BELIEF

I am lately using a set of guided meditations about how our beliefs affect the ebb and flow of our lives.  The premise of this is we have to be aware of all our beliefs, positive and negative,  in order to maximize our potential.  I know at the outset that probably sounds like a load of crap.  But if you will bear with me for a moment, I'll explain what I know in my own life to be true.  I think that when we tell ourselves we aren't capable of doing something, anything, we make it harder to succeed.  I also know that deep inside I have had some positive beliefs that, in retrospect, may have helped me become the person I am today.

Here are some of the positive beliefs that have guided me:

1. Most everything turns out for good in my life. If you try to put this platitude on someone else's life  it can be damning and cause despair.  I am saying this about my own life, because even though I came from a horror of abuse, alcoholism, and chaos, somehow I have used those experiences to inform my life choices, as in I don't want to have that life, I want a normal life.  I have had lots of help along the way; some people appeared in my life like angels, and other people I sought out for help.

2. I am here on this planet to serve/guide/enable others to their true self.  I think we are all here to help each other.  I see my place as a child of God and I think I am called to bring light and hope for others along this journey

3. Transformation is possible for me and for all people. I think we are all capable of transformation, it has been my full time job to recover and change and be a healthy and whole person.

4. You can rise above your circumstances and change the world. I don't mean big, legislative changes, I mean that when we decide to lead with love and compassion, when we work on and transform our brokenness, we change the world.

5. People will come into your life and help you along the way.  I alluded to this in #1.

6. What the Universe wants for me is to be happy.  I don't have to achieve anything else.  This has become a belief of mine in the past several years.  I don't feel as if I have to do or achieve anything to be worthwhile.

These are some of my positive beliefs.  Now the more difficult assignment is to identify some of my negative beliefs.

1. People are not kind and they are out to get me. I have a level of paranoia that I have to keep in check, when it arises, I have to see it for what it is, then realize it comes from always waiting for the other shoe to drop when I was a little girl.

2. Someone else will always be chosen in front of me.  I will not be first. With anyone.

3. If you rise up too far in the light, others will come and tear you down.

I am sure there are more of these "false" beliefs, but my mind is very tricky and hides the negative from me most of the time.  These beliefs, according to Deepak Chopra are not real, core, beliefs but come about because of negative experience we have in our lives.  I had a whole lot of negative experience when I was in my formative years, so there you have it.  The most important thing I can do is be aware of these false beliefs and when they come to mind, notice them as in "Oh, there it is, there is that belief....".  In the end, my determination, and my positive core beliefs outweigh the false, negative beliefs, I am lucky, I guess.  I continue to work on noticing the positive and negative beliefs.  It is what I do, and it has served me well.