Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life
                                                   by
                                        Dr. Wayne W. Dyer 

In Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer examines the teachings of Lao-tzu a prophet from Luoyang, China. During the period of warring states, he was asked to produce the document, Tao Te Ching meaning the way. His people at the time needed his wisdom and guidance in turbulent times. ''The Tao is an unknowable, unseeable realm where everything originates; while at the same time, the Tao is invisibly within everything.'' (Dyer., page 3). The Tao is the master of a ''10,000 things'' effortlessly and invisibly. This was the interpretation of the source of all things from the Lao-tzu perspective. 

The Tao Te Ching is full of many wise teachings. One of them is desires and desireless. What are they and what do they mean for us? 
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In the Tao, 
''Desiring, one sees the manifestations; desireless, one can see the mystery itself.'' (Dyer, page 4). Desiring comes with a lot of conditions and expectations. Our desires come from a place of lack. When we desire we are saying to the source we are lacking and want a different outcome than our current experience. While being desireless grants us complete freedom in the unknown. Because it is in the unknown where all things are born and created and delivered promply by the invisible power itself. 

''Desireless means trusting, permitting, and allowing.'' (Dyer., page 4). Therefore the power is in letting go and allowing the invisible power that exists in nature to take control of your life. Because this invisible power is what controls all of us. Why not entrust it with your life? Why must you know everything that happens each moment? Why not allow the invisible power to make you happy and be fulfilled effortlessly? The power is truly letting go and trusting the Tao. 

Alter Your Perspective, 
''Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become the next moment. By the same token, every human being has the freedom to change at any instant.'' - Victor Frankl (Holiday., page 36). Victor was right. Man makes meaning every moment. Everything that is happening we make our conclusions out of it. Such assumptions can serve us or destroy us. But it is human nature to assume the worst and suffer from preventable situations. Our minds often go to the worst out of fear and survivalism. Many of us are making decisions and living from a state of survival. 

''Context: a sense of the larger picture of the world, not just what is immediately in front of us. Framing: an individual's unique way of looking at the world, a way that interprets its events. '' (Holiday., page  38).  Events, circumstances and human behaviour are often filtered through the lens of traumas, cultural conditioning, past bad experiences and unhealthy attitudes. We often see the situation as a reflection of our worth and not as a result of human behaviour that has been occurring since the beginning of the human race. We take mundane situations and dramatized them through the lens mentioned above. 

Many things good and bad will occur in 2020 but it will be our perspective that will run the show. This year can be a year of triumph or suffering based on how we react to our situations that are on their way. If we can accept that we are not special and that life will happen anyway and we can remain calm and cool in whatever occurs we could conquer ourselves and trump our survival instincts that are fuelled by fear of the unknown. Let us become friends with the unknown. Accepting whatever the unknown brings us is what we are meant to be experienced and act accordingly. 

In part one Ryan takes us through different scenarios and how they were handled by these historic figures. Life is in the battle of the mind and heart. We are often pulled in different directions when the body, mind and spirit cannot focus on one aim, cause or path. Our resolve and commitment to one thing and growth-promoting attitude are what will liberate us from the mundane. 
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Perception: 
''Our perceptions can be a source of strength or of great weakness.'' (Holiday., part I). How we see the world is how we will experience the world. The world is nothing but a mirror for us to look at ourselves. How we perceive world events and people will be what we experience. We cannot outdo our expectations garnered from our perceptions. Our perceptions of things and people can be the source of our joy of suffering. We get to decide. 

Recognize Your Power: 
Rubin ''Hurricane'' Carter, boxer 
''I know you had nothing to do with the injustice that brought me to this jail, so I'm willing to stay here until I get out. But I will not, under any circumstances, be treated like a prisoner.''' (Holiday., page 19). Rubin was wrongfully convicted. He didn't have the attitude, demeanour or expectation of a prisoner. He spent his time being in high esteem and battled for his cause with confidence. Most people in tough situations give in and allow the situation to control and change them. We must act like Rubin and control the situation at all cost, and to use the bad times for our benefit. Everything good and bad is working for our entire good. 

Stand Your Nerves: 
''What such a man needs is not courage but nerve control, cool-headedness. This he can get only by practice.'' - Theodore Roosevelt (Holiday., page 24). It's our nerves that get us in trouble. We can't examine and perceive things correctly if we allow our immediate emotions to make rash decisions out of fear and overreaction. We need to have a cool head as Roosevelt said, only then can we make decisions out of pragmatism and not out of fear. 

Control Your Emotions: 
''Would you have a great empire? Rule yourself.'' - Publilius Syrus (Holiday., page 27). How many times in life are our emotions running the show? All the time. Human beings allow their unexamined emotions to ruin their lives. Because we are not using to sitting with ourselves and understanding our triggers. We have to become the greatest students of ourselves and truly examine the being that is us. What others do is none of our business. The question, why do others control us so much? Because we give away our power. 

Practice Objectivity: 
''This happened and it is bad'' is two impressions. ''This happened'' is objective.  The second ''it is bad'' is subjective.'' (Holiday., page 32). What truly happened and what you perceived happened are two different things. The distinction is often not made and as a result, we get into a rough situation. Our inability to see the difference is at the source of all human suffering. Life happens to all human beings. We are not so special that we are exempt from life's happenings. We must accept life as it is and act according.