The Car Analogy - Or What You See Is Not What You Get!

Cars are very predictable really. They all operate in pretty much the same way, from a Rolls Royce to a Mini, or a Cadillac to a compact.

What you see on the surface - the size, the shape, the colour, the sleek lines of the convertible to the strictly functional box on wheels - appears to be the automobile. But the actual workings and the power of the machine is hidden beneath the surface, it's out of sight under the hood; it's in the engine.

The body is only the fa?de, the veneer, it's just a shell with no power vested in it at all. In your Rolls Royce or Cadillac or stretch limo you're going to get about in some luxury and style, whereas in your compact or Mini you'll progress from A to B in a more functional manner, but that is the only difference. Basically you're both using the same technology except for the odd tweak and improvement here and there.

And so it is with us. We all have a body which we use for getting around in and our body is who we appear to be. But that is not where our power lies.

Some bodies are sleek, lithe and elegant whilst some are larger, bulky and slower moving. That is not important - big, small, slow, fast, young or old, the technology is still the same. The difference lies in the engine, the powerhouse which we know as our mind. In our car the source of power is the engine, in us it's our mind. Our mind is the engine which drives us, without it we are powerless.

So here we are in our sporty little convertible, hood down, looking great and able to get from 0 - 60 in 3 seconds. But until we activate the engine and get the gas pumping we're going nowhere. And once on the road our car needs constant focus and attention, just like our mind, otherwise it will wander off course and we'll never get to where we're going. We'll find ourselves in quite a different place than we were aiming for.

And if we liken our mind to an engine then just as our car needs gas to run on our mind needs thought to keep it going. Our thoughts are the fuel our mind works with. The quality of that fuel is hugely important but often underestimated. When confronted with under performance it's always worth looking at what you're putting into the tank.

Negative thoughts will slow you right down, a bit like driving in a fog or struggling up a hill. A negative thought will keep you trapped in first gear - you may even find yourself in reverse if you persistently use them to drive your mind.

But change your mind , come in with a positive thought and it's like stepping on the gas and moving through the gears. You're away again, everything in harmony running at peak performance. Positive thoughts if used consistently will see you accelerating smoothly and powerfully towards your goal. They are the premium petrol, the equivalent of four star gas, the optimum fuel for your mind.

So by all means polish the body, keep it looking good, but remember to nourish the engine with good quality gas. Look after the fuel and the engine and body will serve you well.