… ” I daily read and filled my mind with positive thoughts. I created some positive AFFIRMATIONS. I thought of these through out the day. Later, I discovered the awesome power of asking DIRECTED QUESTIONS of myself. I have mentioned the power of directing your mind positively through the artful and scientific use of questions at other times in this blog and through the years in my writings and workshops.”

Later on I learned the, even more, awesome and incredible power of FEELINGS.

Part 3

It works like this: the mind (our conscious mind) determines the direction (good or bad) the feelings we have drive us there. Whatever we think and feel we end up magnifying. Our feelings drive everything. Our feelings are what help create our results based on our thinking. I will explore this concept more int depth as we continue.

If we worry and are fearful or anxious, angry, hateful or depressed our thoughts and feelings are paired powerfully. It makes if difficult to get free of either and we usually end up with more of the same. UNLESS sometimes, something occurs to shake us awake and we make a decision to be different. Sometimes it is a cataclysmic event in our life and we decide we must move in a different direction.

The same applies when we are positive and confident, joyous, open and powerful, delighted and living with gratitude. Our feelings and thoughts are powerfully paired. It is difficult to shake a person from this way of being, yet sometimes, cataclysmic events shake us and we find ourselves falling into despair. This is possible, yes.

Both negativity and positivity as habits are difficult to break and that is why we operate as we do. Whichever we are predominantly determines what we see, feel, hear, do and get. Positivity or negativity is the filter we use to label our life experiences. It is as  if we have rosy colored glasses or blue tinted lenses with which we see and experience the world.

Our habitual frame of mind determines how we experience life; whether we are mostly happy or not or mostly getting what we want or not. Our mind set, our attitude,  influences everything.

Being positive or negative – each is easy and each is difficult.

Frankly, as creatures of habit, we do whatever we have done.

Whatever we are accustomed to, whatever is most familiar and most comfortable  to us is what we continue to do.

Whatever we have done we keep doing. We proliferate it most of the time. This is why we stay pretty much as we are and experience living the life as we do.

It is either great or it sucks or it is okay. 

We are creatures comfortable with consistency.

Change is difficult for many of us because it means doing things other than how we have been doing them.

I mean consider this, WE like short cuts.  We state that the best way is the shortest way, ‘a straight line between two points’, yet nothing is ever actually straight in life, still that is what we want.

We want it quick, easy, fast, effortless, timeless, we want it perfect, yesterday, low cost, convenient and high quality without ever having to life a finger. We grew up thinking these things. We were influenced by  media, parents and peers. We have adopted many beliefs about ourself and the world from others.

Well, it is true, isn’t it? Who do you know who says, ‘I want to work and work hard to get what I got? If it takes forever so what? Bring on the effort and the delays I can handle anything?’

Yes, people parrot the phrase, ‘no pain. no gain’ but not because they prefer it. They only mean ‘crap, it is going to take some effort and that is painful’. They think that is the way things are, (like death and taxes) there is no choice, you can’t do anything about it and that is how it is. They put up with it.

Face it, most of us want it to be easy. Especially, those brought up in recent decades. We like fast, convenient, tasty food even when it isn’t the best choice for us because we are USED TO having it.

AT the very same time we want change!!! We want changes!!!

BUT WE DON’T WANT TO CHANGE.

This is a huge issue for people. It is a big issue in the corporate world too. In this way people and corporations (run by people) share some practices in common.

The company takes forever to decide to implement a new protocol (they call this procrastination ‘research’) and they may utilize facilitators (within the company or from without)  to help things change BUT NOT TOO MUCH.

Change IS desired but not too much change.

Don’t shake the apple tree because as inefficient and ineffective as it presently is it is preferable to the unknown future and possible consequences.

‘We have always done it this way’. The known, while uncomfortable, IS frequently  preferable to the discomfort of the unknown future.

People and companies tend to remain the same.

They don’t really want to change NOR do they want to have to work at it. They don’t want to put in any effort to make it happen? It will be too arduous, to costly (energy wise or otherwise)  to maintain the new way of being.

Excuses, excuses, excuses!

People remain the same because of excuses. Call it fear, call it resistance, call it reluctance, call it anything you want to call it but do you know what an excuse really is?

It is a thought!

An excuse is a thought that prevents you and ‘excuses you’ from being accountable and responsible for making positive changes.

It is a thought utilized to defend your present circumstances, conditions and mindset. It is a way of giving yourself permission to not do anything at all.

When you have an excuse you are simply using your thoughts to make a case for why you won’t engage in making anything different.

You are making a case for ‘why not’, why you won’t. Sure, some people say they can’t but that is the same as saying they won’t because  the end result is the same.

You could be using your thoughts positively, constructively and powerfully. Ooops you are already using them powerfully to prevent you. Yes, you may be citing reasons or pointing to others and events which you deem as  the ‘real’ cause for why you are ‘NOT’,  but the bottom line is that YOU, alone, are using your mind to limit you and limit your possibilities.

Okay, again. YOU could be using your thoughts positively, constructively and powerfully to make desired changes and open the doors to wonderful new ways of being and having that, MAY AT FIRST seem uncomfortable for you, but you aren’t yet.

Yes, anything new may be uncomfortable at first.

When you buy a new pair of shoes you may have to ‘break them in’ and get used to wearing them, so they fit right. Once they are comfortable you barely notice them at all, unless something changes, you get a pebble in them, or they break, then your attention again goes to the shoes.  The point is once the new shoes are comfortable and fit, you don’t ever think about them or the process of breaking the shoes in.

Okay, you understand that example?

When people learn a new skill typically they are not great from the get go. They are awkward . It is difficult or even uncomfortable at first. The reason for this is because it IS NEW. You never did it before. The learning curve may be steep. Almost anything we do for the very first time is not our best.

Our best comes from doing it again and again correctly over time. We get better that is what progress means. We improve as we go along.

So what if it seems a little unfamiliar at first? So what if it is difficult or uncomfortable why should that stop you?

As you read that previous question did you think to yourself, ‘right lets keep going’ or did you come up with an excuse? Did you mutter, ‘Ya right, easy for you to say’ blah blah blah…

I say, don’t let a thought prevent you from acting in your own best interests.

You see, if fear of the unknown stops you it can stop you whether the change you want to implement is negative OR positive.  The same fear mechanism drives the show.

Some people don’t do anything unless the results are guaranteed. That is just another excuse. You can’t move forward unless you are certain the pay off will be what you want.

If you feel uncertain, or fearful, or can’t see the payoff then maybe you just don’t do anything. That is best way to stay exactly as you are. It seems that is what most people want. They want change but they really want to stay as they are. They don’t want to have to change anything.

Do you get it?  We want change but not really. We don’t want to give up our comfort. We don’t want to have to work for it. We do not want to shake up our current situation. Maybe, we are better off just as we are? they think. Then they find all the reasons to justify staying the same.

My guess is that you have done this countless numbers of times over countless numbers of things. Is it possible I am correct? I bet I am because I sure have done this.

We’ll discuss more next time.

Right now concentrate on those things that you enjoy about yourself and others, Take time to stop and smell the roses and really be grateful. Look for what is good about your life and what you want more of. Focus on finding delight. Continue to practice gratefulness and make your list each evening.

Pause to think throughout each day, how wonderful today is. Think this is the perfect day no matter what is going on. Keep your thoughts positive. Steer to center whenever you discover yourself off course. Enjoy it. Take time to enjoy it. DO this repeatedly.” Rex Sikes

Make it simply marvelous for yourself and others today!

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