The Power of Thoughts: How Positive Thinking Shapes Your Life.

The human mind is the most important part of the body. It's where all the reasoning and thinking takes place. The brain is physical. We can see it, touch it, scan it. But there's something the brain works with that’s unseen, untouchable, yet absolutely everything. It is nothing, and yet it makes up everything.

You might ask, how can nothing make up everything? Nothing must carry something for everything to come out of it. And that’s exactly it. The mind.

The mind is metaphysical. You can’t touch it. You can’t see it. It just runs on its own. It operates in ways science still hasn’t fully pinned down.

Back in 2013, a massive initiative was launched in Europe. The Human Brain Project. The EU poured more than 600 million euros into it. It involved philosophers, psychologists, neuroscientists, computer scientists. All working toward one goal: simulate and replicate the human brain. And they came close. They built the smartest artificial brain ever created. But one thing was missing. The mind.

They managed to wire up something that could mimic thought and even simulate reasoning, but subjectivity was still out of reach. And here's the thing. The mind doesn’t only rely on the brain. The entire body plays a role. What’s happening in your body, in your surroundings, in your culture. All of it affects your mind.

So yes, we’re getting closer to decoding how the mind works. But replicating it? Not yet.

Now, the core of this mystery, the substance that makes the mind what it is, comes down to thoughts.

Your thoughts shape your mind. They build it. Whatever you keep thinking about forms your mindset. And that mindset shapes your direction. It leads how you move, how you live, how you see.

In today’s post, we’re diving into the power of thoughts and how you can use that power to make your desires come true.

Automatic Thoughts and Conscious Thoughts

But before we dive into the power of thought, let's first understand its two types — automatic and conscious thought. Some people call them the inner critic and the inner guide. Others use terms like primary and secondary thoughts, or automatic voice and true voice.

Automatic thoughts are spontaneous. They happen on their own. They come into the mind without invitation. Think of it like a moment when your mind wanders. You might be focused on something, then your mind drifts and starts saying all kinds of things.

Most of the time, automatic thoughts are negative. Yes, those primary thoughts are often intrusive. They come in quickly and try to wear you down. They don’t ask permission. And you are not responsible for them because they happen on their own.

You can think of automatic thoughts like background processing in the brain, or in a computer. When a computer is processing data, there’s a stream of activity running in the background. Data moves, reshuffles, enters, exits. That’s how automatic thoughts behave. They come and go, like a current.

But automatic thoughts aren’t useless. They lay the groundwork. They build the stage for conscious thought to step in.

Once the automatic stream has done its part, your true voice, your higher self, can speak up and make a decision.

That’s the role of conscious thought. It’s selective. It chooses. It’s the voice you are responsible for. And you can manage it by deliberately directing your thinking in a specific direction.

Throughout this article, we’ll be talking about conscious thoughts. Because when we speak about the power of thought, we are talking about the power of conscious thought not automatic thought.

The Power of Thoughts (Negative/Positive)

• Forms Action
• When you count the bad sides, you get affected negatively 
• When you regurgitate negative thoughts, you'll be affected negatively
• When you count on the good side only, you'll keep moving and not fall

Forms Action

Thoughts are responsible for the formation of actions and responses. Without thoughts, there would be no action. Thoughts are the inner processing that gives us character.

Before any action is formed, there is a battle in the mind. A clash between positive thoughts and negative thoughts.

Let’s take an example. Suppose a person has thoughts of life and thoughts of death. When their action is being determined, the thoughts of death will try to cancel out the thoughts of life. If there are more thoughts of life than death, then life will prevail.

Thoughts can cancel out other thoughts. And sometimes, one thought alone can be strong enough to silence the opposing side.

If you can manage the kind of thoughts you allow into your mind, you can shape your actions.

When you count the bad sides, you get affected negatively

If you only focus on the bad sides of what has happened or what you are going through, you will be affected negatively. To dwell on the bad is like reviving negative thoughts.

The mind is very sensitive. Whatever is fed into it goes straight to processing. So whenever you lean into negativity, whenever you confess negatively, you give power to those negative thoughts. And when they rise, they work to conquer the positive ones you already had thereby leaving you in pain, distress, or agony.

The worst part is when you start digging back into the past, revisiting the things that didn’t work out for you. When you travel through those places in your mind, your encouragement sinks. It goes so far down that you lose the energy to move forward.

And when that door is opened, depression walks in. Depression is the worst state of thought. It is where despair takes over, where hope is lost, and where the future feels gone.

When you count on the good sides only, you'll keep moving and not fall

As opposed to focusing on the failures you’ve had, if you put that same energy into recognizing even the small successes, you’ll find yourself moving forward instead of falling behind.

There’s a spiritual side to this too. As a man thinks, so he is. That’s straight from the Bible. Whatever you imagine, whatever you think on, becomes the seed that shapes your actions, your character, and eventually your condition in life.

So rather than counting disappointments and dwelling on the negatives, we can count our blessings — number them one by one. When we do, we’re often amazed at what God has already done. And that amazement gives us strength to stand firmer.

A positive mindset has power. It has a way of causing things to fall into place, maybe not immediately, but eventually.

Things about thoughts —

One thought is enough to raise or destroy

One thought alone is enough to raise or destroy. That is the root. This is why it’s vital to be mindful of who you give your ears to. A single thought can shift your whole focus and redirect your path.

It doesn’t matter how many supporting thoughts you’ve built up on the other side — one whisper, one message, one verse can rewire your entire mentality.

That’s one of the great truths about thoughts: they’re not all created equal. One powerful thought can cancel out a hundred others, while a weaker thought might not even be strong enough to challenge one from the opposing side.

Thoughts are spirits

In the book of John 6:63, Jesus says, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” The same is true of our thoughts. They are not ordinary. Thoughts are spirit.

This is especially true of automatic thoughts, the ones we don’t deliberately bring out ourselves. In 2 Corinthians 10:4–5, it is written: “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

The strongholds Paul speaks of are those contents already registered in our minds — the imaginations and lies that rise against the knowledge of God. And the fact that the Bible assigns us spiritual weapons for this battle shows that thoughts themselves are spiritual.

Thoughts can be projected. The enemy can speak into the mind as well. There are automatic thoughts, yes… but there are also thoughts that come from the enemy, voices that bring danger.

If you understand that thoughts are spirits, you’ll become highly selective about which ones you entertain. Because while we cannot stop intrusive thoughts from appearing — just as we cannot stop a bird from flying over our head — we can stop the bird from landing, from nesting, from making its home on us.

The same goes for thoughts. They may flow, they may come and go, they may randomize themselves in your mind. But you don’t have to hold onto them. Ignore them, and they will fade.

The surefire way to deal with intrusive thoughts is not to fight them. Fighting makes them stronger. They gain wings. But if you ignore them… if you refuse to give them attention, they slowly lose their grip and eventually disappear.

Thoughts are a form of Prayer

In Psalm 139:1–4, David reveals a deep truth — that God knows everything in our hearts and minds. He knows all our thoughts.

Scripture also tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. While that may sound like a different case, it’s not so different. The mind and the tongue carry out the same work in different ways, and both can be equally dangerous if misused. Whatever you say in your mind, God is recording it.

Here, we’re not talking about automatic thoughts, the ones you can’t control. We’re talking about deliberate thoughts. The thoughts you choose. God pays attention to those, and they go up like prayers.

For a believer, this is especially true. You may not even voice your needs aloud — the rent due, your child’s tuition fees, the desires weighing on your heart, and yet God knows. He says that before we even call, He already knows our desires, and while we are yet speaking, He has answered ~ Isaiah 65:24.

I remember this from my own life. As a teenager, I often prayed silently in my mind. I’d close my eyes, stay quiet, and let the prayers run through my thoughts without speaking a word. Only while writing this article did I remember just how often I prayed like that. It’s amazing to realize that prayers in the mind are still prayers, — real ones and heard by God.

This can happen consciously or unconsciously. Conscious prayer in the mind is deliberate, like my teenage prayers. Unconscious prayer, though, is simply the stream of thoughts we allow to run through us. And when those thoughts lean toward positivity, faith, and gratitude, they shape our reality. Over time, things begin to fall in place.

Thoughts and Best Practices

Having understood the power of thoughts, what they can do, and how they can either sink a person’s life or lift it up, let’s look at the steps we can take to guard our hearts and use positive thinking to bring our desires into manifestation.

Have more positive thoughts.
Yes, this is a vital process for anyone who wants their thoughts to serve their life. Like I said earlier in this post, before any action is produced there is a battle in the mind. One set of thoughts in one battalion, the other in another battalion. And the war begins. Each side tries to silence or cancel the other.

By having more positive thoughts, you give yourself the advantage. You increase your chances of defeating the negative thoughts already present in your heart. You give your mind the strength to win and to bring out your best character.

Follow good preachers and optimists.
How do you gather more positive thoughts? By tuning in to voices of faith and encouragement. By following good preachers, good leaders, and strong optimists. Whoever you give your ear to will have a portion of your destiny, because whatever the ear hears, the mind will begin to form.

When you surround yourself with uplifting voices, with authors and teachers who speak life, your mind will be fed with good thoughts. And those good thoughts will push out the negative ones that try to wear you down.

Have the basic faith that everything will eventually fall in place. 

 Yes. Even if you have good preachers and uplifting voices to fill you with positive thoughts, you are still the administrator of your own life. You can decide whether to take in their message or not.

But when you hold it deep inside, when you register it firmly in your heart that everything will eventually work out for you, then you will keep moving. You will not stop.

Quotes about Positive and Negative Thoughts

Here are some quotes about thoughts.

• “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” — Willie Nelson
• “The mind is everything. What you think, you become.” — Buddha
• “Positive anything is better than negative nothing.” — Elbert Hubbard
• “It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts.” — Robert H. Schuller
• “Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power.” — Shirley MacLaine
• “When negative thinking dominates you, obstacles increase in your life.” — Unknown
• “It’s hard to stop negative thoughts, but it is not impossible. You just need to shift your focus to positive thoughts.” — Dee Waldeck
• “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.” — William James
• “The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius
• “Everything you want to accomplish is already within yourself so when you start to roll in self-doubt and think negative thoughts then you’ll fall off.” — Unknown