F T I O
Adolf Hitler.
Ever heard of him? I'm pretty certain you have. Stick with me kids, I'm going to make a point with this.
He committed the worst crimes imaginable against our world and the human race. What he did was wrong, on every level one could list. I have no doubt you agree with me.
I also know for certain, with 100 percent conviction, there is one person who believed what Hitler did was RIGHT, on every level one could list. You know who that is?
Hitler.
The man believed so deeply in his thoughts, his attitudes, his behaviors, he changed the world, and millions of lives along with it. His actions still affect us today.
Uhm, isn't that the power of belief? No. All belief starts with a thought. Repetition of thought forms belief. That is why thought is so powerful, because it forms your beliefs, your attitudes, your actions, and your reactions. That's a pretty overwhelming thought, isn't it? But let me say it again, to drill it into your brains, that is the power of your thoughts, your beliefs and your attitudes. That is how one person can change the world.
So why did I use Hitler, instead of Mandela, or Gandhi, or Mother Theresa, to underscore my point?
If I had used a story from the life of one of those admirable people, you would have gotten my point, sure. But then you would have begun to think about all their deeds, all their achievements, and you'd be walking away from this thinking, "I'm not Mandela, Gandhi, Mother Theresa. Those were great people. I'm just ordinary me." And my point about the Power of Thought would have gotten lost in you comparing your achievements to theirs, and off you'd go about your day. You'd think, "Tracy says if I can be like Mandela, I can achieve great things. Yeah, right. Nice story." See what I mean? That isn't what I said at all.
You aren't Hitler either. But you aren't going to get lost in comparing yourself to him, so all you are left to consider is the Power of Thought and what he did with that power. I want you to think about it. A lot.
We all have that power within us. It is there for all of us to tap, it is there for all of us to use, in any way we choose, for good or bad, for better or worse. It is the most powerful tool we possess on this planet. Which is why, I believe, we need to pay careful attention to it. You can utterly transform lives with your thoughts, including your own. When you know how. But most of us treat our thoughts like a little kid walking around with a loaded gun, completely unaware of the power we're carrying around with us.
"You were not born a winner, and you were not born a loser. You are what you think yourself to be." - Lou Holtz
That quote has more meaning at the end of this story rather than the beginning of it, don't you think?
[RETURN TO BLOG]
F T I O