COGNITIVE REFLECTION

Text prepared by: Cláudia Ferreira

The end of the year is always a good time to take stock of the year’s ending and think about what you want the year ahead to be like. Think about and consider the three life plans:

• Physical plane: you cannot live fully without adequate food, comfortable clothes, safe shelter, and work/occupation. Rest and entertainment are also necessary for your well-being. How has it been so far? Would you like to change anything in the future? Have you ever thought about how to make this change if something similar happens to you again?
• Mental plan: you need to satisfy your creativity to live fully; you must have books and time to enjoy them; you need time to appreciate quality music and art; you need opportunities and money to work and interact with other people with the same interests. How has it been so far? Would you like to change anything in the future? Have you ever thought about how to make this change if something similar happens to you again?
• Spiritual plan: to live fully, you need time for serene meditation, reflection, prayer, spiritual examination, attending church conferences, and interacting with others. How has it been so far? Would you like to change anything in the future? Have you ever thought about how to make this change if something similar happens to you again?

Working on these plans will make you more prosperous, a right we all have and should always strive for. Proper use of the mind is the solution to a healthy, happy, prosperous, and successful existence. Failure is the result of negative thoughts.

It is useless to feel guilt and shame because of your difficulty in managing your time and, as a result, sometimes compromising your success. Know that this is different from being bad or lazy, as many think. The connections in your brain are the source of your problems and not your desires.

After this reflection, you can conclude one of two things: I am an optimistic person, or I am a pessimistic person.

You are a pessimist if you believe that adversities are irremovable, that they undermine all your activities, and that you are solely responsible for them. Optimists, subject to the same setbacks of this world, oppositely face misfortune. They believe failure is just a temporary setback, and the causes are restricted to the case. Which side do you fall on? And once again, is it that good? Would you like to change anything in the future? Have you ever thought about how to make this change if something similar happens to you again?

Remember: success results from a combination of talent and desire. When failure occurs, it is because of a lack of skill or will. But loss can also happen when talent and passion are abundant, but optimism is lacking.

There is little care for your health, as pessimism and optimism affect it as clearly as physical factors. Physical health is not exclusively determined by the body’s condition, hygiene habits, and ability to avoid germs. Our physical health is something over which we can have much more control if we observe our thoughts better and seek to make them more assertive and less dramatic.

Receive these suggestions as small gifts and be happy:

• Set aside a moment of the day to be alone and reflect silently;
• Avoid judging people, as what seems evident to you often has an explanation;
• Humbly give thanks for the simple gifts offered by life, such as the beauty of nature, and be open to continue receiving them;
• Wish (in silence) well to everyone you are with;
• Always observe your choices and ask yourself: What will be the consequences for me and others;
• Make your “heart” your advisor, as it is very intuitive;
• Try to accept people and facts as they are;
• Avoid pre-occupying your head with future matters: live in the present;
• Believe that you can make it happen, but first you need to know what you want;
• Know that if you are willing to accept uncertainty, the solution will come from the problem itself;
• Make a list of your unique talents and what you love to do and put them into practice;
• Ask yourself daily, “How can I serve today?”
• Change, but start slowly because direction is more important than speed.

“Anything we desire can be created because the same laws that nature uses to create a galaxy, a planet, and a human body can fulfill our deepest desires”.

Deepak Chopra