Everything you imagine, say, or do starts with a thought.

That thought associates itself with every other thought you have ever had on the subject, and all together they trigger an emotion.

The thought(s) with their emotional attachments affect your behavior.

Look at the women in the picture below. Can you guess their thoughts? Look at the women row by row–they obviously aren’t all thinking the same thing.

Do you want to change how you act?

You will have to start with changing how you think.

 

The late Nelson Mandela brought change to a whole country by urging its citizens to change how they think. This is what he said in his book Long Walk to Freedom.

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

  ~Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom