There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. — William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)
I would imagine most of us have probably heard that quote, or something like it, at some time or other. But have we stopped to really ponder it so we understand the power it holds?
It’s telling us that the meaning a moment has for us is a direct consequence of what we brought with us into that moment: our expectations, our wants and not wants, our automatic reactions based on past experience. Our consciousness turns the moment into what it is for us.
The quote also implies that if we could meet the moment from a different consciousness, a different understanding, it would mean something completely different to us.
For example, let’s say we’re sitting in a restaurant and the waitress is rude to us. If we entered the moment with a belief that our well-being depended on everyone (even a stranger who we’ll never see again) treating us with respect — that we’re owed that, for us that will be a bad experience. We’ll get angry and maybe even exchange some harsh words with her. We’ll pay the bill without leaving a tip. We’ll have a sour, grumpy attitude for the rest of the day. And maybe we’ll remember that bad feeling every time we pass that restaurant in the future.
But did it have to be that way?
What if instead of resisting the rudeness of the waitress — and being drawn down into her dark state so that we become negative too, we could be present enough to actually see and feel for ourselves what that waitress is experiencing in that moment? We would know something of her pain, and have some insight into her bad behavior. Our awareness of why she acts as she does keeps us from adding fuel to the fire so that (should we choose) we are free to maybe even try to joke with her a bit, lift her spirit. She may remain negative, but we have done no harm, and we’ve given her every possible opportunity to shake off her suffering.
Or maybe we notice she seems tired and sad. So we say something kind, and she blossoms in the light of our good intention.
All these different possibilities for what the moment means to us, all based on what we brought to the moment. It was our thinking that made it so.
Here’s another quote that makes the same point…
I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of a man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavour. It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of art. — Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862)
That’s it: our consciousness affects the quality of the day. One Journey founder Guy Finley has put this same principle in these words…
The quality of your life — for better or worse — is determined by one thing: the level of your consciousness. — Guy Finley (1949)
The beauty of understanding this timeless principle is that with the proper interior work, our level of consciousness can be changed!
The Key to Reaching a New Level of Consciousness
Some time ago, Guy Finley revealed the secrets for making the revolutionary inner leap into higher awareness at the Tenth Annual International Conference on Science and Consciousness.
In two talks, his keynote address and a special seminar presentation, Guy explained how to make a direct personal connection to one’s own latent higher consciousness. His audience was so inspired by his talks, they rose up in a spontaneous standing ovation.
Fortunately, every minute was recorded and assembled into a powerful 2-MP3 program entitled To Touch the Timeless Mind: Make the Million-Year Leap in Human Consciousness. This program holds the promise, and the proof, that you are meant to live from a higher level of consciousness that allows you to rise above troublesome people, disturbing events, and unwanted circumstances.
This higher level already lives within you. You need only discover yourself to begin experiencing a new order of being. And, To Touch the Timeless Mind gives you the helping hand to make this transformational self-discovery.
Both talks provide practical exercises you can use to begin putting this new knowledge to work in your daily life. You will learn how to awaken to a fearless order of your own being and use your present limitations to go beyond everything that limits you. All the beautiful instructions are in To Touch the Timeless Mind: Make the Million-Year Leap in Human Consciousness.
Here’s How to Get Your Copy of This Powerful Program
To Touch the Timeless Mind: Make the Million-Year Leap in Human Consciousness is available as a 2-MP3 album. You can download the MP3s to any of your listening devices and take them with you wherever you go. And each talk comes with a complete transcript.
It is possible for you to develop higher understanding and become the person you are truly meant to be. You will learn the celestial secrets and gain the inspiration you need in To Touch the Timeless Mind. And then every day can reflect the quality of your own higher consciousness!
Best wishes,
Dr. Ellen Dickstein
The OneJourney Project
PS: You are invited to join Guy Finley’s FREE ongoing online talks on these beautiful ideas that he gives every Wednesday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific and Sunday morning at 9:30 AM Pacific! For details visit guyfinley.org/freeclass
Life of Learning Foundation is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates exclusively on the proceeds received from the sale of Guy Finley materials and charitable donations from our generous supporters. All donations are tax-deductible in the US. Your donation will help to sow the seeds of higher self-knowledge into every corner of the world. Thank you for your support! Click here if you’d like to make a donation >>
