A ROOM FOR WONDER
It’s a personal development book: It’s all about learning how to think, not what to think.
Main idea: Our life is affected not by how things are, but by how we think things are. It suggests that in life, you don’t get what you want, but rather what you are or believe.
A profound form of belief is faith. Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
We should learn to work under a spiritual perspective, knowing that physicality is not reality, but spirituality is reality. Physicality is just a manifestation of the invisible #spiritualreality.
You don’t have to wait to see or make sense to the universe in order to believe in it. As can be said: “It’s okay not to have everything figured out, but having faith is most important.”
This means life is complex and unpredictable, so it’s okay to feel uncertain or not have all the answers. What matters more is having faith, whether in yourself, a higher power, or the journey itself. This faith provides hope, strength, and resilience, helping you navigate uncertainties with patience and trust that things will work out in the end.
Source of Faith: Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about the theme/central topic.
Steps to understanding and knowing one’s intention/message:
Understanding the reason to start (the driving force).
Knowing post-achievement plans (post-acquisition plans).
Awareness of ongoing efforts/manifestations (current endeavors).
The driving force will help you find reasons to start through committed decisions and clear goals, this ultimately results in willpower and a sense of royalty.
Post-acquisition plans will help you finish what you started through consistency and self-discipline.
As it is often said, “Dreams without goals are just dreams, and ultimately, they fuel disappointment. On the road to achieving your dreams, you must apply discipline mostly importantly, consistency; because without commitment, you will never start, and without consistency, you will never finish”.
Manifestation refers to the act of something becoming visible or tangible, or the display of an abstract idea in a physical form. It can also mean a clear sign or evidence of something, such as a particular quality or feeling. In a broader sense, it involves bringing something into reality through thoughts, actions, or beliefs. This is the most challenging part.
Here are some philosophies that have helped me;
Don’t wish for less challenges; wish for more wisdom: Seek knowledge through studying and experience, embracing challenges as opportunities for growth.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: It refers to a healthy respect for God’s definitions of good and evil. True wisdom involves understanding those boundaries and not crossing them.
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing: Acknowledging your limits leads to humility and openness to learning. Meditation practice, which involves observing thoughts without judgment, helps develop critical thinking and questioning rather than accepting assumptions as truths.
This too shall pass: Reflects the idea that both good and bad times are temporary and nothing lasts forever, including our lives. It encourages humbleness over a superiority complex.
Life is random in nature; chance and time happen to all people: Sometimes life is unpredictable and influenced by factors beyond our control, so it’s best to accept what we can’t control, including external events, outcomes, and others’ actions. Stay humble; life is full of surprises.
Focus on what you can control: The only thing you can control is your attitude toward the present, which includes your thoughts, actions, and reactions. If you live in the past, you’re depressed; if you live in the future, you’re anxious; if you live in the present, you’re at peace.
Just because everyone is doing something doesn’t make it right, and just because no one is doing something doesn’t make it wrong: It’s okay to be misunderstood, stop seeking people’s approval. Stay true to your beliefs and values.
It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind, that determines which way we will go: Your life is affected by your response through the quality of your thoughts (philosophy), not by external circumstances.
Stoicism over hedonism: Stoicism is characterized by the rejection of pleasure as the ultimate standard for human happiness and the goal of life. It holds that a wise person, or philosopher, lives in accordance with nature, accepting pain, poverty, death, and other challenges without fear. The only true fear is abandoning one’s moral responsibility. A focus on virtue leads to a more meaningful life, rather than merely seeking enjoyment or pleasure, as it supports the saying “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Walk by the spirit”.
Don’t let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God today: Avoid letting concerns about the future distract you from maintaining your faith now. Focus on your spiritual life in the present and trust that the future will take care of itself.
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry: It emphasizes the importance of active listening, thoughtful communication, and emotional control. Being quick to listen and ask questions fosters understanding of others’ perspectives. Being slow to speak ensures that responses are considered and measured, while being slow to anger helps maintain calm and rationality in discussions or disagreements. Overall, this principle encourages thoughtful and respectful interactions with others.
Be careful with your responses, as Satan has been observing us since birth, seeking opportunities for manipulation. Be confident that only God knew us before we were born and that He alone knows our hearts and thoughts: This highlights Satan’s limitations, God’s limitless power, and the need to qualify our thoughts and responses.
Treat others as you would like to be treated: Referred to as the Golden Rule, fosters empathy and ethical behavior. By treating everyone as valuable, we uphold their dignity. Every time we demean or devalue others, we fail to do right by them.
Serving others is a key to becoming great and successful: This teaching encourages a shift from seeking power and status to embracing a life of service and compassion. Find ways to help and add value to others’ lives; by doing so, you can have everything you want.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good: It encourages responding to wrongdoing not with further negativity or retaliation, but with positive actions and kindness. This approach promotes healing, reconciliation, and the transformative power of goodness in overcoming harm and injustice.
Agape love has eternal value: Despite possessing great gifts and human potentials such as prophecy, speaking in tongues, immense faith, wisdom, and acts of generosity and sacrifice, if we fail to practice Agape love, then all these mean nothing. This suggests that all our efforts, energy, attention, and dedication should foster Agape love, as that is truly worthwhile.
If it’s to be, it’s up to me: Accepting full responsibility for your life is the highest form of maturity. In the face of failure, avoid blaming or complaining. Instead, recheck your choices, acknowledge your mistakes and weaknesses, and then rebuild and refine your thoughts.
By grace you have been saved, not by works: It emphasizes that salvation is a gift from God, given through His grace, and not something that can be earned by human efforts or good deeds. It underscores the idea that faith in God’s grace is the means by which people are saved, rather than relying on their own actions or merit. This teaching highlights the importance of humility and gratitude for God’s unmerited favor.
Do not be overly righteous; do not be overly wicked: It warns against self-righteousness and extreme wisdom that lead to pride or burnout. It also advises against being excessively foolish, as such behavior can lead to an untimely death. It’s a caution to avoid reckless or immoral actions that could shorten your life.
God cannot be fathomed, traced, or searched: God isn’t just a being we can fully understand; the point is to know and be known by Him so that we can participate in His love, which reflects lessons in humility and faith in his wisdom.
When given a choice between being right or kind, choose kind: The status of being right “I’m right, you’re wrong” often involves using verbal intelligence as a weapon of dominance, which can lead to pride and criticism, ultimately causing division and negativity. Sometimes we need to support others’ harmless beliefs and practices, to foster a positive connection. This approach opens doors for peaceful discussions, observations, and the sharing of ideas that can either build or challenge our faith. (Speaking truth with love)
In life, you don’t get what you want; you get what you are: According to the Law of Attraction, you become what you think about most of the time, whether you like it or not. Manifestation suggests that the universe responds to your energy, thoughts, and emotions. Therefore, maintaining a positive mindset and being clear about your goals can help you bring them to fruition. This is why thinking (through imagination and contemplation) is so vital, and setting goals is so important.
Restart by forgiveness: What greater gift could you receive from someone who loves you and whose heart you’ve broken than forgiveness? Sometimes, practicing forgiveness is the only way to rebuild a relationship, acknowledging that we all make mistakes. Believing in forgiving others also reflects faith in being forgiven by others and by God.
Everyone has a special gift from God; seek it out and embrace the opportunities to make the most of it: A good starting point for finding your purpose is at the intersection of your passion (the things you love doing) and your proficiency (the things you are good at). Finding a purpose is not the real problem; accepting it is. Many people are overly concerned about what others will think if they declare their purpose.
The magic you’re looking for is in the work you’re avoiding: Even if you can’t see a way through and only see one next step ahead, just take that step. Make your move before you’re ready. A place where many dreams die is in the getting ready place (planning, waiting, or preparing stages). There will always be reasons to wait, people think you need perfect conditions to start, but in the reality “starting is perfect condition”.
If you fake bravery when you’re terrified, that’s bravery. If you’re doing things while feeling unmotivated, that is motivation: This is the art of discipline by doing what you’re supposed to do, regardless of conditions or mood (Do it anyway).
Don’t start your day until you have it finished: Time is precious, and life is not just a passage of time but a collection of experiences, their frequency, and their intensity. Plan your day towards your dreams and visions as best you can; this practice will help you use your valuable time wisely. Acknowledge the distractions that can steal your time.
We get paid for value, not for the time we put into the marketplace: You get paid for the value you put in the time. We all get 24 hours per day, but it affects us so differently in reality. The key is to become more valuable. You can start with this idea: Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job.
Success is not a point, but progressive movement: Successful people know who they are, where they are going, and are progressively moving in that direction.
There are two types of people: those who are successful and those who get distracted: We all face challenges and setbacks in life, but refusing to stay down is key. We only fail when we give up.
Below scenario showing two boxes that are similar in size and six blocks for each to keep. Results: In box No. 1, it seems full and impossible to keep block R, but by only changing the arrangement of internal blocks in box No. 2, extra space is created for block R.
The above illustration can be used to show how believing differently (Perceptions) can affect our lives.
This book is a free gift to you. I hope it will help you too, as the philosophies in it help me. Wishing you all the best.