RIGHT THINKING
Sure Way to Success
AS human beings, we have the capacity to think at a purely intellectual level, conceptualise and discriminate between right and wrong, good and bad. The greatness of humanity lies in our ability to think and plan a course of action. Animals do not have this ability and hence cannot plan; their actions are governed by their natural instincts.
As humans endowed with the ability to decide on a course of action (and cannot, in reality, do otherwise), it is necessary for everyone to fully awaken their senses and bend their mental faculties to the right way of thinking. Right thinking leads to right planning and right consequences.
THINK POSITIVE
Right living is an art. Those who have learnt the art can construct a successful life. Those oblivious to it have nothing but failure in store for them.
Right living comes from ‘positive thinking’. It is about keeping an open mind and rising above the psychology of reaction or retaliation to plan objectively based on rational conclusions. If positive thinking gives us the direction to use our intellectual capacity, negative thinking blocks its development. Negative thinkers plan under the influence of external situations, which may or may not be particularly good.
To think out of the box is to think differently, unconventionally, and from new perspectives.
Humans are social beings and cannot live in isolation. We are all in one way or the other, indispensable to each other and negativity can never be beneficial. Success will come only to those who respond positively, even in negative situations.
DISCOVER, BY THINKING
All of our activities are governed by our minds. We first think, then act. Right thinking leads to making right beginnings, and right beginnings lead to right results. When an apple falls from a tree, it always falls straight down. People took this falling-down for granted. No one thought to question why.
Sir Isaac Newton was probably the first person to think about this phenomenon. Why did the apple fall to the ground? Unusual thoughts, but they helped Newton to conclude that the earth exerted a force on the apple. He proceeded to discover the laws of gravity.
In a similar way, for millennia, people believed that the earth was flat. This theory appeared to be true as far as anyone could see. Standing on the coast, if you watch the horizon for ships, you will initially see the masts and as they come closer, the entire ship becomes visible. The ship seems to have risen from below the horizon. Think about this phenomenon.
If the earth was flat, the entire ship would have appeared in the distance. The entire ship would have been visible as a speck on the horizon that got clearer as it came closer.
All discoveries are made solely by thinking; you don’t stumble upon them. Think, and you will discover the answers to everything.
LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE
One other principle of right thinking concerns our ability to control our minds. This enables us to derive lessons from the various incidents we experience.
Success will come only to those who respond positively, even in negative situations.
Life is a series of experiences. If our eyes and ears are open and receptive, we can derive useful lessons, spare ourselves from mistakes and boost our intellectual development. These lessons enable us to construct our lives better.
DISTINGUISH
An important feature of thinking is the ability to distinguish between things which seem to be similar, but on a deeper level, are radically different. Failure to understand the difference often results in great loss.
We are constantly faced with choices—between courses of action, opinions and ideas. It would be unwise to form opinions based on appearences. A clear analysis is needed before we form our opinions. A person who fails to comprehend this wisdom is like a driver who cannot differentiate between an empty street and a street full of traffic.
ADJUST
We are all born idealists. We constantly seek higher ideals, the highest 30 Spirit of Islam Issue 39 March 2016 and best in all spheres. This approach sounds good in theory, but is destructive in the long run. The reason is that we do not live our lives alone. Individual interests, considerations and choices vary. Everyone has a personal, unique view of what is good, bad and ideal. This makes the achievement of personal ideals impossible. The only practical solution is to adopt the policy of adjustment with others.
IGNORE PROVOCATION
Conflicts and quarrels have been a feature of human society. That is not to say that there is no escape from these situations. It depends upon whether individuals entangle themselves in such conflicts or manage to keep themselves away. This holds true for individuals, as well as nations.
Most quarrels start with verbal exchanges that grow heated. People over-react and become hostile. Their retaliatory thinking often results in full-fledged enmity. Negative action is the result of negative thinking
Differences should be countered in a positive manner. The best principle to follow on encountering an unpleasant situation is to think carefully before speaking, or acting. Verbal exchanges can snowball into more serious conflicts. If something poses a real threat and must be taken seriously, you should make every effort to solve the problem at hand, but confine yourself to resolving it by discussion.
Even if your feelings are hurt, there is no real harm, only imaginary. And reacting on imaginary grounds would not be wise. Exercise restraint, and ignore provocation.
THINK OUT OF THE BOX
To think out of the box is to think differently, unconventionally, and from new perspectives. You are not limited to thinking in terms of black and white. There are grey areas in between. Better options exist. And thinking out of the box will lead you to these better options.
If we are provoked by every unpleasant experience,
we will fail to devote ourselves to worthwhile goals.
For instance, if someone says something hurting to us, we tend to get angry and quarrel with the person. We feel that not reacting to the insult shows cowardice, while fighting back would be considered bravery.This is wrong thinking. There is a better option—the way of avoidance. Instead of wasting your time being provoked into fighting, you should stick to the path of positive action and avoid negativity. There is a saying that illustrates this better option—“Dogs may bark, but the elephant goes on”.
This is not just a matter of morality but an important part of life’s reality. Each individual is unique and hence we are confronted with unpleasant experiences. If we are provoked by every unpleasant experience, we will fail to devote ourselves to worthwhile goals. Time and resources in this world are limited. We cannot afford to spend these precious things on ‘teaching someone a lesson’, or on retaliation, or other such negative actions. The price we pay for these futile engagements is our own progress and development.
BE ACCOUNTABLE
We are not machines controlled by a system, nor are we animals governed only by instincts. We enjoy freedom. We make decisions and take action of our own free will. How can we be sure we make the right decisions and take the right action?
In normal situations the human brain remains in a dormant state.
It is only external shocks which awaken it, and the greater they
are the greater the intellectual revolution within man.
History shows the ineffectiveness of all measures in this connection—social pressure, law enforcement or reformation. People cannot on their own bind themselves to moral values or adhere to justice. They need to be convinced that they are under a superpower—a living and powerful God who is perfect and just.
The concept of a living and powerful God is necessarily accompanied by the concept of accountability. God is just, and everyone is answerable to Him for their actions. This guarantees that we think right and do right. It gives us the conviction that we will receive God’s eternal reward if we always think right and do right.
FINALLY
The truth of the matter is that it is our level of thinking which determines success or failure. Success is the result of right thinking. Think right, do right and succeed.
