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It is widely acknowledged that our beliefs about ourselves can influence the quality and direction of our lives. If our beliefs are powerful enough to direct our external reality, then it is of the utmost importance that we become conscious of what we believe about ourselves.
Our mind is the ultimate creator. However, our limiting beliefs repeatedly short-circuit our mind’s ability to create not only a new future but an entirely new self. People say they want to change, but letting go and allowing a new self to come into existence is terrifying for most people; they’d rather fall back on self-sabotage or victimhood instead. To guard against this self-destructive pattern, we must become vigilant about noticing the repetitive, limiting thoughts coursing through our minds. Peter Sonnenberg, founder of the School of Vibrational Healing, explains that if there is any apprehension or doubt mixed in with a person’s desire to achieve a goal, that person will not be able to convince their inner consciousness to allow the desire to manifest. We are the gatekeepers to our potential positive futures.
Sonnenberg says the biggest trap we get caught in when attempting to make a change in our lives is the phrase, “That is the way it has always been for me.” For example, someone might get excited about a new diet but think, “Even if this works initially, I will probably put the weight right back on because that is what I always do.” A friend may tell them, “Try meditating every morning. Your life will change!” They perk up, thinking, “Maybe meditation will finally set me free!” But then, a little voice in their head says, “Go ahead. I give you three days. You know you can’t stick to anything.” So many of us spend our precious time trying and hoping and wishing for our lives to change and not understanding why we cannot get off the starting block.
Affirmations are a popular technique people use to encourage positive change in their lives. They may say out loud, sometimes to their reflection in the mirror,
“I am happy. I am healthy. I am deserving of love.”
They may say this multiple times per day in an effort to make it feel true. While affirmations and mantras, repeated often enough, may be beneficial, neuroscientist Dr. Joe Dispenza asserts that these types of techniques are unlikely to produce dramatic results unless a specific set of conditions are present. There are the beliefs or desires - “I want to get my book published,” “I want to find a wonderful mate,” “I want to find the money to pay my rent this month” and there is the question about whether you actually feel it is possible.
In his book, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, Dispenza maintains that simply imagining and desiring an event is not enough. The beliefs you hold surrounding a positive outcome must be accompanied by an equally positive feeling. It is the feeling around the goal (not the thought or the wish) that acts as the catalyst.
If we fail to apply passion and conviction to our goals, then the time we spend trying to create change in our lives, through mantras, meditation, affirmations, etc., will likely be for naught. As we work to create change and momentum in our lives, doubt may creep in. If this happens, don’t get mired in thought; go to the feeling you want to have and create from there.
Ultimately, it is not concepts or words that move matter; rather, raw determination creates a feeling so powerful that the feeling magnetizes new circumstances, people or events into our lives. If you want something, you have to commit 100% to feeling it, long before it arrives.
Imagine the force of a wave on the ocean. It is always in forward motion. For a long time, you cannot even see it. It forms below the surface and gains momentum. It is inevitable that it will eventually rise up and carry you forward in a powerful surge. Allow your passion and determination about what you want to create in your life to have that kind of elemental power. Newton’s 1st Law of Motion states that an object in motion will stay in motion “unless it is acted on by an unbalanced force.” Don’t let your limiting core beliefs be that “unbalanced force” any longer.
