Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile!

Just like the song that was sung by soldiers in WWI we to can tell ourselves to smile at our wold and sing a merry tune as we step into our bright future.  Keep your chin up and put energy into your stride.
In a recent post I outlined the role of core beliefs a system of structuring how we view ourselves and the world.  Our future will either be bright or not depending on where we stand with ourselves and how transcendent we have become.  For instance a person who believes that they don't stand a chance of success in life because of circumstances beyond their control may become despairing and view themselves as incapable in a world that is rejecting.  A 42 yo French man recently swam the English Channel without the aid of arms or legs.  In '07 he "J'ai decide de vivre."  (I decided to live,)  and started to do just that by parachuting out of a plane.  He realized that no matter what others thought or said about his limitations it was up to him to live his life to the fullest and not be defined others.  We can all relate to that awareness when living with emotional pain and self pity becomes too much of a burden to bear and we find ourselves hedging toward a different destiny.  One that we are co-creators of with God.  God loves us and has a plan for our lives no matter how bleak it may seem in our own estimation.  Your life is a guarantee to find the freedom you want.  You will be the road map for others who will come behind you.  Another story I heard was of a football star who was made famous overnight in the NFL league.  He had been working in a grocery store stacking shelves and practicing football until the big break came.  That is what I mean by co-creating.  You have to do your part and be ready to move up to the plate when God calls.

Core beliefs I mentioned are "I'm not pretty...I'm dumb...I'm not lovable...Nobody likes me...I will never amount to anything..."  We can all tag our story line on to these open ended phrases because we can muster up blame and pin the responsibility for our own unhappiness and lack of success on someone else.  When inmates reflect on their crime and the pain that they have caused they often do so in a self pitying way because they don't want to take responsibility for their wrong thinking and actions.  There is no room for blame!  If your mother tried to abort you, a class mate in graduate school mother had done causing her deformity or if your mother took medication that resulted in deformities you will have to accept that fact and decide to reach out to others and not stay in the space of blaming.  Blame only keeps you stuck and you are likely to wallow in self pity and never grasp the chance to use your talents and discover great things about yourself and the world around you.  Inmates who have committed serious crimes such as the murder of a mother and two beautiful daughters in Connecticut in '07 speak loudly about the disregard these two brutes had toward a loving and happy family.  Their thoughts of unspeakable lust and greed robbed others of their right to live.  There comes a time when someone has been unable to correct thinking and behaviors that result in harm.  In the case of these two murderers they deserve to die.  Goodbye to the chance of restructuring thinking and shaping healthy core beliefs and the world will be closed to those who do others harm.

Once you identify a particular core belief and a thought arises or an assumption is made in relation to your job for instance you can start to mentally challenge yourself.  It might be a core belief that tells you that you are not good enough for a promotion and that your boss is looking for someone from outside your department instead of you.  When you break your thinking down, you really have no basis to believe what your mind is telling you.  Instead prepare yourself by rewriting your resume and buying a new suite for the interview.  Review all policies and procedures that you might be able to discuss to your advantage during an interview.  Spend time and money on your personal appearance: manicure and pedicure, facials, hair color and styling.  Go to the best places for your polishing up!  Read books on subjects that will add to your skill in an interview and that will make you better at your job once you get it.  List your best qualities that will make you the best candidate for the job.  Take extra courses or enroll in college for a higher degree.  Don't let opportunity slip through your fingers because someone way back in your existence told you something that wasn't true.  Dr. Ben Carson who is a world renowned neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD.  Hopkins is the most prestigious hospital in the US.  Dr. Carson shared his own story about growing up in the East side of Baltimore which has mostly socioeconomically undeserved people living there and mostly African American.  He was brought up by a single mother and almost failed fourth grade.  Yes I mean it!  Don't let others define you.  You have a purpose and God has a plan for you so never ever give up for people who don't care about you anyway.

My Spiritual Master has a form which he gives out to new initiates and asks his followers to send it for him to personally review.  I believe him when he says that he will read them.  During my visits to see him in Naperville, Chicago he spends hours with us as a group outside the time he spends in formal talks.  He absolutely emphasizes our value and self worth through empowering us with his attention.  My first Spiritual Master decided that it was time for us to do the work on our own and was available to us through Internet programs and books and through our love and devotion for her we still received her Grace.  No matter what it is in life if it doesn't feel right for you don't hold on and let other's again define your path or worry about what will happen.  It was God's will is for me to move on and remember with sweetness and gratitude all that I have learned.

This kind of thinking is what I am talking about.  It is taking the high road.  Even though the events leading up to my leaving my first spiritual path were unfair in my estimation I know that ultimately good came from it because I am with a teacher now whom I feel totally aligned with.  He believes and teaches vegetarianism and asks us to consciously consider what animals have to suffer in their lives to become our food.  He also asks "Why do you want to make your body into a graveyard?"  I have been a vegetarian since 1986 and I can understand how clean plant sources are by comparison.  He also discussed the absolute truth about the sanctity of human life by saying that the soul begins at conception.  Actually it is before conception that God knows us and our names are written on the palm of His hand!  There is no room for blame or bitterness on the spiritual path and why waste time on anger and resentment?  We have all experienced how uncomfortable those emotions make us feel.  Choose to take the high road and let people do or say what they want.  We are like stones being tossed about on the river bed.  As we are able to take the tumbling and move with the current of the river we end up where we are supposed to be and smoothed out our rough edges.  Be patient as you are going through the process.  Since I have used the metaphor of the river I am reminded what my friend Lottie Rose used to say: "Don't push the river!"  She said it so emphatically with her German accent!  She also said "Life always turns out well for those on the spiritual path."

In review challenge negative assumptions and turn them into positives for you.  Work on changing your core beliefs and always make them affirmative and positive.  Phillippe who swam the English Channel at one time thought that such a fete was out of the realm of possibilities for him.  Be the best you can be and keep working on it.  It's character building to get up and have the guts to do what others told you you couldn't do.  It is happening in politics today with Christine O'Donnell (R) Delaware and she will have to show them what she's made of and believe that she can do it! 

Our thoughts are like radio waves that go out into the ether's and continue to circulate, so be careful what you send out!  It is like a mind waste dump out there!  Negativity is contagious so why not send out positivity and uplift yourself and others?  Your mind will believe what you think.  Meditation is the one sure way to clear the inner psyche of all past events that have formed us up until now.  Start where you are.  When you sit for meditation you can make an intention to overcome negative thinking.  Repeat everyday and it will go.  Think positive thoughts and read positive books like Napoleon Hill and The New Testament.  Remember to pray and constantly recollect God in your thoughts.  Once you are seeped in thoughts about God and His goodness you won't really have any room left for negative thoughts.  Keep a journal and write your positive and negative thoughts down that you experienced during the day.  Reflect on what happened to get you to respond negatively and re-empower yourself through recreating the situation in your mind before you go to sleep, but this time make the ending positive.  Moving forward with your life means challenging your comfort zones through education or whatever area of life is calling you to expand who your are and create new potential.  It will involve letting go of some goals and setting new goals that face you in the right direction.  Use your intuition because it is not a mental exercise with prescribed ingredients to make the pudding come out just right, thus the saying "the proof of the pudding is in the eating."  Whatever you have put into action will have inevitable results.  Don't be afraid to risk in order to try something new.  It's a leap of faith.  It is like letting go of one rope that you have been holding onto and grasping a new one that you will hold onto as you swing into action.  You can envision a scene from Tarzan.  Be ready to take the jump away from a secure branch into the air and know that you can trust yourself to take the rope and have a safe landing.  Set an intention and make that absolutely clear.  An intention is how the goals are going to bring you to a better place in your life.  An intention may be that I will be a stronger leader for others...I will have a lifestyle that is comfortable.  Write the goals to help you achieve your intention.  Be clear and write specific objectives.  My goal is to reach three new clients and sign them on this week.  Objectives will be posting blogs, writing comments and tweets, continuing groups Spiritual Life and Bright Future and starting BlogTalkRadio.  Make your goals measurable.  By X many days/weeks/months I will have X$, Xclients, etc.  Financial goals are what you want not what you think you can achieve.  Don't limit yourself in the wealth generating area of your plan.  Make your money making return on investment HUGE!!

Don't talk about or judge others.  Instead stay absolutely focused on yourself.  My Teacher once said we can have all the zeros in the world but unless we put a one first they don't mean anything.  After practice you will recognize your thoughts as soon as they occur and switch to positive and uplifting ones.  Just like changing the channel on t.v.  Especially in the work place don't repeat things about other people because it isn't a beneficial thing for you to do.  You will have to get used to transcendent living and taking the high road in all situations.  That means not accusing others of taking that you believed you were entitled to.  In Europe there is a saying "Noblish Ob liege!"  Practice this in your life with grace and allowing for others to be where they are and whom they are.  Don't get dragged into the gutter over petty things.  Learn to be noble.  You can do it and you are the very best at what you do!

Please feel free to contact me:  lawrencerita511@gmail.com