Ancient Wisdom

“Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”

- Lao Tzu

In 600 B.C., a spiritual teacher named Lao Tzu walked the Earth.

His teachings became the Tao Te Ching, a book that heads of state and CEOs still keep in their carry-ons, and teaches that your thoughts become your reality.

Around the same time, an Indian prince, Siddhartha Gautama, left his palace to devote his life to discovering the truth. Today, half a billion Buddhists follow his Middle Way.

“Our thoughts shape us; we become what we think,” he taught.

What does the Christian Bible say? “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Islam? “Riches are not from an abundance of worldly good but a contented mind.”

The world’s major spiritual traditions agree: Mind creates matter.

Not religious? Neither am I, but I shun wisdom that’s stood the test of time at my own peril. How about a secular tradition, Stoicism?

Roman philosopher Seneca noted, “It is the power of the mind to be unconquerable.”

Emperor Marcus Aurelius agreed, saying, “The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.”

When an idea develops independently in all corners of the globe AND persists for more than 2,000 years, it might just be worth paying attention.