We hear things like: mind over matter…just do it…You are what you think…your thoughts become your destiny…etc, etc. Is there any truth to this? The short answer is YES. We all develop patterns of thought that we use again and again to get us through the day. Like a well worn road, our thoughts tend to “track” the way we’ve been “conditioned” to think. Our thoughts (and our emotions about these thoughts) drive what we choose to do and what to avoid. Even when you set an intention to change a behavior (eg, go to the gym 3x per week), you are often “undone” by your underlying thought pattern or self talk. For example, if we haven’t been to the gym in 6 months (or ever), your thoughts can easily look like this, “Getting back to the gym really won’t be easy, and even if I do go, it’s going to be hard to keep it up, and so why bother?” When really, the thought process should go more like this: “I really like this class or working with this trainer. Though it takes time and effort, I feel very accomplished every time I finish a workout. Even though I’m tired right now, I’m going to start driving there and spend at least 15 minutes. If I’m still tired after 15 minutes, I’ll head home, otherwise, I’ll give it 15 more minutes.” How you think changes everything.