Do you sometimes catch yourself verbalizing thoughts that are self-defeating? Do you hope desperately for something yet limit what you think you deserve, thereby dividing yourself against yourself?
Or do you find yourself able to understand that your thoughts do, in fact, create your reality, yet still feel unable to move your awareness into any conscious action to change?
It is my view that awareness is the first step toward conscious living.
One must understand the dynamics of thought and how our thoughts create our reality. So how do you move through awareness into action? A necessary second step is willingness—that is, the willingness to hold consciousness in the moment toward what you wish to have or be.
For example, I may desire a more loving relationship with my spouse. My desire may not be congruent with my thoughts. Throughout the day, I may be lamenting that I do not have a loving relationship and focusing on the lack and the desire.
So what can you do to align your thoughts with the reality that you wish to create?
Begin to act as though you already are what and where you would like to be. Concentrate less on the behavior and more on your thoughts.
Stop yourself from verbalizing or thinking thoughts that are self-defeating. Bring your awareness back to the present and remind yourself that you are your thoughts.
Use the power of visualization to support your conscious thoughts.
See yourself manifesting what you desire. If you wish to be out of debt, visualize yourself out of debt. Add an affirmation that you repeat consciously each day: “I am free of debt” OR “I draw wealth to myself.” Choose words that resonate for you and that match your positive visualization.
Marvel at all the wealth you actually have—water, air, food, sun, clothes, shelter, friends, love, laughter. If you find yourself lamenting over what you do not have, remind yourself of two things you do have. A wonderful thing happens when you delight in how really wealthy you are—more and more of what you want and need flows to you.
Above all, be willing to do whatever it takes to make your visualization happen.
You may find it helpful to use the Heartliving mantra: “Ask the universe for what you need. Visualize yourself receiving it. Know that you will receive it. For you are worthy.”
As we become more enlightened about our ways to balance mind, body, and spirit in our lives, we are likewise challenged with how to “walk our talk” in the workplace. Here are some suggestions to help YOU improve the workplace:
Be conscious of the self-fulfilling prophecy: If you expect something negative to happen, you act unconsciously in a way that is more likely to allow it to occur. Think positively.
If you are in a supervisory position, you earn the right to hold others to high standards by holding yourself to high standards. Keep in mind that balancing your life is a high standard.
When you share a decision with others, share also the reason it was chosen as well as the process you used to arrive at it. In this way, you will remain in relationship with others.
Open yourself up to developmental learning activities (from learning about technology to effective communication) that will improve your job performance positively. Encourage others to expand their horizons in this way.
Understand and appreciate that others may not do things exactly as you would, but that doesn’t make them wrong. Remember that “you don’t have to make someone else wrong to be right.” Practice an open mind.
Know that in a well managed workplace, there will be problems—conflicts in communication, for example. So expect problems to come up. Instead of trying to deny that they exist, focus on ways to resolve them as an opportunity to increase your organizational effectiveness
Plan workplace meetings with conscious intent about what you wish to accomplish. Don’t waste time in routine, unplanned meetings.
Know that according to research on spoken communication, 93% of the message is considered to be based on a person’s nonverbal behavior and inflection and tone. Therefore, HOW you are communicating is more important than the words that you actually say. People are in relationship with how you are being rather than what you are saying.
Reward people for doing things right. People thrive on recognition and praise. They will be as “great” as you hold them to be!
Throughout the day, check in with your breathing. Is it shallow and tight? Are you tense, angry, anxious, or relaxed? If so, it is most likely reflected in your breathing. You might even be holding your breath as a way not to feel your emotions, particularly if they are negative.
Your breathing serves to connect you with yourself and others, so that not breathing fully can be an unconscious defense mechanism for disconnecting from emotions you’d rather not feel. Even though shallow breathing can lessen your ability to feel your emotions, it can also repress them so that you create a pressure cooker of emotions internally, creating dis-ease in the body.
To promote better health:
Check in with your breathing periodically throughout the day. Are you taking short, shallow breaths or is your breathing deep and relaxed?
Ask what is going on with you emotionally at that moment and how does your breathing reflect this?
If you realize that your breathing is shallow, take deeper breaths and check in with how you are feeling.
Are you able to expand the lower abdomen as you breathe in, opening the lower chakras with the breath?
With every inhalation, mentally reinforce that you are opening your body to a healthy flow of energy. The in-breath reflects the process of your own will–the taking in and connecting with life. The out-breath reflects the process of surrendering and letting go. The dance of your breathing will tell you much about your relationship to life.
Ever feel like running from your life circumstances?
We have all had those moments or days in which we desire something better—a different lifestyle, a new experience, or a better set of circumstances. We may abandon our current situation and move into a new circumstance, only to find that the things that we were running from continue to show up in our new situation. It is then that we realize that we are the common denominator and . . . “wherever we go, there we are”!
We cannot run from ourselves. If we run from a certain situation, we generally recreate the same dynamic in a new place. Avoidance does not promote true growth.
To be free and to feel happy, we must first accept our circumstances and ourselves exactly as we are, right here, right now. While we may not be able to change our circumstances, we can change our perception of them, and we can step back and begin to see the “bigger picture” of why things are the way they are.
So what is the secret to staying where you are and working life through?
The first step is to surrender to your current situation. See if you can stop your mind for a few seconds and know that peace is an option. When there are no fearful thoughts, there are no worries.
You begin to realize that you are creating this life in your mind and can release feelings of fear and hurt, or even the idea that you have enemies. It is our mind and our thoughts of judgment that cause these experiences to come to us. Through our thoughts, we create our life conditions. Hence, we create our own reality.
Instead of running from life circumstances, seek to raise the energy to the highest level in each moment right where you are. Remember that the only way out is through. Change your thoughts and you change your life!
Do you sometimes catch yourself verbalizing thoughts that are self-defeating? Do you hope desperately for something yet limit what you think you deserve, thereby dividing yourself against yourself?