Be open - be and believe differently - be you!
Life does not have to be as it seems
“To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
Why do you believe what you believe?
Where do your beliefs come from?
Are they hand-me-downs from parents and others or have you worked them out for yourself?
Many of us unconsciously believe and behave as if we do not deserve, that we are unworthy, or “broken” or “wrong” in some way. We conceived this belief at an early age in our lives and concluded it when the people we looked up to (usually parents and other significant adults in our lives) disapproved of our natural childlike-tantrums, demands, wishes and behaviours. In our very young minds we created beliefs - we concluded we had to learn to be good, to do as we were told to fit in, to belong and to be acceptable.
Unfortunately, all this did was that we travelled through life more and more away from our individual uniqueness, giving up what made us different and uniquely us, and more what others expected us to be. We wore masks hiding the real us, our authenticity. We learned to please others and not ourselves and that we might get the love we wanted if we behaved in ways that others wanted us to and made them happy, but denied us happiness in the process.
When is depression not a disease?
When is it a portal to a spiritual path?
Two sides of one door
Lisa Miller
We are a society that tells others what to do and how to be instead of
listening to them and encouraging them to be the best THEY can be.
In medicine we are seen as a disease, a condition, a body with
symptoms, but they do NOT define who we are. I may have a
diagnosis of diabetes but I AM NOT diabetes, I am not even a
diabetic. We must stop labelling and seeing only the label. All is
not as it seems.
Throughout our years, we learned that this is what society expects
of us. To conform. To fit in to its narrow definitions. When we
label we limit and define - often wrongly so. If we call someone
a name - an idiot, a rogue, a bad person, a ne'er do well, even a
medical name eg the diabetic, the patient in bed 12, the cancer
case, then that's all we see. We don't see the human being behind
the name - our judgement - we have given them.
Our laws and systems are filled with rules and regulations to keep
us suppressed and conforming. Even our psychology, psychiatric
and mental health services through their abuse of CBT are all
about getting us to change OUR mind-set in favour for generally
“agreed” societal mind-sets.
If you keep trampling on young flowers, they will seek to reach the
sun and blossom, but their journey will be one of being suppressed,
depressed, trampled on and held back. Imagine how much healthier
they would be, allowed to grow naturally?
Breaking out of societal constraints takes courage and love, especially
love and respect of the self but if we seek true joy and connection with
life, we now need to remove these artificial masks, connect to our deep
authentic nature, and feel able to express it, regardless of how others
feel.
This is not a license to do our own thing to the extent we are disrespectful of others. If we always connect to Divine Love and come from that authentic loving place in our hearts, we will always be aiming to be and do things for the greater good. We cannot be wrong.
Check-in
Are your beliefs really yours?
How open are you to …
new perspectives?
feedback?
giving up what doesn’t work?
changing beliefs that hold you back?
unlearning?
relearning?
learning something new?
investing in yourself?
putting in the work to make things happen?
Being open…
to moving to places you've never been before.
to continually reviewing your thoughts and beliefs.
to entering a new world of possibilities
Be open to seeing things:
from a different point of view
from another's point of view
from the perspective of your higher power, not your ego
with a childlike curiosity
with an attitude of, “I wonder if …)
Your mind is like a garden
Your thoughts are seeds
You can choose to grow flowers
Or you can choose to grow weeds
The importance
of your beliefs
Upgrade your Core Beliefs
Could you readily tell someone what your core beliefs are?
What Are Core Beliefs?
Core beliefs are the thoughts and assumptions we hold about ourselves, others, and the world around us. They are deep-seated beliefs which we often are unaware of, and yet they constantly run and affect our lives.
Some examples:
· I am ugly
· I am no good
· Everyone else is better than I am
· The world is full of horrible people
· People are out to get, not to give
· I’ll never pass this exam
As you think so you get. These are all core beliefs. Our whole lives are dictated by such beliefs and, most importantly, sometimes our core beliefs are wrong.
Take some time and work through this activity
You’ll need some pen and paper or do this on your computer.
Identify your key beliefs. Begin each sentence with, for example,
I believe I am unworthy, x,y,z
I can never have what I want
I maintain spirituality doesn’t matter
I find it difficult to express my emotions
I can’t afford time to have fun and play
I think sex is dirty
I believe women are better than men
Whatever you believe drives your bus.
What do you believe about …
Others – how they look, dress, behave, are, etc
You – how you look, dress, behave, are etc
Your life – eg it sucks, it’s great, it’s hard, if only other people would …. Etc
Breathing health – it’s important / not important, I draw in the breath of life
Communication health – people never listen, I find it difficult to start a conversation, etc
Emotional health – I am always depressed, I never feel good, big boys don’t cry etc
Financial health – I’ll never be rich, I never have enough, it could be better but what’s the point?
Growing and developing health – I just want to have fun, I don’t believe in setting life goals etc
Meaning and purpose – I don’t know where life’s headed, life never has any meaning
Nutritional health – I just can’ change what I eat, I’m obese, eating carrots aids your night vision, etc
Physical health – I’ll never lose weight, there’s nothing I can do, it is what it is, etc
Playing health – I’m too busy to play, I was brought up to work hard, you can’t laugh at work
Relationship health – I find relating difficult, I’m shy, forgiveness is difficult, etc
Sex and sexuality – I am ashamed, I never make the first move, I have to be submissive
Spiritual health – I don’t believe in this, that’s for weirdos, I can never understand it, etc
Thinking health – I never think about thinking, I know how to think (but doesn’t!) etc
Transcending health – I never consider what lies beyond the normal physical existence
Working health – I do my best, I keep up to date, I have to work hard, etc
Link
Check - does this belief
work for you?
If not, what would a healthier belief be?
First YOU create your beliefs
Then your beliefs create you.