“All things come through desire and every sincere prayer is answered. We become like that on which our hearts are fixed. Carry your chin in and the crown of your head high. We are gods in the chrysalis.” — Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People
I came across this quote a few months ago, and I’d say it came at exactly the right time. I’m sure this isn’t the first time we’ve heard the phrase, “Our thoughts run our lives.”
But saying it is one thing; actually seeing how it works in real life is another.
If the quality of our thoughts really equals the quality of our lives, then we have to ask: What actually creates our thoughts?
I’m not a brain expert, but from what I’ve experienced, it’s not magic. It’s simple. It boils down to what we watch, listen to, and read every day.
The Two Dogs Example
To understand this, let’s look at a simple example.
Imagine you have two dogs.
- Dog A: You feed it only starchy leftovers and junk food.
- Dog B: You feed it balanced, healthy, high-protein dog food.
Which dog is going to be healthier? Which one will have more energy and live longer? You already know the answer.
Well, it works the exact same way with our minds.
If you spend hours a day scrolling through social media drama, bad news, or content that makes you jealous of others, you are feeding your mind “junk food.” The result? You feel tired, anxious, or just stuck.
But if you change your diet—if you start feeding your mind with things that teach you skills, inspire you, or make you laugh—you will naturally start having better ideas.
We Are “In the Chrysalis”
That quote I shared says, “We are gods in the chrysalis.”
If you remember biology class, a chrysalis is where a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. It rebuilds itself. That is what we are doing every day. We are constantly rebuilding who we are based on what we take in.
If you aren’t satisfied with the way you are living your life right now, you don’t need to quit your job or move to a new country today. You just need to start by changing your Mind Diet.
How to Fix Your Mind Diet
You are in charge of your own head. Here is how you can take control back:
1. Check your screen time
Be honest with yourself. Check your phone stats. How many hours are you spending on apps that leave you feeling drained? You can’t fix what you don’t measure.
2. Clean up your feed
Social media algorithms are designed to keep you staring at the screen, not to make you happy. If an account makes you feel angry or “less than,” unfollow it. Follow pages that teach you something or boost your faith and goals.
3. Swap, don’t just stop
It is really hard to just “stop” using your phone. Instead, swap the habit.
- Swap 30 minutes of mindless scrolling for a podcast.
- Swap the morning news for a few pages of a book.
- Swap browsing for a hobby.
The Bottom Line
I’m not here to judge anyone; we all get sucked into our phones sometimes. But it is much healthier to watch what you consume.
Just like a healthy body comes from good food, a healthy life comes from a good “mind diet.” If you want to change your results, you have to change your inputs.
Fix your focus, and the rest will follow.