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We are living at a time in human evolution
that is unique to acknowledged history.
Everywhere we look, there are messages to “take back your power” and to “be
who you want to be,” to “live your
life, not the life chosen for you.”
If this has a familiar ring to it, read on. You may find a nugget of wisdom, to transform your life experience.
Your Beliefs Are
Running Your Life
Why is it important to examine our beliefs? Our beliefs about ourselves and our world – especially
those beliefs that are subconscious – set up a pattern of
experience in our day-to-day life. These
beliefs influence and inform everything in our life experience. They determine what thoughts we think on a
routine basis, they determine the choices that we make in any given moment –
sometimes in the blink of an eye and sometimes when we give a decision
great consideration. They are an integral part of the co-creation process that we undertake with the Divine.
Because of the truth
of our origins and our core nature – we are physical expressions of the
Creator, That Which Intended Itself Here, imbued with all the powers of
creation – we are by nature in every moment pure potential. Potential is defined as ‘existing in
possibility.’ Where there is infinite
potential, there is infinite possibility.
Potential, or possibility, implies choice – choosing from
infinite possibilities. What influences
our choice?
Now You See Why It Is Vital to Examine Your Beliefs
Ancient wisdom tells us that we are created in the image of
the Creator. A Course in Miracles says, “The
only difference between us and God, is God created us. We did not create God.” We are created in the image of the Creator,
and therefore we have the ability to create.
We are always creating, either deliberately or by default. If we don’t know what we believe about our self
and our world, we are creating by default.
We can create
deliberately – that’s why we are here!
And through that process, we can also become aware of those
subconscious beliefs that no longer serve us.
Did you see what I said there? It isn’t necessary to clear all our old beliefs
before
we can create. Don’t get pulled into the
“I’m broken and I have to fix myself first” mouse trap!
As we consider our life and make choices about what aspects
to change, and then choose to change them, we will encounter a delicious
feeling of possibility first – and then we will likely feel a degree of
resistance. Resistance is that knot in
our gut that seems to say, “You can’t do that, what are you talking about? This is your lot in life, learn to work with
what you got. Suck it up, buttercup!” Welcome that feeling of resistance! Because
the true message behind that discomfort is, “There are some beliefs rolling
around here in your mind that aren’t in alignment with the truth of who you are
– an expression of God, in the physical body! Take a deeper look – bring those
shadow beliefs to light and heal yourself.”
This ‘resistance’ is one of the ways that the Creator stacks the dice in
our favor. We can’t heal what we don’t
recognize, especially if we are not aware of its existence. We can’t
heal what we don’t feel. Without
this resistance trigger, we would be at the mercy of God’s version of, “Well,
if you don’t know, I’m not gonna tell you.”
Shadow beliefs are blind spots, and the feeling of resistance is a
built-in failsafe that, if we will give it our attention, can lead us down the
short path to where those shadow beliefs are residing.
The key, of course,
when looking at these shadow beliefs, is not to become mired in them. Remember that we are imbued with unlimited
potential and any limits we experience are there because in that moment we have
fallen asleep again to the truth of who we are.
When looking at your beliefs and belief systems, it can be most
beneficial to take the perspective of an observer. An observer has no opinion one way or
another, but simply takes it all in and notes the important information that
comes to light. Without the perspective
of the observer we can become emotionally enmeshed, in the process. This does not necessarily serve us, as we can
tend to go down the road of sorrow, sadness and loss – and stay there. While it is healthy and healing to feel our
feelings in order to let the old shadow beliefs go, we must also be hyper-aware
if we are getting stuck all over again.
Ultimately, it does not really matter how or why these beliefs came to be
in our psyche – whether we got them from our family, community, religious
tradition, the media – and self-pity can be a very slippery slope. A Course in Miracles says, "Look at the crucifixion but do not dwell on it."
How do I figure out
what my limiting beliefs are?
There
are several ways to determine our shadow beliefs, those beliefs that keep us from
becoming the great expressions of Creation that we came here to be.
First,
recognize that this will take some time, and decide to make your own happiness
and well-being a top priority. This
process requires time for reflection and examination. You will benefit most by finding a quiet,
comfortable space, and by giving yourself at least 30 minutes to sit in the
quiet and do your process. Scripture
tells us, “Be still and know….” It’s
self-defeating to attempt this process with a lot of chaos and activity going
on around you, whether you are participating or not. It might be helpful to have paper and pencil
handy, so you can write down what comes forth.
Relying on memory – especially as this is a process – can be risky.
The
most effective way that I have experienced, has been a sort of reverse
engineering. I look at an area, or
areas, of my life that could use improving and I develop an I AM statement that
reflects my desired outcome. For
example, “I AM nurtured and supported by all the relationships in my life. I AM beloved by my mate, and I AM surrounded
by souls who see me and understand me. I
AM loved unconditionally.”
Whatever your I AM
statement, it shouldn’t take more than a few seconds – if your current life
situation is not entirely in line with your I AM statement – for ‘the voices’
to start up, telling you how impossible this is, you are lying to yourself, you
have to face facts, etc. Close your eyes
and breathe, and put your focus on your gut.
Let the essence of the foundation behind these thoughts, come to the
surface. Underlying those voices, may be
a belief that you have not yet met your perfect mate and it’s been a long, long
time of trying and failing, or there may be a feeling of hopelessness about changing
others’ behavior. Make notes of the
thoughts and ideas that surface. Go back
again, especially if you sense there is more to be revealed. Ultimately, your foundational thought may be,
“I don’t deserve to be happy. I don’t
deserve unconditional love.” Don’t
resist these uncomfortable thoughts, or try to argue with them. Accept their current residence within your belief
system, and know that you can change them at any time.
These uncomfortable
feelings reflect a belief in lack, of some kind. A Course in Miracles tells us there are only
two feelings: Love and Fear. It is truth that the basis of fear is the
belief that we are worthless and unworthy.
And we are taught these beliefs at a time in life when we are vulnerable
and malleable – our childhood. We therefore
believe these untruths because others who have lived longer have handed them
down to us – they must be true if these older, ‘wiser’ folks say so. We don’t know at that time that we are
infinitely powerful beings, so we give our power away unwittingly to those
older, ‘wiser’ others. But ultimately we
can’t blame them because they got it from older, ‘wiser’ others in their lives,
and back and back and back through our ancestral line. Plus, blaming get us NOWHERE / NOW HERE
fast. It keeps us stuck.
Ownership vs
Blame
The New Thought movement is one of empowering the
individual. Blame is not empowering – it
indicates a tacit belief that something or someone else has power over us. It is a painful indicator that we have fallen
asleep (or have yet to awaken) to the truth of who we are.
Ownership, on the other hand, is empowering. Ownership says to us that while X,Y or Z appeared
to be the situation at the time, we have the power over how we experience the situation
and we can co-create with God what the final outcome will be.
As
a final thought, I leave you with this.
As expressions of the Creator, we are loved and valued beyond our human
comprehension. We are Spiritual Beings
having a human (physical) experience.
When we remember that we are God in the physical body, then it makes
perfect sense that we are infinite beings with infinite potential, and that we
can change our minds and our lives at any time.
With practice, effort and faith and belief in our cooperation with that
part of our true selves t remains with the Creator, we can be, do and have
whatever we desire. And this path is a
worthwhile use of our time, energy and focus.
It benefits us and all of those around us. This is how we save the world.
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Want to hear more about beliefs, the truth of who you are and how to experience a happier, more joy-filled life? Join me Thursday, April 2 at 8:00p eastern time on BlogTalk Radio. This is an interactive call-in radio show and I welcome your questions! It's a terrific opportunity to get a new perspective on an old idea or belief. It can shift your world -- A Course in Miracles says that a miracle is a shift in perception, from fear to love!
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