Our thoughts and words can influence our destiny by either destroying or creating us to our greatness or preventing us from living up to our highest potential.

Our thoughts hold a powerful magnetic effect called the Law of Attraction. In simple terms, this means what we think about, we bring about. For example, thoughts of love, peace, and abundance will create love, peace, and abundance. Likewise, thoughts of hate, discord, and lack will create hate, discord, and lack. Negativity begats negativity and positivity begats positivity.

Sixteen seconds is all the time it takes to create a positive or negative result. Lyn Grabhorn in her book, “Excuse Me Your Life is Waiting” calls this the boomerang effect.

Have you ever gotten up on the “wrong side of the bed?” Your thoughts may begin, “It’s Monday, the sun’s not out, it’s going to be a bad day.” Before you know it, you’re late, traffic is backed up, and you’ve spilled your coffee. Some folks think these are coincidences. They aren’t.

There are no accidents. I’ve noticed this over the years. If I have a negative thought and I don’t self-correct within sixteen seconds, then sure enough I have bumped into a wall, tripped, or hurt myself in some fashion.

I have learned to switch my thinking from the get-go. I wake up, and even before my feet hit the floor, I tell my Self, “Today is going to be a great day. All people and things that come into my life prosper me. No matter what today brings, all is well.” No matter what the weather is, I have choice as to how I want to see my day. Sometimes, I tell myself it’s Friday when it’s really Monday. What if all our days were Sundays?

In order to acquire what we desire in life, we must be willing to let go of the old beliefs, negative attitudes, ego, and fears, and choose to live positively and boldly with new eyes of vision. We must learn to switch our negative thoughts into anything positive; such as a positive affirmation or gratitude. For whenever we put our attention on the positive, we will draw the Law of Attraction; the magnetic energy of good, joy, love, peace, truth, and abundance towards us.

Sometimes, I find it helpful to have a positive affirmation or gratitude ready in my back pocket for when the negativity strikes, I can pull it out on a moment’s notice. i.e. “I am blessed for all the good in my life.”

Remember, in a mere sixteen seconds you can change your “Bad day” into a “Good day.” You can change your fears, negativity, hate, reactions, pain, lack, and turmoil, into love, peace, joy, expansion, abundance, possibilities, and strength. The choice is yours. Moment by moment you are in charge of your thoughts and beliefs. … Moment by moment you are the creator of your destiny.

I challenge you today to change one negative thought within sixteen seconds and turn that thought into either a positive affirmation or a gratitude.