Who Are You?

Who are you? How you answer this question determines how much power you have over your life and the world around you. Do you believe that your power comes from something or someone outside yourself? If you get a college degree does that mean you have power? If you make a ton of money, will that make you powerful? If you win the Lottery, will that assure a happy life?

One of the most important ideas in metaphysics is that power lies in our ability to think. And what we think determines how our lives are experienced. The paradigm shift is one of the most interesting concepts developed in modern thought. It is a change from one way of thinking to another, and can apply to anything on earth – your job, your married life, your relationships, your home, your surroundings, and more importantly, your health.

The old saying, “Hold your horses” is a good one. It implies that you hold the reins and you control the horse. When your internal dialogue is screaming out pessimistic negativity, then it’s time to mediate the situation. Rather than jumping on the bandwagon and going along with everything your inner voice tells you, take hold of the reigns and “hold your horses.” A lot of times emotions can run wild, and when they do, you can end up behaving recklessly and making impulsive decisions. You wind up getting thrown off and landing in the dirt. It’s best to slow down and think about what you’re thinking about.

So holding your horses is a good symbol for making a paradigm shift in our thinking and thus in our lives. My little quarter horse Baby Doll used to run like crazy toward the highway on our way back to the barn after a ride. I’d be pulling on the reins to get her to stop, and she’d finally screech to a halt just before we dashed into the highway where cars were passing back and forth. Looking back, I think she was just playing with me and that she fully intended to stop in time. But our thoughts won’t stop until we take control of them ourselves. So to avoid crashing headlong into an accident, watch your thoughts. Be aware of where they are trying to take you and get control of them in time.