THINK-FEEL-BE-DO-HAVE: The Golden Principle for Living A Happier Life
How long have I focused on what I wanted to have in my life and contemplated various strategies to attain those desires? While this approach might eventually lead to success, I've stumbled upon a shortcut— a golden principle I wish I had known from an early age. It would have spared me considerable time and energy, and prevented me from losing myself in overthinking and endless plans.
This principle is THINK-FEEL-BE-DO-HAVE. It amalgamates two transformative concepts that have illuminated my path of personal growth, fundamentally altering my outlook on life.
Let's delve into both of these principles.
The BE-DO-HAVE Principle
I often heard the saying: “Dress for the job you want and not the job you have.” Yet I had never sensed the core meaning until now.
The true question is not ‘HOW I can get what I want’? but ‘WHO do I need to BE to get what I want’?
How to apply the Be-Do-Have principle in life?
1- Start with HAVE: What would make me happy?
2- Question about BE: Reflect on Who do I need to BE to HAVE what would make me happy? What do I need to change within?
3- Engage in DO to BECOME: Take actions to cultivate the traits and qualities I need to embody in order to manifest my desires
This naturally led me to another question: "How can I truly BE that person?"—ushering in the second principle.
The THINK-FEEL-BE Principle
What does this mean practically?
The idea is that each behavior (BE) is rooted in a feeling (FEEL), born from a thought (THINK). For instance, a sad thought evokes sadness, reflecting on my facial expression (tears or a somber face). Conversely, shifting to a joyful thought triggers happiness within, often resulting in a smile.
As a result, to change my behavior, I must first uncover the underlying thought, replace it with a more empowering alternative, thus fostering a positive emotional shift that translates into transformed behavior.
How to apply the Think-Feel-Be principle?
1- Start with ‘BE’: Cultivate self-awareness, assessing if behavior aligns with aspiration
2- Uncover the ‘THINK’: Explore the initial thought that propels the behavior. Replace it with a thought that empowers, serving the qualities to embody.
3 - FEEL to BE: Embrace visualization techniques— Through visualization, I imagined myself already possessing the desired qualities, allowing their positive impact to course through my body and life. By feeling these qualities in every fiber of my being, I sent a resounding message to every cell, ensuring they resonated throughout. This deep emotional connection served as the bridge to gradually cultivate the mental framework for the new desired quality to take root within me and become an integral part of my being.
Understanding this principle became the foundation of my journey. I swiftly recognized the need to reshape my thought patterns.
Later, the significance of translating my intentions of who I wanted to be into actions became crystal clear. This is what I refer to as DO to BECOME principle. It's vital to put those intentions into action in real life for full integration, ultimately allowing me to truly BE to attract what I want.
This led to merging the two principles into one: THINK-FEEL-BE-DO-HAVE.
From asking "What do I want?" I progressed to asking "What must I think?" This realization placed personal development at the forefront, as I discovered the power to shape my desired life.
Remember, everything starts with a thought. Better be a good one, don’t you think?
I'll leave you with that thought to ponder upon ;)
