The first time I heard of the concept that ‘thoughts become things’ was by Dr. Wayne Dyer. Actually, the exact words were “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.” Funny thing is Wayne Dyer’s book was referred to my husband and I during a marriage councilors appointment. Looking back now I couldn’t even tell you why we weren’t getting along. But the first ah-ha moment came when I realized I had all the power to start a war and all the power to end a war in my marriage – and it all began with a thought.
Since then, I’ve taken this advice into many areas of my life. First of all, I stopped complaining. If I didn’t have any thing nice to say then I said nothing at all. This wasn’t easy at first, but you just ‘fake it until you make it’ until it is a natural reaction. My new response to anything I disagreed with became “Is that so?” or “Geez, I’ve never considered that before, please tell me more.” Basically, I removed my EGO (Edging God Out) from the equation. I would constantly remind myself that I would rather be kind than be right.
I also decided to stop judging others. Now, this was easier said than done. However, with daily practice it becomes more of a natural reaction to situations I would have been quickly offended to in the past. The biggest awakening in this lesson was realizing that when I judged another, I wasn’t defining them – I was actually defining myself as someone who needed to judge. Most importantly, whatever I was judging someone about, it was actually something I despised about myself. When I stopped judging others, all of a sudden I could see humanity in a different light.
The most important element in managing my thoughts is the practice of daily meditation. Herman Melville once said, “God’s one and only voice is silence.” It has also been said the average person has 60,000 thoughts a day. Problem is most people have the same 60,000 thoughts every single day. With so much inner chatter going on, how can we ever have a moment of peace and quiet? The quote from the Bible “Be still and know that I am God” isn’t just a sweet little saying. If you want to have a connection with God, your Higher Source, Spirit, (or whatever word you use) you must find a way to still the mind.
You really can change your life, and it begins with just one thought. So chose your thoughts wisely and you’ll begin to see all the beauty that surrounds you.
Gayle Etcheverry is at peace with herself because she stayed true to her childhood dream of becoming an artist.
Among others she credits Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra with helping her to create the life she wants while being of service to the greater good of everyone. As she stands in front of her easel, focused on staying in the present moment and allowing the creative power of the universe to flow through her, her art becomes a living image of her inner voice. It encourages and guides others looking for the artist's way.
One day, Gayle heard Wayne Dyer talk about the phrase, 'God Bless America' and how he couldn't wait to hear 'God Bless Humanity' instead. As if God looks down and only blesses the USA, or picks sides for that matter. This phrase stayed in her thoughts for a long time and finally decided to create a web site called GodBlessHumanity.com - a place to spread good cheer around the world through the Internet.
Gayle has many friends with family that live outside the United States and wanted to include them in her prayers too. And, with the Internet as a constant in many people’s daily lives, it only takes seconds to reach around the globe. Therefore, it seems absurd to take sides on this round planet we all call home.
This is how God Bless Humanity was founded. Gayle wanted to do her part to pass good news and inspiring stories around the world, in hopes that eventually the media will start to publish good news stories instead of fear-based news stories.
God Bless Humanity is a gathering place for people to share hopes, dreams, visions, prayers, intentions and good news with others around the world. We are committed to being an active participant in the movement of spiritual globalization and devoted to the idealism that we are all one.