The two primary types of thinking are critical thinking and creative thinking. Critical thinking relies on logic and comes from the conscious mind. Creative thinking relies on imagination and comes from the subconscious mind. In the classic book, Mind Power Into the 21st Century, John Kehoe explains how to harness the power of the subconscious mind.
Kehoe provides guidance on how to tap into your creativity. When he speaks of creativity, he is not limiting it to artistic work. He is talking about the creative power of the mind. He notes that our thoughts, fears, hopes, worries, and deeply held beliefs create our realties. That makes sense because our thoughts affect how we act and what we do, which in turn affects our success and happiness in life.
He explains that if we want our lives to change, we can’t just constantly react to the outer reality of people, places, things, and events. We must instead start by changing our inner reality of thoughts, emotions, and attitudes. We do that by paying attention to our thoughts and guiding them into a more positive, productive direction.
An important point he makes is that we must consciously focus our thoughts. As he says, “Weak and scattered thoughts are weak and scattered forces. Strong and concentrated thoughts are strong and concentrated forces.” If there are specific things we want in our lives, we need to focus our thoughts on those things. Thought precedes action.
Kehoe provides various techniques for focusing our thoughts. He explains effective processes for visualization, affirmations, contemplation, getting answers to questions, awakening your intuition, and more.
He cautions that there is a time lag between changing your thoughts and experiencing a new reality. Many people give up during this waiting period and so remain stuck with their old reality. Patience and commitment are needed as you begin to replace limiting beliefs with more supportive ones.
Another good point Kehoe makes is that you become whatever you consistently think about yourself. For example, he says confident thoughts create a confident person. Successful thoughts create a successful person. Loving thoughts create a loving person. Thoughts with a purpose create a person with a purpose. We must change our thoughts if we wish to change our self-image.
One suggestion I especially liked was his list of 6 creative tactics for a successful life:
1. Be an explorer.
2. Ask questions.
3. Get lots of ideas.
4. Break rules and break habits.
5. Use your imagination.
6. Fill the well – do something fun; do something new.
Sounds like a great way to live!
If you are interested in purchasing Mind Power Into the 21st Century or in reading the official book description and reviews, please visit the author’s Amazon Page.
