Exert Less Effort!

You assume that you have to work to make your dreams come true, when in fact most of the work you run around doing is preventing your dreams from coming true.

The less effort expended, the better. To think in a more orderly, conscious, efficient manner you first have to eliminate habits of thinking that obstruct the universe’s ability to carry out your desires.

Imagine that your mind is a radio transmitter, bombarding the field with messages. If you sit quietly and observe your mind, you will see that it is full of mixed signals. The things we want to accomplish we also have doubts about; the person we want to turn into is also someone we aren’t quite sure about.

The mind is similarly full of pointless repetition. It has been estimated that 90 percent of the thoughts anyone thinks on any given day are the same as those of the day before. This is because we are all creatures of habit, worry, and obsession.

Finally, the mind is full of unconscious static, tracking back to the very depths of infant memory. You may not be paying attention only to your conscious, willed thoughts, but in the background your unconscious mind is churning with its unfulfilled hopes, its old fears and wishes – in short, all the things that didn’t seem to come true in the past.

Intentions are simply desires, and desires are linked to what you need. Therefore all this activity of the mind that isn’t being fulfilled consists of old needs that didn’t get fulfilled.

The first step towards change is recognition. Recognize that you have had at least a few hopes and wishes come true. When you have an intention and send it into the universal awareness, you are actually talking to yourself in another form. As the sender of the message, you are an individual living here in time and space.

But you are also the receiver of the message, in your guise as a higher self presiding over your space-time identity. And even more than this, you are the medium of the message, pure awareness itself.

Adapted from Twenty Spiritual Lessons for Creating the Life You Want, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 1995).

Read more: Spirit, Deepak Chopra's Tips, intention, mind, thinking

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Patricia H.

2:51AM PST on Jan 31, 2013

thanks for sharing

January 31
send a green star

Danuta W.

1:45AM PST on Jan 31, 2013

Thanks for sharing.

Lynn D.

1:32AM PST on Jan 31, 2013

Thanks ever so much!!!

Yulan L.

3:37PM PDT on May 29, 2012

May 29
send a green star

Olivia S.

6:02AM PDT on May 17, 2012

Thanks. I have been "intending" for the huge rock I uncovered while digging to jump out of the hole and move itself...but so far it isn't working.

May 17
send a green star

Lynn C.

7:39AM PDT on Apr 13, 2012

Wonderful - again. Thank you Dr. Chopra.

April 13
send a green star

10:18PM PDT on Mar 30, 2012

I live a life of fulfillment. What I want, for myself, materializes without effort. It just shows up. I try to keep learning and growing spiritually. I devote much time to giving to others and thanks to Care2 that's easy. I spend time with my Higher Power.

I'm careful of my thinking which I consider to be the most influential part of living. As a man believeth in his heart (soul...emotions.,...subconscious) so is he. If I do harm to someone, despite my best intentions, I find a way to make amends. I try to live clean.

I have just received the best gift, for me, better than winning the lottery. I've spent my life as a Seeker of truth. I'm going on 70. I've learned a lot! I've been at the point where there seemed little new to explore. Then, I received the gift of Jewish Kabbalah. I was simply checking out some Jewish ideas and it led to Kabbalah. I now am part of a study group. There are many ideas, concepts and applications new to me. My postulates and hypothesis that seemed so different, well, I'm finding they are taught in Kabbalah.

I am dancing with delight.

March 30
send a green star

5:39AM PDT on Mar 30, 2012

The unexpressed one desiring sacred other, inexperienced, flows innate knowingness,

yea, flows wisdom.......,wisdom flows understanding...............flows knowledge thus doth

knowledge flow mercy, yet mercy flows restriction......only the right amount in the right way

that restriction may flow beauty, balance, neither too much nor too little as beauty emanates

harmony expressing victory, yea, even the honor of influence to rescue Mother Earth.

Thus shall the kingdom be re-united with Creator.

heather g.

12:50PM PDT on Mar 29, 2012

This message is very pertinent in my life right now. I most definitely will not achieve anything positive by running around in circles (working too hard)
When a need or goal keeps being blocked over two or more years, I start re-thinking why I am being blocked.
If I were dealing with ethical people to achieve this particular goal, instead of waiting for unprofessional people to make a decision - the outcome would be easier.

March 29
send a green star

Marianne B.

7:38PM PDT on Mar 27, 2012

Reading all comments, there seems to be a debate going on. I believe this is an actual theory, because I was once reading a book, and thought to myself, someday I'd like to really see this personally, and years later, I actually did to my amazement. So our thoughts do put out energy. ( If we can only stop the daily "monkey chatter" in our heads).