Our thoughts influence our actions and our attitudes, but our attitudes and actions also influence our thoughts.
So which comes first?
Honestly, I don’t know, and I don’t think it matters.
What does matter is that we realize the connection between them and that we do our best to be better in all areas.
We can’t control what thoughts spring into our heads, but we can control which thoughts we pay attention to and dwell on. Gradually, as we consistently ignore the negative thoughts and keep the positive ones, we’ll notice less and less negativity in our thoughts.
The resulting positivity will show up in our actions and our attitudes. We’ll be in better moods, happier, more kind, loving, and respectful towards others. We’ll be better people.
It’s not as if we’re at the mercy of our thoughts, though. We can and should influence them. Choosing, deliberately, to be patient can increase your patience and your thoughts will follow suit.
For a long time whenever I went to the grocery store I would always choose the longest line when I was checking out. I wanted to practice my patience, and what better way than to give myself an opportunity to be more patient?
If you consistently shape your behaviors so that you are doing the things you want to be doing, your thoughts will follow.
Was the chicken first, or the egg?
It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you remember the impact that they both have on each other. You can affect one by influencing the other.
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