Our thoughts drive behavior, and behavior drives performance. What we see determines what we do, and what we do determines what we get. Therefore, if we want something different in our lives, it must begin with new thoughts. Our thoughts matter.
The noise of the modern world can feel overwhelming. Phones, laptops, tablets, television, news, social media—it’s all become more than we can process in its totality. The cumulative mass of these external influences can convince us that power resides out there, beyond our reach. But, as the great American mythologist Joseph Campbell often said, We are the truth we seek to know. Our greatest opportunities for growth dwell within us, not beyond us. This is the essence of what the Sioux refer to as the Seventh Power, which lives at the center of the Sioux medicine wheel.
I learned about the meaning of the Sioux medicine wheel across my now thirty visits to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The wheel represents the six great external powers of the west, north, east, south, sky, and earth. And at the center of the wheel lives a Seventh Power, which is you and me. The Seventh Power represents the individual human spirit, and its sacredness dwells within us all. Both the Sioux and scientists know that everything in the universe is connected. Separateness as we experience it is an illusion. Everything that exists is a manifestation of a single, unified field of energy. Therefore, if anything is sacred, everything is sacred. You are sacred.
The first step to transforming your thoughts is to pay attention to them. Our thoughts drive the frequency of our energy, which becomes our reality. In this way our earthly experiences are a mirror, reflecting back what we project forth. Become an observer of your mind. Listen to the messages and count their frequency. Are your thoughts positive, confidence-building, and energy-giving? Are they filled with hope, optimism, courage, and love? Or are they thoughts of limitations, grievances, and doubt, draining your life force and self-esteem?
The world becomes a different place when you realize that your thoughts are within your control. Change your thoughts, and new behaviors will follow. We can literally learn to see the world anew if we but choose to do so. Thoughts are free, and they are yours alone to guide. Thoughts drive behavior. Behavior drives performance. Small steps lead to great journeys. Find a single thought today that you would like to change and change it. In fifteen seconds, you can make your next move through the power of asserting a new thought that you then repeat, again and again. We experience what we expect, so what we expect matters. That’s the Seventh Power, and it dwells within us all!
