You Are What You Think | Milton Gonzalez | TEDxMcAllen

February 27, 2007 will be forever etched in the depths of my heart and in my mind you will see that day. The events that unfolded taught me more than any textbook, any college professor, or any mentor. I came to understand that the mind is a wonderful thing and that it has the potential to create our own reality to shape our own destiny and exceed the expectations of man. I understood that today we are the result of yesterday's decisions. In tomorrow we will be

what

we diligently

think

about. Today was Tuesday afternoon and I arrived home. to my three foster children my 15 year old son and my wife there was something different about her that day you see she approached me very emphatically and I noticed she had an extra sparkle in her eyes she was lit up like a Christmas tree she hugged she looked at me straight in the eyes and she told me today is the day today is the day I didn't pay much attention I didn't ask her

what

she meant I was more concerned about her physical well-being you see the day she had received a blood transfusion and was wearing a patch of morphine she had been suffering for 15 years Hodgkin's lymphoma had spread slowly but surely throughout her body it weakened her bones and her muscles but it never touched her spirit or her mind her body denoted illness but her spirit spoke differently she saw cancer as an opportunity to bring hope to the desperate and encourage the discouraged we continued with our day we had dinner with the children we sat down we talked we joked we had a great time but I noticed something different It was like I never saw them again or at least for a long time we talked , we put the kids to bed, we said goodnight, then we went to our room and I said, you know it's getting late, you really need to come to bed you need to rest because it's been a long day you still have morphine in your system you need to rest she He said you don't understand I can't I need to prepare because today is the day and I said what What are you talking about?

She said you'd never understand, you'd never understand. She says, "It's just that I don't have enough time. I need to get ready. Then I remember she went to the bathroom and got a pedicure, facial manicure, did her hair and I took out and selected specific clothes and put them in the closet where I could see her after about 45 minutes, it must have been 11 p.m. he came back to the bedroom he sat on the edge of the bed and called me he said I need to talk to you he grabbed my hands firmly but with a very gentle and sweet spirit he told me today is today. a day when I go home today is a day when I meet my Creator today is a day when I get my healing and my affliction ends confused fearful nervous I interrupted our conversation I said it's time to go to bed now I thought to myself She is delirious right?

I went to bed around 11:45 holding hands I prayed and looked at her and said good night and we will talk about this tomorrow the next day very early at 5:30 my alarm went off I got up immediately. the bed. I'm a morning guy. I turned around and saw her and there she was clinging to her pillow with a big smile, still asleep as I had always imagined her. I walked over to her side of the bed and put my hand on her shoulder and whispered here yours. Good morning, beautiful, good morning, beautiful, but she never responded and never knew what she was talking about.

See, she lived by this legacy statement or motto. Her motto was to live life in such a way that when you die, the preacher doesn't have to lie about you, yes, you see, despite her circumstances, she saw every part of the process as an opportunity and not a curse and it was her attitude positive despite the affliction he faced which guided me. to the next question what makes certain people cross the boundaries of affliction and succeed and do it with a smile what makes certain people succeed while others do not what is the difference between those who succeed and those who do not end the sorrow answer was very clear and simple they have a different mentality they have a mentality of improvement they have the tenacity to cross the borders of affliction with a smile their lives have not been shaped or molded by people but by their own words you see the doctor gave the diagnosis but made his own forecast which is the mind of someone who overcomes understand that words are like seeds that have the potential to grow and bear fruit the same way you see our minds are shaped by our past by past experiences specifically by those words that were said about our lives and have been planted in our minds she kept very well and did not let any words enter her mind because she understood the principle that those words are like seeds that when watered grow and can take control, empower you or They weaken you They promote or demote you They build or destroy They become your greatest ally or your worst nemesis You see I believe that words have creative power Words create an image in our mind I call it visualization and I believe that whatever you visualize will materialize In due time, whatever you

think

about you constantly see people who overcome obstacles in affliction with a smile, they are people who surround themselves with people of the same species because they understand. the principle that you become the average of the five people you spend the most time with understand that words are like the rudder of a ship that steers it to its port of call understand that they will not rise above their own image and that images of yourself made by yourself and not by people, what you see in the mirror is what you have created or whatever you see in the mirror is what you have allowed other people to believe, she did not allow others people will create their own image, she created her own thoughts they are powerful, you see our thoughts in our heart, our spirit is interconnected and they become words and our words have the power to produce emotions, feelings and our feelings eventually guide us and become in this and those decisions become actions and those actions. repeated over time they become our habits in our habits they form our character and our character takes us to our final destination in life, whatever it may be, whether good or bad, to our final destination.

I remember, I remember her telling me that night as she held my hands, she said. I set you free I set you free today I have been praying for God to bring a woman into your life who will bless you like you have blessed me for 15 years you have taken care of me you have carried me you have been there by my side and guess what God said he already has to someone for you now that really scared me I'll be honest I set you free he said then she planted words of Hope in me she planted words of expectation I set you free months passed I was still going through the grieving process and my son David told me hey dad, You're turning into a grumpy old man, you need to find yourself a woman, then I remembered his words, I set you free, so there I was standing in the church at the door and the church members were leaving and I was shaking hands and I was saying have a blessed Sunday and one of the ushers came up to me and said a pastor, there's a visitor you don't know, she usually walks out the door. side door because she's a little shy and I wanted you to meet her I said great who is this person says that lady over there and when I saw her coming it only took me five seconds I said that's my wife that's my wife so I did what every pastor does , I shook her hand and said welcome to our church, but then I did what no other pastor does, I said do you have a husband, she said no, I'm single, I said thank you Jesus and the rest of course is. story oh I heard that I want in my talk with the words of a famous author who said that we are not the product of our circumstances, we are just the product of our decisions, so this is my word to you, thank you sister, this is my word for you to decide to live and if you live live intentionally so the preacher doesn't have to lie about you thank you for listening