“Nothing happens until something moves” – Albert Einstein
What would happen if I lived out of my intuitive body center? I think this is such a great question, especially as I am trying to maximize my potential to grow and to reflect the image of my Source/my Creator/my God/my Infinite LOVE.
Would you indulge me for just a minute before reading further? Would you close your eyes for just this moment and be pleased with where you are right now? I know there is so much going on in our lives and in the world that constantly draws our attention to fear and uncertainty, but if you could just in this moment be aware of what it feels like to be pleased with where you are right now.
I found this exercise rather difficult. Being present to the moment is a great exercise but adding being pleased with where I am, was strange. In all honesty, I don't know how to feel pleased, but I have practiced it a few times and felt the resistance lift a bit each time. How did you feel about being pleased with where you are right now?
This little exercise draws my attention to the way I think, a good many of my thoughts are keeping me stuck which ultimately does affect my desire for growth and change.
Recently, I have had the privilege of helping a few ladies discover what they are thinking about and how their thoughts limit their growth. Finding and acknowledging the thought is very scary. It is relatively painless to be the person on the other side of the conversation. As the listener and the supporter, it is usually quite easy to see the person and their limiting thoughts behind the emotions they are presenting. The wisdom is to lead the person gently, while they discover the thought and accept their power to embrace the thought with compassion.
The tables were turned on me when I was chatting with my own Life Coach. I was happily chatting about my own truth as I believed it. That was until my coach skillfully reflected my belief back to me. It took him about four to five tries to get me to see how my words and thoughts were reflected in my emotion to a particular situation we were talking about. He kept saying, how does that thought feel? Feel that thought!
I was stunned, I had no idea how stuck I was in this particularly challenging thought process. I wondered what I would need to do to change this thought. While holding the scary feeling of what would I do if this thought was changed. What would I say? How would my words present themselves?
“If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place.”—Eckhart Tolle
Human beings usually need gentle encouragement to go back and see these thoughts. Looking back reminds me of the pain. I fight to keep these thoughts hidden. Therefore, it becomes rather difficult to grasp the real thought behind an emotion, especially when the presenting emotion is negative. I think emotion is energy that is attached or associated to a thought, an event, a problem, or a situation, that is happening right now, or the memory of a thought, event, problem, or situation. Because of these energetic attachments, especially the painful ones, it becomes even harder to navigate and move through the pain.
After my coaching call, I was woken up during the early hours of the next morning with these words below, rattling around my head.
Every thought you have about who you are; is who you are! You do not realize how strong your thoughts are. What you think can and usually will, block your flow or it can create your flow. Your thoughts drive your emotions, all the time. There is no exception to this rule. What you think; that is who you are! You have the power to change just that one thought. You are keeping yourself stuck. You need to sit with the thought and feel the emotion until the fear and uncertainty is gone. Especially those thoughts that stop you from moving forward. You create your own life!
Facing my own thoughts about my beliefs is very scary. Firstly, because who am I without that thought and what will it take for me to change that thought!
I am reminded of a Houdini quote I heard when we were watching the tv series Timeless. I am not sure if this is a true quote from Houdini, but I liked it, and felt it rang true for me, “Do you want to know the real truth? Fear isn’t real. Fear isn’t what is actually happening. It’s just your reaction to it.” While I was searching for the above quote these two jumped out at me, “My chief task has been to conquer fear. The public sees only the thrill of the accomplished trick, they have no conception of the tortuous preliminary self-training that was necessary to conquer fear.” And finally, “My brain is the key that sets me free". The take away for me is--my freedom is in the self-training that I engage in.
As a Life Coach and Blog Writer, clients and readers are not always aware of what needs to be done to accomplish each call and each blog post. There is a depth of work that is required to keep me honest and authentic and in integrity to myself and my higher purpose. It is scary but necessary work. When I am brave enough to look at my presenting thoughts one at a time, and choose to align them to my truth, I become free. I have the choice all the time. There is no magic formula to figure it all out, it is through the deep inner work and the vulnerability to be “me” -- only then can the magic of transformation happen.
Our minds and thoughts are so powerful, it requires skill, perseverance, and courage to search out those limiting and biased thoughts and beliefs we have about ourselves, our community, and our world.
Dr Caroline Leaf in her book, Switch on Your Brain explains, "We are not victims of our biology or circumstances. How we react to the events and circumstances of life can have an enormous impact on our mental and even physical health. As we think, we change the physical nature of our brain. As we consciously direct our thinking, we can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with healthy thoughts. New thought networks grow. We increase our intelligence and bring healing to our brains, minds, and physical bodies. It all starts in the realm of the mind, with our ability to think and choose—the most powerful thing in the universe after God, and indeed, fashioned after God." [1]
Changing the way I think is imperative if I want to change my perspective and ultimately how I act in this scary world. Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
What I choose to think will determine my reality. By shifting my attention to what is good, pure, and true gives me the power to change my reality. Philippians 4:8 “…whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
Notice what Dr Caroline Leaf says, “Thoughts are real, physical things that occupy mental real estate. Moment by moment, every day, you are changing the structure of your brain through your thinking. When we hope, it is an activity of the mind that changes the structure of our brain in a positive and normal direction.” [1]
So, what am I thinking about? Are my thoughts serving me well? What am I feeling in this moment? What are my emotions showing me? These are the questions I want to ask myself so that I can learn to be free from the tyranny of my own mind and be more in tune with the intuitive wisdom within my Being.
How do I effectively change my thoughts?
· Asking for help
· Meditation/prayer/contemplation
· Being grateful
· Affirmations
Are some of the tools to take advantage of!
The continuous practice of the above tools can help us change those thoughts that are not serving our highest calling and truth.
[1] Dr Caroline Leaf – Switch on Your Brain - http://cdn.bakerpublishinggroup.com/processed/book-resources/files/Excerpt_9780801018398.pdf?1479752937