You Are What You Think

A person's state of mind can control their outlook on life. That's something I am coming to believe more and more as I get older. This sounds like a fairly simple observation, and it is. But it's an observation that works itself into many facets of life.

Example: like everywhere else in the country in the past few weeks, Columbus is under a heat wave, with temperatures into the high 90s and humidity pushing the heat index into the 100s. It's been nasty. But I have found that if I don't let myself think about it, and take the proper precautions to avoid problems (wearing a wide-brimmed hat and cool clothes, for example), it isn't an issue. In fact, during my walk home yesterday, I actually found myself enjoying it. Sure, I was sweating a bit, but that sweat was allowing the light breeze that was blowing past me to be very refreshing. And when I got home and put on my Utilikilt, it was even better!

Mind over matter. It's that simple.

The most amusing part of this is when I come across people who are endlessly complaining about the heat and are obviously expecting you to commiserate with them. When you don't, saying something like "well, at least there's a nice breeze today," they almost get huffy about it, as if something is wrong with you.

There are plenty of other ways in which you can mold yourself into what you want using your mind, this is just one. I'll comment on more as I'm going along.