Translator: Desiree Kramer Reviewer: Denise RQ
How often do we engage in the process of thinking?
All the time.
In every single present moment,
even when you are dreaming, you are thinking.
You think you don't think,
but that's just you're thinking thinking is not thinking.
(Laughter)
Think about it.
(Laughter)
Considering how much we do it, how much we engage in it,
and how much we use it,
it's interesting how little thought we actually give our thinking.
I've noticed most people don't deeply think about their thinking.
Today, did you stop and think about your thinking?
I didn't think so.
(Laughter)
Let me take it back a bit to the year 1637.
This is when the great philosopher Rene Descartes
first wrote his book in French,
"Discourse on the Method".
In these pages,
he wrote the fundamental elemental phrase of Western philosophy,
"I think, therefore I am."
At its very least, this phrase implies there is an I, who does thinking.
I want to take this a little bit deeper,
because this is part of the idea that I want to share with you.
There is no I who does thinking.
There is no separation between I and thinking.
Thinking is not something I do,
thinking is who I am.
Thinking is what I am.
And this is an idea worth spreading.
Let me bring it up a little bit
to the beginning of the 20th century and the birth of quantum physics.
I am going to read a quote to you by Max Planck.
He was a German theoretical physicist who ushered in the era of quantum physics,
for which he won a Nobel Prize in 1918.
Max Planck said, and I quote,
"There is no matter as such.
All matter originates and exists only by a virtue of a force.
which brings the particle of an atom to vibration,
and holds this most minute solar system of an atom together.
We must assume behind this force
the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind.
This mind is the matrix of all matter."
At its very least, this phrase implies,
that there is some kind of consciousness creating matter.
I also want to take this a little deeper,
because this is another part of the idea that I want to share with you.
This conscious and intelligent mind
that Planck is referring to, that is thinking.
It's not the mind that is the matrix of all matter.
It's not a noun.
It's not an object, it's not an I.
It's a verb, it's an action, it's a process.
My thinking is the matrix of all the matter
that I experience in my reality.
Now, before things start to really get deep
(Laughter)
let me just say that these two fundamental ideas,
"I am thinking",
and "My thinking creates everything that I experience as my reality"
have been metaphorically expressed
in the great philosophical movie of the late 20th century,
"The Matrix".
(Laughter)
At its very least,
this movie reminds us of the power of our thinking.
Who we are and what we experience is all created by our thinking.
We all have some general belief that thinking has some power.
But how powerful is our thinking
is a very deep realization.
Therefore, the question I post to you is,
"How deep down this rabbit hole, do you really want to go?"
(Laughter)
"Do you want to take the red pill or the blue pill?"
All humor aside--
even if you have never seen The Matrix,
most people have a general idea of what I am talking about.
We all recognize the potential power of thinking.
We all have some general understanding that what we think creates our reality.
And we have all [bore] witness to people doing amazing things
with the power of their thinking.
Whether you know them personally, you read about them in a book,
you see them in a movie, you watch them on YouTube,
or you listen to them on ted.com.
We have all seen people do things most people think are impossible.
People like Helen Keller, Anne Frank, and Stephen Hawking.
Yet, I see an incredible amount of people
with very limited thinking.
Thinking that is very small,
thinking that has a lot of boundaries,
thinking that is [not] beneficial, degrading, oppressive, suppressive.
The list goes on and on.
In essence, what I am talking about here is disabled thinking.
And this is the idea that I want to share with you.
What does disabled thinking mean?
I can explain it in two words:
"I can't".
Other ways to say it are "That's impossible",
"I don't believe",
or "I can't do that."
"I could never do that."
Whether you think that about yourself, or you think that about other people,
that is disabled thinking.
When your thinking is limited,
when your thinking is negative,
that is disabled thinking.
When you think in a negative limited way
that disables thinking's natural quality of positive unlimited power.
When you think "I can't",
that is who you are in the reality you create.
That is why I share with you what thinking is and what thinking does.
When you have disabled thinking,
that is who you are in the reality that you create for yourself.
Take it from me.
Who better to talk to about disabled thinking
than this guy right here!
(Laughter)
I've spent my entire life without two hands.
From birth, people have always told me
all the things that I could never do and never be.
I had a very challenging childhood.
And even being an adult hasn't been easy.
You do not want to know
what it is like trying to find a job without two hands.
And I am not here to share that,
you can probably figure some of the bad stuff out on your own.
I'm here to tell you that it is not that bad.
I actually enjoy not having two hands.
Once I transformed my thinking,
I started to realize
that there are actually a lot of benefits to not having two hands.
I get 50% off all manicures.
(Laughter)
And then, another great benefit is
that naturally, I'm more creative and clever.
In living this one hand this life,
I've had to figure out how to do everything on my own.
How am I going to tie that shoe? How am I going to ride my bike?
How am I going to drive that car? How am I going to pop that zit?
(Laughter)
Therefore, naturally, I'm more creative and clever.
And this has supported my endeavor to live this entire life as an artist.
And I think that benefit is pretty cool.
Another small benefit in most major cities,
I get a disability discount on all public transportation.
It's a small benefit, but it's an affordable one.
And then the last time I got on the plane,
the airlines, they asked me if I wanted to get on the plane earlier.
And they carried my bag.
(Laughter)
You want me to get on the plane early, and you're going to carry my bag?
Yes!
(Laughter)
Makes me feel like a rock star.
This benefit is actually very special.
You know when you're cuddling,
and you're doing that deep cuddling.
You ever have that arm that falls asleep, gets tired and gets in the way --
(Laughter)
This arm never falls asleep, never gets tired, never gets in the way.
OK, what does that mean?
I can cuddle forever.
(Laughter)
And that is priceless.
But probably the greatest benefit of not having two hands
is what's going on right here, right now.
When you see that I actually enjoy who I am, that I like my life,
that gives you hope.
When you see all the things that I can do with one hand,
with this one hand,
that can inspire you.
Hope and inspiration are the greatest qualities of any superhero.
Not having two hands is my superpower.
And when I deeply think about it,
not having two hands is a blessing.
With this one hand,
I have earned black belts in aikido, jujitsu and karate.
I rode my bicycle from Seattle to Chicago, by myself.
When I was in college,
I was ranked top 20 in the nation in collegiate pocket billiards.
I sing, dance, play musical instruments, and perform on stage.
I even saved a woman and her daughter from a violent man.
And I have done all of this because of the power of my thinking.
Because I do not have disabled thinking.
I am able to access thinking's unlimited power.
And so can all of you.
I realized a long time ago
that when people were telling me all the things
that I could never do and never be,
that was their disabled thinking.
And it's funny,
because I actually I see a lot of people, that have very normal bodies
for whatever that means that have very disabled thinking.
And then I see people that have a lot of disabled bodies,
with very powerful thinking.
They do things that most people think are impossible.
Because, what is important,
what is more important than the quality of your body,
is the quality of your thinking.
A long time ago I realized
when people were telling me all the things that I could never do and never be,
that was their disabled thinking not mine.
Because, you know, it has nothing to do with this,
and everything to do with this.
And if all of you want to look at me,
and think I have a disability, so be it.
If the federal government wants to label me
as someone with a "legal", uh "legal" disability --
(Laughter)
OK!
Regardless of what anyone thinks,
what is most important is what I think about myself.
My thinking has unlimited power.
And no matter what my body looks like,
there isn't any disabled thinking going on up in here!
A long time ago, I took a stand not to have disabled thinking.
I took a vow to transform my thinking
and have faith in the power of my thinking.
Because I realized what I think is my life.
There were so many amazing people doing amazing things.
People like Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Rosa Parks.
There is people doing amazing things we don't even know about.
I have seen someone on YouTube, no arms, no hands,
playing the guitar and the piano.
Wow!
(Laughter)
I look at that and I think, "I could probably do a little more."
(Laughter)
How do you access thinking's unlimited power?
There are two qualities to not having disabled thinking:
the quality of faith and the quality to transform.
The quality of faith is to deeply and sincerely believe
that your thinking has unlimited power.
When you realize how powerful your thinking is,
that allows faith in your thinking to arise.
When you have faith in your thinking,
not only does that change who you are
it changes your reality.
The quality to transform
is to turn a negative limited thought or situation
into a positive unlimited benefit.
And let me give you an example.
As I've mentioned, people have treated me very badly.
On one end it's been incredibly extreme,
on the other end quite subtle.
But most of the time, it's just very uncomfortable.
And what do I mean by this?
People just stare at me.
People just stare at my arm.
And when people stare at my arm, I do this.
(Laughter)
Talk about a transformation.
My advice to you is to transform your thinking;
transform negative disabled thinking into positive unlimited power,
transform negative thinking into happiness,
transform suffering into positive thinking,
transform uncertainty into faith,
transform self-pity into self-empowerment,
transform hatred into compassion.
When you transform your thinking and overcome your adversities in life,
it not only changes your world in who you are
it inspires other people to do the same.
And again, there are all kinds of cases throughout history
of people who have transformed their thinking and changed the world.
A great example is one of my heroes: Stephen Hawking.
Although his body is incredibly disabled,
his thinking is immeasurably powerful.
He is considered one of the greatest thinkers of all time.
And the quote that I will read to you from him,
came from his most recent movie:
"Ever since the dawn of civilization,
people have craved for an understanding of the underline order of the world.
There ought to be something very special
about the boundary conditions of the universe.
And what could be more special than there is no boundary?
And there should be no boundary to human endeavor.
We are all different.
However bad life may seem,
there is always something you can do and succeed at."
Where there is life, there is hope.
There is always something you can do
because you have the power of your thinking.
Your thinking is your hope.
In ending, I just want to let you know
that if you ever forget how powerful your thinking is,
if you ever forget who you are or all the things that you can accomplish,
if you ever get stuck in disabled thinking,
lack faith in thinking or cannot transform your thinking,
just call me.
I'll give you a hand.
(Laughter)
(Applause) (Cheers)