Where And How Do I
Begin My Exploration?
July 13, 2003
Some Common Myths That May Become Barriers To Growth
-
God helps those who help themselves.
-
Because we live in America, we have rights to
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
-
If we faithfully obey the teachings of Jesus, we
will be "saved."
-
God speaks to us only through what was written in
the Bible.
-
Finding the right person will make a happy
marriage.
-
Having enough money will resolve most of my
problems.
-
If I eat well, exercise, work hard, invest wisely
and surround myself with wonderful friends, my life will be peaceful, happy
and filled with joy.
-
If I model excellent parental skills and
attitudes, give my children a wonderful education and surround them with love, they will
grow to become successful, loving men and women.
-
By carefully planning and wise decision making, I
can become the master of my destiny.
-
Temptations are the work of the Devil.
-
Since God gave me a great body, personality and
brains it is okay to trade on these "gifts" while on my road to success. (This has
to do with motivation, not behavior)
-
God has blessed America.
-
There is a degree of predestination to life.
Moses, Jesus and others whom God “called” were given “special assignments” quite
different from ours.
-
"My spouse makes me unhappy, my parents are
responsible for my lack of motivation, the economy is to blame for my economic
status, the bakery is the cause of my excess weight, experiences of my
childhood have contributed to my phobias. I am not in charge of my life."
-
God is nowhere I can access. "The silence from
Heaven is deafening."
Thoughts Can Become Motivators, Correctives to our
Thinking and Provide Inspiration
-
Every word we speak, attitude we display and act
of involvement reveal our inner world. Circumstances do not define us, they reveal
us.
-
Belief in Jesus is not as important as
experiencing the reality of what he taught.
-
Examine yourself. Where are you investing your
energy? If you feel drained, where is the location of the siphon?
-
Focus on what particular, unique guidance you are
seeking.
-
You are one-of-a-kind, a snowflake. Each of us
has an incredible, unique blend of emotions, intellect and spirit that is possessed
by no one else. You need not fit into any known pattern to contribute and create.
-
You may feel empty inside. Your unique talents
and abilities will only become known to you when you use them. They become visible
energy patterns only through repetitious use.
-
You cannot fail at reflecting your spiritual
inheritance (God's essence). You can only engage in delay.
-
Others will not change because you want them to. You do not have to understand why people do the things that they do.
-
Do not assume responsibility for someone else's
success or happiness. (If your children fail at Algebra that is not your problem)
(This has to do with motivation, not behavior)
-
The potential for a divinely empowered
consciousness lies within each of us.
-
Problems are beautiful. They cause us to seek
answers either in our inner world or our external world. We can choose to develop
skills or delay their growth.
-
Focus on what you have rather than what you
want.
-
To change your life, work on embracing what you
dread or what you fear.
-
Begin learning to live in and with chaos. This
condition will never change. Chaos means "constant change" -- the only consistent
description of creation.
-
All values must be won by a contest. Character
comes from making the same choice for life-enhancing values again and again.
-
Guilt is a useless expenditure of spiritual
energy. Your past as brought you to this moment. Your unfavorable labels are inaccurate and
will not serve your growth. Bless your past with thoughts of sincere gratitude. They were molding agents.
-
There are no insignificant tasks. Nothing is
beneath you.
-
Heaven is a decision to perceive with love and
compassion, it is not a reward.
-
The Spiritual path only gives you understanding,
not superiority.
-
There is no one who sees light more clearly than
those who have experienced darkness.
-
Your approval by God is not based on your
performance. God wired you during creation and you do have free will, NOT "My way or
the highway." If it takes ten million years, you will learn what your life in
solid form was designed to accomplish. This is the will of God.
-
Enlightened masters are only those who recognize
the symbolic meaning underlying what is visible to everyone.
-
Many of us want the power of Love's energy
without giving it away.
-
When you think your problems originate from any
part of the external world, you are deceiving yourself.
-
Rid yourself of using labels to describe who you
are, e.g., "I'm big boned, disorganized, shy, learning disabled, unattractive,
it’s my red hair, I’m Italian."
Where Can I Start My Exploration?
-
Examine your expectations of others. Why do you
need them?
-
Consider all problems as opportunities to develop
your skill levels.
-
Think of perfecting your skills while facing
life's events as though showing up at a gym for exercise.
-
View life as a game rather than your
very
serious drama.
-
Greet with gratitude all sources which have the
power to "hurt" you.
-
Ignore external elements as having the answers
for your life's unresolved conflicts.
-
Accept insults, disrespect, foul language,
labels, and arrogance as moments when others are displaying their self-portraits. These are wonderful moments for you to display yours.
-
Learn to embrace and nurture your
shadow self. Do not pretend it is not there. Accept the immature, unbalanced aspects of
your life as gardens you have yet to plow.
-
Face one thing that terrifies you. When you
embrace it, its power will fade.
-
Our crises are entry points for spiritual growth
and development.
CAUTION: Most of us have a tremendous stake in
remaining exactly who and what we are. (Years of training, reinforcement,
habits, comfort zones, trading on our known strengths and encouragement from others
all contribute to our remaining frozen). It takes great courage to want
more from life. It means leaving the carpenter's shop, painting outside the lines,
taking night courses, changing fields, saying "yes" to tasks where you have no
known skills. Growth is not a spectator sport; it is not for the timid. Many of us
read, study and never take that first step.
|