The Corresponding Action

It's all good and well to come to conclusions and the deeper understanding of things, but without corresponding action, it remains intellectual. You can intellectually understand that you need to let go of something negative, but you need to replace it with something positive.

Even thoughts. That's why changing beliefs does not just rest on recognizing that the negative beliefs exist, you need to solidify it by creating and anchoring new, more positive beliefs.

The technology I like the most is something taught by Shanti Shanti Kaur (from Yogi Bhajan). It goes like this: first, on a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle and on the left side of the paper write down some negative beliefs. Then on the right side, for each negative belief, write down an corresponding positive belief. The positive belief should be active, not passive and should not contain "not, won't can't,"etc.

Once you're done with that exercise, sit quietly, taking a few deep breaths. Then breathe in deeply and hold your breath while you silently repeat a new positive belief three times, and say it out loud once as you exhale. Repeat 3-11 times for each positive belief. And repeat the entire exercise 2-3 times a day (or more).

An understanding of something is just not enough. Even lessons that life gives us - intellectually getting them doesn't necessarily mean we won't ever do it again, or that we are strong enough to act in a different way. We need the system of changing our thoughts and our actions, too.

Starting with the beliefs is a great place to start. Once you start repeating something positive, it will wreak a little havoc in the thoughts because your thought processes are used to different (more negative) words. It'll start asking questions, "Huh? What?" but more than that, you will start questioning thoughts that want to take on the negative characteristics you are losing. That may even bring up more negative beliefs that need to be addressed. But in the long term what happens is that once your beliefs start changing, your thoughts start changing too, and eventually it becomes too big a conflict, your actions have to follow.

So, yes, keep working through stuff, process it, learn from it, get it - and then take it to the next level - the level of corresponding action. This is what changes lives.

Blessings.
- Darshan



© 2010 Darshan F Jessop