attraction with sign, car
North Fort Myers Neighbor, FL - 4 hours ago
By ANDREA GALABINSKI, nfmneighbor@breezenewspapers.com The Sunoco Gas Station at 14531 N. Cleveland Avenue has become a local attraction of sorts. ...

The rules of attraction
Independent Online, South Africa - 24 minutes ago
By Roger Dobson A woman's smile may not be all it seems. When her zygomaticus major cheek muscle moves the upper lip upward and outward to produce that warm ...

CBBC Newsround

New Forest Lapland attraction a dismal failure
UK Parents Lounge, UK - 11 hours ago
Instead of paying high-cost flights to the real Lapland, families could travel to the New Forest to see a similar attraction. With tickets costing £25, ...
Santa punched and elves under fire at Lapland attraction Dumfries and Galloway Standard
Picture diary by mum at Lapland row attraction Southern Daily Echo
Theme park branded 'winter blunderland' Oxford Mail
Southern Daily Echo - Southern Daily Echo
all 37 news articles

Craigie’s now a Main attraction: Harvard Square restaurant moves ...
Cambridge Chronicle, MA - 6 hours ago
By Travis Andersen/Correspondent As word spread that the restaurant offered some of the best French cuisine and ambiance in Cambridge, owner and proprietor ...

guardian.co.uk

A cosmopolitan attraction
Culpeper Star Exponent, VA - Nov 30, 2008
Have you seen the new movie now playing in theaters starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, called “Australia”? The movie is receiving great reviews and ...
Crikey! 'Australia' Hits the Big Screen NBC Philadelphia
VIDEO: “Australia” Review NBC13.com
'Australia' -- a review Westborough News
Cincinnati CityBeat - Philadelphia Daily News
all 1,004 news articles

My fear and fragility: history of gay attraction
AfterEllen.com - 21 hours ago
I'm not sure who I should address this to, or even how to write this. I know that you don't know me, and you've got no reason to give up your time to read ...

Attraction hit by lack of visitors
Fleetwood Today, UK - 10 hours ago
One of Kendal's major attractions, the Quaker Tapestry, says it is struggling due to falling visitor numbers. The board of trustees said it is debating ...
Kendal tourism action plan revealed Westmorland Gazette
Uncertain future for Quaker Tapestry Westmorland Gazette
all 3 news articles

Resources