Change your thoughts to change your life.  Our lives follow in the direction we are thinking.

Proverbs 23:7a (KJV) says:

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.

It is a simple concept.  We cannot think angry thoughts and be peaceful.  We can't think happy thoughts and be sad.  We cannot think hatred and be loving.  And if we keep thinking wrong thoughts our lives will turn out wrong.  

We can't expect people to love us if all we think about is how people dislike us, or how they do us wrong.  They will pick up on our thoughts through our words and actions (and it will come out eventually).  Then, they respond by disliking us, and we just created a self-fulfilling prophecy.  And we seal the deal by telling ourselves, "I knew it.  I knew they didn't like me."

Romans 12:2 (KJV) states:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We are not to conform to the world but we are to be transformed, or changed.  The word used here is the same word used to explain the change that takes place when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly.  And how are we to make such a radical transformation?  By the renewing of the mind to the Word of God, in order to prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Our thoughts can hold us back and hold us down.  But when we put God's Word in our hearts, we begin to think like God, which causes us to act like God.  And we transform like a caterpillar to a butterfly, flying high, with our lives heading in the ascending direction God intended.  He wants us to go forward and upward, becoming more like Christ, thinking with the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16).  Moving from low level thinking to a higher way of thinking will take us to higher places in God and lead us to a better way of living.

Philippians 4:8 (AMP) gives us good direction.

Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].

Let this scripture serve as a checklist for your daily thought life.  Compare each thought to this list and make sure your thinking measures up.  It will take some time, but you will begin to see a change in your attitude and your life.  When we think on these kind of things, we are using a higher way of thinking, which results in a higher way of living.  And the more we think on God's Word, the higher the level of life we will experience.  Don't allow negative, doubt-filled thoughts to pull you down to a low-level life.  Soar high with the Lord by right thinking.