Have you ever stopped and evaluated your thoughts for authenticity? We go through our lives with fixed beliefs about ourselves. The tapes that automatically kick in without your knowledge. These are the thoughts that we hold ourselves captive with. The ego is firmly in charge, and will tell you that you must rerun events from your past over and over again. Who said what to whom, who did something to someone else. How someone may have hurt your feelings or made you feel less than. As the years go by, these negative thoughts add up until you get to the point that you are in a negative pattern, just circling the drain.
Imagine my surprise when I realized one day, that I could control my own thoughts. I always thought that was just who I was. I believed my own thoughts, that told me I was an awful person, that I had no reason to be alive. I honestly did not know that it was my own true self that could shut my negative voice down. The day I finally understood that I could control my own self-destructive ego was the day my life began anew.
Instead of running from reality, I began to embrace life and change my perspective on the things I always took for granted. Miguel Ruiz states “You will only accept as much abuse as you heap on yourself”. The truth in this statement can change your life. Knowing that the awful things that your brain wants you to be believe about yourself are not true will free you up to begin to experiment with things that you always just knew you could not do.
My journey began the day I was moved to pick up a paintbrush and paint a picture. I was not sure where this bizarre idea had come from but I went with it and a desire to learn something new just took over. When learning to draw I was shown that the way you look at something is not necessarily how it truly is. I started to understand that the things you deal with in life are not the way they appear either. I have made the mistake of thinking my journey was over, several times. I don’t make that mistake anymore. Everyday is filled with a lesson of some sort. Through the years people would ask me if I could draw. My pat response was “I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler”. Turns out, I had never tried because the fixed tapes in my head had always told me I couldn’t.
Until I made all these new discoveries, I would have gone to my grave believing I had done all I could do to get my songs published. People would always ask me if I had submitted my work to anyone. I tried a few times but my brain would just say, what’s the use. Instead of taking a chance I just took my place on the bar stool and drank my reality away. I guess I just thought the record producer would knock on my door one day, and demand to buy my songs.
If you actually take a minute and examine your reactions to your life, you will be amazed at what you will find. There is no one on the planet who was more self-defeating than I was, and if it can change my life I know it can change yours. Take Me to the Truth by Sanchez & Viera says that, “Our brains do not have our best interest at heart”. You can shut your ego down and improve the quality of your life. A slight shift in perception is all that needs to occur. Just take a minute and ask yourself if the things you take for granted are true. It’s as simple as that. Once you identify one or two beliefs you hold about yourself, the rest will follow. Sometimes they will follow faster than you can deal with. If this happens just cut yourself some slack and give your true self time to catch up.
If you are guilty of negative self talk, that is the place where you begin. Experiment with it because it does take a little practice. At first I had to catch myself every minute of the day, but as time went by it became easier and easier. I found out that I never really listened to people because the noise in my head was so loud I did not actually hear them.
As your outlook becomes more positive you will see serendipity just take over your life. Things that you just can’t explain will occur and leave you speechless. If you are abusing yourself, chances are you are being abused by other people. Give yourself a chance and stop the cycle. There is another way to live and if you just shed a little light on that negative voice it will make all the difference.
