While in the “people” business for the past 50 years, there is one thing I am relatively sure of, and that is most people in our nation and world have no idea of the great value of that mass of gray matter between their ears. This “mass” contains the human mind that is responsible for every product, service, book, song, play, building and everything else that was created to meet the needs of human beings and of animals. By God’s grace I learned this fact early in life because I went to work for the late Earl Nightingale, who was an omnivorous reader and used his golden radio voice to record the wisdom of the ages on cassette. For a decade I listened to these cassettes for 50,000 miles each year.

          There are only two kinds of human minds: the trained mind and the untrained mind. The mind is made up of two parts: the conscious and the subconscious. The conscious is what you and I are thinking about at this very moment, and the subconscious is the information below the surface that is stored for future use. The other day I met a young couple whose names were Bryan and Dawne. Later, I tried to recall their names, and after several minutes of searching my subconscious mind, I was able to come up with them. Up to this time I had not been much of a reader but came to realize how important this was.

          In our new book “Keep Your Fork” there is a list of self-improvement books, and I am pleased to say that I have read every one of them, some more than once. At this point let me say that when we don’t have goals, we don’t have a reason to read, study and use that wonderful mind that God has given each one of us. Let’s face it, for the most part we live in a negative society, and when we don’t have a specific reason to be selective in what we read or think about, our mind is just “open” to every thought that comes down the pike. Here is another thought that I would like for you to consider: when we put “trash” into our mind, that is what comes out in our lives.

          What I am going to say next is not to brag but to the glory of God. Thanks mostly to my father, who preached to me from a very early age, I have never drunk a drop of alcohol in my life. This awareness helped me in several other areas: I don’t do drugs, smoke, gamble, view pornography, and a number of other negative habits that lead to nowhere. At this point I believe you will agree that this column is different than what you normally read in the newspaper. My greatest satisfaction in life comes from helping other people, not for money but just the satisfaction of knowing that I am making a difference.

But back to the subject at hand: having an active mind. Our thoughts that are deliberately imbedded in our mind also contribute to our dreams. Some nights I have the most vivid dreams, and many have to do with our mission: To help turn our nation back to God, as this is the only real hope we have.

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(Jim Davidson is an author, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. For a personalized copy of “Keep Your Fork” send $25 (includes P&H & TAX) to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Dr. Conway, AR 72034)