What my 11-year old, basketball loving kid, taught me about our thoughts..
“Thank God It’s Friday” and “I’m too poor to afford that?”. We heard this, but do you really know how it affects you?
It was another mail when I opened this particular mail from “Lion’s Roar”. I believe it was an invitation for the magazine, a magazine dedicated to the Buddhist teaching.
Catholic. I was born and raised Catholic (Virgo’s my Zodiac sign if this information is useful). But I digress. My point is, I read a lot of Buddhist teaching’s too. I always joke to my friend that I was a Comparative Religion Professor at Boston University in my previous life.
Anyway, when I opened the letter, it included a photo with a saying:
“Your Thoughts Shape You.”
The Buddha I believed said that. It’s not something Jesus Christ teaches. And you probably encountered this saying several times. Variations of this teaching is everywhere too.
Watch Your Language.
Yap. One of the variation is that. You can add more variation but let that sink in first. Watch.Your. Language. But do you? I’ll bet my nest egg money in Las Vegas that you don’t watch your language even though you heard this maxim hundred of times already. (BTW, my nest egg money is not large and I’m just kidding with the bet).
Watching your language is not about swearing. But you know that already.
Your language is what your thoughts are, unguarded.
You want proof?
After opening that letter, I gave the photo from Lion’s Roar to a friend who I know will appreciate the picture and the message. She teaches yoga and meditation so it was perfect for her. I told her I got it from Lion’s Roar mail. And this is what she said.
“Oh yeah, I know Lion’s Roar, I subscribe to Lion’s Roar”.
“You have a magazine subscription?” I asked.
“Oh no, just the newsletter.”
Pause.
“I’m too poor for magazine subscription.” She added.
Now I want you to read the last sentence again. I’m too poor. If your language is that, you will be poor, because you will not strive to be rich. That’s her language, her thoughts, and it will shape her.
Now what’s the common denominator between “I’m too poor to do that” and “Thank God It’s Friday”?
It only means you will be working for the rest of your life for thanking it’s Friday again. And you will be poor for the rest of your life and will be working for somebody for the rest of her life.
My invitation to you is this: Why not live a life that you are living like it’s always Friday. Be your own boss (what a concept).
Let me introduce you to my superhero Seth Godin (He doesn’t wear a cape, and if he will, it will be a very bad image). This is what he said:
“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.”
I wanna end this writing with my 11-year old kid. He loves basketball. He’s a point guard, the little kid pointing to team mates where to go and directing traffic in the court. The little Court General.
There was one game where my kid made a clutch three points with 3.7 seconds left to go in regulation. The crowd went berserk when the ball sunk. The celebration was long.
After the dust settled, one of his team mates approached him.
“I can’t do 3-points.” His team mate said.
My kid asked “Why not?”.
“Because I’m a defensive player”, his team mate replied.
Let me ask you this: Do you limit yourself as only a defensive player? Why can’t you be an offensive threat?
What’s your thoughts and language, Tiger.
Take that shot.
