2 Critical Things That Will Determine Your Future
Copyright 2006 Daniel N Brown
There are many things in life that clamour for our attention.
Many of these things are completely useless and only eat up our
valuable time. If we're not careful these things will drag us
down and lessen our quality of life.
We have to be very careful what we subject ourselves to because
everything has an influence. We must protect our minds by being
careful what we choose to let inside.
If we have hopes of having an extraordinary future there are two
critical things that we must monitor.
1. The Books We Read
In 5 years or less you will be the sum total of the books you
have read. In other words, you will be the sum total of what you
have put into your mind. If what you are allowing into your mind
on a regular basis is not in harmony with where you want to be
in the future you may want to make some serious changes. Get
yourself on a good reading program.
What we focus on becomes attracted into our lives. If we put
positive information into our minds we will attract positive
circumstances.
2. The People You Associate With
In 5 years or less you will be the sum total of the people you
have associated with.
There have been times in my past that I have had to break off
some close relationships because of the negativity associated
with these particular people. They did nothing but drag me down.
Relationships like that will keep you from getting to where you
want to go. I'm not saying that you should stop loving and
caring for those type of people, but just love and care for them
from a distance. Simply quit hanging out with them.
You don't have to physically associate with negative people to
experience their negative effects. Many people associate
emotionally with other people via television.
I have a friend who is into a particular soap opera and he says
it doesn't affect him. I disagree. I know this soap well because
I was addicted to it myself! After watching it every day for
about six years, I was usually left in a paralyzed state of
mind. My friend is so accustomed to his state of mind that I
know he doesn't even realize it.
I have another friend who is reading romance novels. She views
her real world as lacking romance so she tries to compensate for
it by indulging in a fantasy.
I know a lot of people who are into watching scary movies. These
shows leave a person with a sense of fear. The Bible says over
and over again, "Fear not!"
We absolutely have to choose our associations wisely! Proverbs
27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens the
other." How sharp do you want to be?
Conclusion
Where will you be in in the future? Three, four, or even five
years down the road? It is a fact that in five years or less you
will be the sum total of the books you have read and the people
you have associated with.
Are you reading good books and associating with the right kind
of people? Or, do you need to get some good books and change a
few relationships? The Bible says, "Keep your heart with all
diligence for out of it flow the issues of life" (Proverbs
4:23).