It is a cast iron guarantee that if you don’t steer your life boat, someone else will. Similarly if you don’t think for yourself, someone else will, and that person will therefore decide what is good for you and what is not. No one in their right mind wants to surrender to someone else the freedom to decide what they want for themselves.
Einstein said the significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same mind that created them. One cannot keep doing or saying the same thing over and over again and expect different results. To bring about a major shift in life one has to make fundamental changes in the mind. This is where it all begins. Mastering the mind, by opening all the corridors from attic to basement, is the key to bringing about success and happiness in life through desired outcomes.
Our patterns of behaviour, ideologies and guiding beliefs (negative and positive) are stored as permanent data in the bigger mind – the subconscious mind. These will always prevail at all times, and thus make the task of bringing about any shift well-nigh impossible to achieve. It may be possible to apply willpower intermittently though to achieve a behavioural change, but this is temporary, and only as long as willpower continues to be applied. However, willpower is an instrument of the conscious mind which cannot remain still. The conscious mind is constantly occupied with planning, analysing, judging, observing and interacting with the outside world. It is like a busy thoroughfare. When this mind is engaged in some other intense activity like dealing with a shocking circumstance, willpower to exercise a previously resolved restraint is lost.
Supposing one has resolved never to get angry and tries willpower to achieve this change. Now assume the subject person is falsely accused of a gross misdemeanour at work, reprimanded in presence of other employees and unceremoniously led out of the building. In a dire situation such as this, a deep sense of gross injustice takes over, fear grips the person and anger returns. This is how willpower betrays the person and the resolution never to get angry is thwarted. The real problem is not the tendency to show anger, but failure to get to the root cause which is embedded in the subconscious mind. There is perhaps a fear based belief in this person’s subconscious mind that the world is unfair, it is out there to get him and no one can be trusted. It is this belief that needs to be changed to overcome anger.
Limiting beliefs and tendency to carry negative thoughts, embedded in the subconscious mind during formative years and from life experiences, are amongst some of the chief causes of many failures in life. When the subconscious mind is allowed to operate unrestrained, one becomes a victim of one’s own faculties.
To a smaller extent these aspects of this governing mind can be replaced by following a few steps. These will give a kick start to the process of bring about fundamental changes to your life. Remember these are only a few basic steps, not a total solution, but they do work magically.
STEP ONE – Become aware of your thoughts and change the way you think
When you become aware of your thoughts and the accompanying emotions, you are able to distinguish between positive and negative residents of your subconscious mind. If you detect negativity, immediately change gear to positive thoughts and beliefs to create appropriate vibrations from new emotions you experience. Cultivate a habit of having a self-affirming dialogue with yourself each time you are straying into the negative territory. Giving positive affirmations to self with strong accompanying emotions and belief that you will succeed will help in taking control of the mind. This will remove any conflict between the two minds. Your subconscious mind will open up and gradually begin to transcend limitations and begin to offer a number of avenues to think differently.
STEP TWO – Identify and replace negative emotions and false beliefs
Identify your beliefs about your religion, culture, society, the government, wealth, your capabilities and standing in society, ethical and moral behaviour, basic right and wrong, or any other beliefs which you consider to be inhibiting your progress. If you find it difficult to make friends or easily reach out to others, then it may be that you believe you are a superior or an inferior person. If you do not have sufficient income to make ends meet, then it may be that you firmly believe money does not bring happiness.
Identify all you limiting beliefs and replace them with new beliefs. One simple way to do this is to give yourself positive affirmations which negate all your self-limiting beliefs. Silently give your mind messages such as ‘I am beneath no one’, ‘I am fearless in the face of any and all challenges’ ‘I can reach out to anyone’, ‘I am a likeable person’, ‘I love myself’, ‘I am of acceptable looks’, ‘All my needs are met’ and so on. Let each one be counter to all the undesirable beliefs stored in the subconscious mind, and ensure these affirmations are positive – do not make statements with negative words in them such as ‘I am not afraid’. Instead say ‘I am fearless’.
How you commune with yourself is critical. Examine your thoughts and emotions. Do you carry too many resentments and fear- based, cynical, guilt-ridden thoughts? If so, replace them with joyful thoughts. Recall small successes and kindnesses given and received. Feel good about yourself because of these. Positive and joyful emotions are essential to bring about constructive changes. The world is not such a bad place. There is a lot of good happening, but may be you spend too much time dwelling on depressive events over which you have no direct control.
STEP THREE – Believe in yourself and have a clear vision of where you want to be
Belief is the language of creation. Up to now you have been created by beliefs planted in you by your environment. Now take steps to recreate your self and cease to be a victim. Begin with the affirmation ‘I am replacing old beliefs for a better life’ or ‘I know and believe that I can change myself’.
When a question was asked – what is worse than being blind? – the answer was – to have sight and no vision. Without a clear vision nothing is possible. Vision is the capacity to see what is yet to happen. When vision has an attaching belief, nothing can stop it from being realised. However, ensure what you envision and believe are within the context of your life and circumstances, otherwise you will only be fantasising.
Strong belief and vision will create emotions to synchronise you with the forces of the Universe where everything that a human mind can conceive of actually exists. It is then only a matter of time before the vision is realised.
These three steps are only the basic beginning, but a huge leap towards taking charge of our destiny.
We are gifted with the mechanism to create a happier and fulfilling life.
Be joyful.
Anil Kumar, October 2015