We talk readily about being “the thinkers of our own thoughts” and because of that, being “the creators of own reality.”  But it matters to realize the remarkable power of those facts.  We never have to live as the victim of our own most negative or distressing thoughts.  When people say casually how upset they are that they “keep thinking about” something that troubles or concerns them, they are missing the remarkable truth about our power TO think, the power we have to decide what we hold in mind, to change our minds, or to let it go.  What we think takes form as an idea which appears real.  But the life of a thought is only as long as we think it.  So reality shifts as our thinking changes.  We are never stuck in any “reality.”  Our experience changes as our thinking changes.

Our life is a neutral sequence of ideas and events; how we think about life determines our experience of it.  So the details of daily living are not the “cause” of our felt experience.  Our thinking about them is.  We forget that, as the thinkers, we can “color” our thinking about life any way we want.  A lunch with someone we used to work with can be a light-hearted sharing of memories, or a depressing rehearsal of things that went wrong.  Remembering a failure can generate reflection about lessons learned, or a moment of regret or self-recrimination.  We are the “artists” who interpret and color our own life via the gift of thought.  Our memories, our moment-to-moment experience, and our plans look different to us in different states of mind.  So when we aren’t satisfied with how life is going, maybe looking within rather than trying to alter the outside world, would make a big difference.

When we refer to deep feelings, we are talking about the quietude, inner ease, and sense of connection and appreciation innate to all people.  It’s a feeling natural to us, our spiritual essence, unconditional love.  We sometimes try to attribute our deep feelings to things outside ourselves: people, situations, or outcomes.  But nothing outside has power to “make” us feel anything.  Our deep feelings are not caused by circumstances, but awakened within us when we quiet our intellect and listen to our heart.

The term “Innate Health” refers to the pure life energy that is the essence of our power to recognize when to turn away from non-constructive thinking and negative feelings. It is mental well-being that is natural to us. We lose touch with it when we get caught up in our thinking, but we can’t lose it. It is who we are. The Principles describe it. We determine whether to acknowledge it, appreciate it, and listen to the common sense and wisdom it offers when we don’t override it.

Natural self-esteem is built into humanity; it’s just being ourselves and embracing life.  Once we start to analyze ourselves, or become self-conscious about perceived flaws or worried about what others think about us, we lose touch with our connection with life and others.  Whether we think we’re great, or fear we are awful, we live in insecurity.  We live in our head, not from our heart.  That doesn’t mean we don’t want to develop our knowledge, or take interest in staying fit or looking our best.  It simply means that we are born with all we need to be at ease with moment-to-moment life.