I Can, Therefore I Will
	Mind Power Implies Will Power <  Previous Contents Next  >

"Thinking is the desire to gain reality by means of ideas" - José Ortega Y Gasset (1883-1955) - Spanish writer and philosopher

Another amazing power of the mind is that it triggers our body to do what it says. That is why, with the right power of the mind, it becomes easy to achieve what we want. If we wish to ace an exam, get noticed by the professor, or lose weight in a couple of weeks, and we think that it can really happen, our mind will activate some power in our body to be responsible in making things happen – our will power.

This power is the actual process of converting our thoughts into reality. So, if we wish to ace and actually believe in acing an exam, our act of studying and preparing for such exam is caused by our will power that was triggered by the mind. Also, if we believe that the professor will notice us, our acts of preparing ourselves and perhaps reciting in class are what our mind tells us and what the will power does. Or in other cases, if we want to lose weight, our acts of engaging in different kinds of exercises and eating a well-balanced diet are due to the will power that is governed by the mind.

Below are some individual’s mind-powered attitudes towards situations that are commonly difficult in dealing with. What only lacks now is his will power in order to make these I Can’s into I Will’s.

True beauty can not be seen only in the outside appearance of an individual, but in the inside, as well. It is an innate quality, a way of being, a manner of acting. A common misunderstanding in this concept is that it refers to the perfection of the physical characteristics only. Where, in fact, to achieve balanced beauty, the inner and the outer features of an individual must blend together in such a way that it is bounded by love, happiness, social grace, and self-expression through all bodily movements.

Observe the people around you. Even without seeing them, I know that all of them are beautiful and I can justify my observation. Some of them are physically attractive – slim, fair complexion, with long shiny hair, with nice smile – that makes other people go for a second look. Others have wonderful personalities – cheerful, animated and fun to be with. Still others are intellectually gifted – performs good in English, Math, Science or any academic subjects. Lastly, there are those who are talented with different skills like playing musical instruments, acting on stage, etc. The people who possess any or combinations of these are considered beautiful in one way or another. But for someone to be believed as truly beautiful, he/she must possess all of these qualities. Think of it as a diamond which must be cut with many facets in order to sparkle properly. Each facet should be proportioned in such a way that complete beauty shines forth.

Achieving true beauty is not as hard as it may seem. As a matter of fact, to think beautiful is to be beautiful. That’s right! All you need is the proper attitude towards believing how good you look and feel, and it will eventually show that you are, indeed. The seeds of beauty are one of the most precious seeds of thought you can plant and cultivate in your mind. Just by thinking and saying, “I look good,” you sowed the seeds. After sowing these seeds, cultivation must begin. Cultivation is comprised of the responsibility and the commitment on your part to make beauty a reality in your life. This takes time and work, especially that it needs to work on all the aspects of your being – physical, emotional, mental, and aesthetic. Cultivating the thought, “I look good” requires self-analysis, goal-setting, discipline, dedication, and patience until you can finally say, “I feel good. I am good.”

What is essential in achieving good looks, feelings, and vibrations is to love yourself above everything else. Respect and love for your unique self and an understanding of your nature are the first steps in building respect, love and understanding to others. Only when you feel good about yourself will you begin to like and love yourself. And only when you begin to love yourself will you become a vital and interesting person for others to see. The secret is to develop a friendly relationship with yourself. If you would not want yourself as a friend, who would want to?

It’s really not that difficult, is it? So, go on. Tell yourself and other people that “I can look good, feel good, and be good. Therefore, I will.”

What is a friend, by the way? I may not know how you define it but I guess I would just have to agree with Jazz singer Billie Holiday on how he viewed the idea. “If I don’t have friends, then I ain’t got nothin’.” A true friend is your ally, your teacher, and your sibling – only with different parents. He shall believe in everything you do, stay with you no matter what it takes, lift your spirits high and never let you down, and trust you with any secret he knows you won’t hold against him. True friends are real treasures. Having many of them means being rich and wealthy of love, respect, and understanding.

Making many new friends starts with meeting new people. And meeting new people involves wise building of attitude and relationship among them to eventually establish a good rapport. Let me ask you this: Have you ever gone out on a party or an event where you felt you were left out because there is no one to talk to? And you even fear that when you approach someone, you might just be ignored? Actually, this is a common problem for many in meeting new people. But the truth is, this can also be the stepping stone in gaining many new friends.

So, what does it take to make many friends? The truth is, making friends takes a lot of time, effort, and energy. Most people are too occupied in doing something “more” important that they consider meeting new people and hanging out with them one of their least priorities. Others require mutual trust but find it hard to give or accept. Thus, for these kinds of people, friendship is something that is of no value. Geez…They are missing a lot from their lives.

Making and keeping friends rests on four key principles: taking initiative to reach out to others, showing genuine interest to people, treating others with respect and kindness, and valuing people as much as you value yourself. Though these actions may really take your time and effort, you’ll realize at the end that everything is worth it. Friends are more valuable than any other material thing in the world. They will just all come and go, but true friends will never leave you behind.

So, take some time to think this over. After which, you can believe that, “I can make many friends. Therefore, I will.”

They say that you’ll never know when you’re in love…You’ll only feel it. Indeed, love is quite a strong feeling. It is a special bond between two people mutually attracted to one another, not just physically, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, as well. Many believe in the concept of soul mates – that there is one single person in this world meant for each one of us. Others trust in signs and signals that say one is destined to be with another, or what they call destiny; while, some are just certain of falling in love and taking effort in establishing a relationship. Whatever idea of love we believe in, I’m sure that each one of us hopes to find that one true love we are meant, destined, or intended for us because love, like friendship, is also a precious treasure to have.

No matter how sweet love can be, how it brings brightness and color in our lives, or how it makes us strong and inspired through everyday, there are those who don’t accept love, or at least had given up in the search for it. It’s not that they don’t believe in its existence, but there are some factors that make them believe that they may never find true love…ever.

This is when negative thoughts take place again: I am not beautiful. No one will love me; I have braces. No one will want to kiss me; I am not rich. No one will agree to go out with me. How sad can the people who think this way be? And if you are one of them, I’m telling you now, if you still want to find true love, you have to change the way you think.

You should bear in mind that true love is not just about appreciating the physical aspect of an individual, but also accepting his inner personality. For the purpose of simplicity, let’s use the male version. Loving him means loving all of him – not just his strengths, but also his weaknesses; not just his perfections, but also his flaws; not just his rightness, but also his mistakes. Therefore, if someone you love makes you feel inferior, stop it. He is not worthy of your love in any way. Because if he loves you back, no matter how you look, how you act, or what you believe in, he will accept you for who you are. That’s how true love works – accepting and understanding. Nobody has the right to make you feel inferior in any way, including yourself and the one you love.

The first and easiest way to make someone love you truly is to love yourself before anyone else. Determine who you are. Know yourself better. Accept your flaws and weaknesses. And when you feel confident enough about yourself, it wouldn’t be hard to find someone who will notice you and see you in a different way. Most people feel attracted to someone who can be himself/herself at any particular moment with any companion.

After doing your part in being yourself, you may now set probable standards of the person you are looking for – someone you want to spend most of your time with. With the number of people you meet everyday, get to them one by one. Spend some time with them. Eventually, you’ll find out that one of them may suit the qualities you are looking for in a person. Befriend him/her. Love that starts with friendship is stronger than any sudden relationship. Love, too, shall take time, patience, and the right attitude to work well, especially when you meet a few wrong people or the right people at the wrong time. After all, true love is worth all the pain and heartaches in the end.

You know what to say. “I can find true love. Therefore, I will.”

Success can not be attained overnight. But, still, it can be attained. Funny how people can be so impatient most of the times. Just observe students in the middle of their school life. Instead of being excited that they’ll soon finish education, they would complain of getting bored and wanting to stop schooling for work or, worse, play. Employees and office people, by the time they think they have earned enough money for their family, would plan leaving work to just stay in the house. With these kinds of thinking and attitude, how would one expect to reach his goals in life?

Life is too precious to waste living it without a plan or goal. It is too short not living it to the fullest, as they say. Okay, okay. Say, you have a goal, a dream, a wish you want to fulfill. You’d ask, is that enough? The answer would be yes, as long as you have the assertiveness to reach it. Hey, it wouldn’t be called a goal unless you have no plans of achieving it, right? Otherwise, having a goal without the will to make it into reality is not enough.

Another problem regarding this matter is that people do have a goal but just don’t have what it takes to achieve it, or so they thought. Again, they become blinded by the negativity of their minds. Money, socio-economic status, race, age, gender – these are just a few factors that hinder individuals to think that they have what it takes to attain success that everyone has been dreaming of. So what if you don’t earn a lot of money? Will that be reason enough for you not to attend school or find a job? How about if you are not among the authorities in your society? Or you’re of a different race? Or you’re still young? Or you’re a female? Should they even be considered reasons to discourage you in turning your dreams into reality? I don’t think so. It is only your mind that says so. Hence, fight it.

What you can do is put your mind into something you want to happen. Say, you want to be a writer. Therefore, think as a writer, feel as a writer, and be a writer. Practice. Read a lot. Grab all opportunities that would make you a writer. Like everything else that we wish to happen, in reaching for a goal, we should make sacrifices – time, effort, responsibilities, etc. After all, success does not come overnight. But eventually, it will.

And before anything else, believe that “I can reach my goals in life. Therefore, I will.”

Man’s esteem needs, or his necessities to gain approval and recognition, is one of his basic needs, 4th in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to be exact. Since there is no one in this world who we can consider perfect, we are struggling so much and exerting a lot of effort to be somebody close enough to being perfect. We make ourselves look good, gain more friends, find true love, and achieve high goals. And it all comes down to the fact that we want to be recognized. Well, I do. Do you? If so, the question is can you?

Just imagine how good the feeling would be if you are being recognized not just by the people close to you, but even others you don’t personally know. It’s as if you feel superior, better than others, and loved by all. Who doesn’t want this kind of attention?

But, this desire is no different than the previous 4 situations we have discussed earlier. This, too, takes a lot of time, effort, energy, and responsibility from the individual, or more. After all, this is the end result of the combinations of the other 4. But with the right focus and attitude given to this, it wouldn’t be a long time to achieve such desire.

Be confident. Stand up for yourself. Reach out to others. Learn to love and be loved back. Respect others as much as you respect yourself. Love your work. Do your best in every task you engage in. Don’t forget to look back. Be thankful. And above all, pray. Remember, life is too short and precious to waste it with useless thoughts and actions. Live everyday as if it’s the last – another way of saying live your life to the fullest. Until everyone notices that you are someone who can reach the sky with your feet on the ground and can move mountains through the faith you possess, then they will enthusiastically recognized you.

It all starts with “I can be recognized. Therefore, I will be.”