A Tibetan monk was asked why he was always so optimistic. After all, he was in exile and his country was occupied by China. He might never have the chance to see his family again. The monk's reply: "Because it makes me feel good."

When I read this my thoughts turned immediately to forgiveness.

Not forgiving doesn't affect the other person, they carry on their own sweet way neither knowing nor caring that you don't forgive them. But your unforgiveness has a huge negative effect on you. Negative thoughts attack your immune system, predispose you to heart problems, cancers and other physical, social and emotional disorders. Negative thoughts can dissipate your energy, cripple your creativity and hinder your relationships with others.

You choose to forgive, not because the other person deserves it, but because you need to do it for yourself, YOU deserve it. It makes YOU feel good. The choice to forgive or not forgive shapes the kind of person you become: loving and happy or bitter and resentful. Why would you choose bitter and resentful?

Ask yourself - this negative thought that I am thinking, how would it be if it sprang into reality in my life in the next 3 minutes? If you don't want it to manifest, don't give it attention. Because you get what you focus on.

This is one of those ABSOLUTE truths that you cannot escape. It is like the law of sowing and reaping - you will reap exactly what you sow. If you sow flower seeds you won't get apple trees springing up - only flowers grow from flower seeds.

Why not choose to focus on something positive/worthwhile/uplifting? It will make you feel good, and you will see better results in your life.

So you have a choice about your thoughts - positive, or negative. And this is really important:

* Your thoughts affect your health and wellbeing - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.

* Your thoughts define you - how you see and experience the world.

* Your thoughts shape what you get in life (you get what you focus on).

I am doing a fantastic personal development course at the moment which is really helping me in this area. I've done lots of self development work in the past: studied counselling, read lots of books, listened to heaps of CDs, and have a large number of self development newsletters delivered to my email IN box weekly. All of it has been very helpful, but the course I am doing right now is really outstanding.

Money is important because it gives you the freedom to choose where your energy will be focused. But it is not all about the money. What I am excited about is the person I am becoming as I change my thinking. This manifests in abundance in my life - in lots of ways. If your life could be more fulfilling, then you owe it to yourself to check this out. The secret for success!

SUZI MORRIS
Blog: http://www.suzimorris.wordpress.com
http://www.theSecret4success.biz