...let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly...D&C 121:45

I attended a Relief Society conference this weekend and the Stake President's wife spoke to us. She shared this experience...

When she was attending BYU one of her professors gave the class an assignment on positive thinking. He asked who in the class would like to become a more 'creative' person. Many hands went up. He told them to tell a stranger that "I am a very creative person!" Do that twice a day for one week. When they returned and reported, all of them now felt that they were creative people. Than he suggested for the next assignment that they help a struggling student by telling them that they were excellent students in whatever subject they had difficulty. Such as "You are very good math student." Do that for a week and see what happens. In each case reported the students they praised in this specific way improved in the subject they were previously failing. The next assignment was much more personal. How many of you would like to date more? Remember, this is BYU. Many hands went up. He suggested that each person decide who they wanted to date, greet that person and simply think in their mind, "You want to date me!" Sister Campbell was too timid to try this for herself, however she shared the information with her roommates. One was willing to give it a try. She approached the young man, thought to herself, "You want to date me!" and low and behold and invitation was made. She was estatic. One of the other girls gave it a try. Only she used different words. She thought to herself, "Jeff, you will not rest until you ask me out." Nothing happened than two days later Jeff asked her out. He didn't seem to be himself. When she asked why he was acting so odd his reply was, "Oh it's nothing, I just haven't been able to sleep the last two nights.
Two roommates got what they wanted. So Sister Campbell had to give it a try, when she saw who is now her husband at work the next day she used the thought process and he asked her out. Later when she admitted what she did, he told her she had cheated, but was glad she did.

I wonder how many times we have used this process ourselves and didn't even know what we were doing. Her point was how powerful our thoughts are and how much more powerful they would be if they were virtuous, at all times, in all things, in all places. Think how we can lift and minister to others by simply having virtuous thoughts.