I think, therefore I am…..we all are familiar with that quote. It’s Rene Descartes (1596-1650), the French philosopher, also known as the “Father of Modern Philosophy”. Descartes was dealing with a more existential problem and literally meant that even if you were unsure of all things existing, you know you have to exist, because….well, you think, you are, you exist. While this is all well and good, Descartes’ famous cogito could certainly have an entirely different meaning to a modern person that he didn’t intend, but has great value. This is what I mean: the way you think and the thoughts you have determine who you are. So as you think, so you will be. So at the risk of committing philosophical sacrilege: I think this way, therefore I am this way.
This is the reason you may hear Dr. Stephanie say “no stinkn‘ thinkn‘”. Bad thoughts hurt you emotionally,physically, and spiritually. Want to be well? Then think well. The author Joyce Meyer in her 1995 bestseller “Battlefield of the Mind” borrows a phrase from the Bible on this topic: a tree is known by its fruit. She applies this to our thought lives by stating, “Thoughts bear fruit. Think good thoughts, and your the fruit of your life will be good. Think bad thoughts, and the fruit of your life will be bad.”
Now, I’m not proposing that a negative person will only have negative experiences or the a positive person will only have smooth sailing. However, when the good comes a negative person rarely enjoys it and when the bad comes a positive person knows how to roll with it. We can all experience the exact same things, but our outlook shapes how they fit with our lives. Furthermore, I believe their is some truth in the idea that the inner life our mind creates for us has a tendency to become our reality. Your thoughts are quite powerful.
This of course is all easier said then done (like so much of life). Start small and things will change in time. If you only change one thing in this area here is my advice: gratitude. German theologian Meister Eckhart (1260-1327) said, “if the only prayer you ever say in your whole life was “thank you”, then that would suffice”. Being thankful instantly changes how you see the world. There is even research in this idea: in a 2003 breakthrough Dr. Robert Emmons and Michael E. McCullough did a study and found that there subjects that performed a gratitude exercise had better physical and emotional well being, better mood, and less illness symptoms then the control group. The exercise they performed: simply writing down things they are grateful for in there lives. With simply writing these things in your lives you have the power to dramatically effect your health. Also, don’t ever say you have nothing to be thankful for, besides being damagingly negative, it’s also untrue. If you woke up this morning be thankful for your breath. If you ate something or drank clean water be thankful. Even at our worse there is still much to be grateful for.
The power to get well and stay well is, like always, in the hands of the best doctor you will ever meet: you. Change the way you think and see the world and be prepared for the world itself to change around you. Be thankful in all things, at all times, no matter what and be prepared for a revolution. It all starts in your ability to simply…..think well.
-Dr. Graham, chiropractor