Over the last several years I have benefited from the teachings of Dr. Joe Dispensa, Dawson Church, Bruce Lipton, Michael Singer, and other wise souls as I have worked on creating change in my life. To change my status quo, I’ve learned I need to step out of my habitual patterns. By thinking the same thoughts, experiencing the same feelings, which in turn support my same beliefs, I maintain my same behaviors. So where do I start this change?
There is this concept that our minds tend to believe what we think. If I believe this placebo pill is going to heal me, it works even though the pill is made from sugar. Dr. Joe Dispensa talks about this concept in his book, You are the Placebo. Based on the placebo concept, to make changes in my life it is important to be aware of what I think. This requires me to be aware of my thoughts and change my negative thought patterns to positive ones supporting my goal. When I catch myself in a negative thought pattern, I can consciously stop the process and intentionally chose to think something positive. This trains my brain and with time the negative thoughts will be replaced with positive thoughts. To change my habitual patterns, I first need to focus on those positive thoughts that lead me to my goal.
Have you ever noticed when you start thinking of something, you create a corresponding feeling? When I think about the person that cut me off in traffic on my drive to work, this creates feelings of anger. Or if I think about my dog Nelson playing with his toy, I smile and feel happiness. The interesting thing about this process is I don’t have to be physically participating in the event, just the memory of the event can cause the same feelings. What a gift or curse this provides depending on whether I am focused on positive or negative feelings. When I set a goal for myself, success comes a lot easier if I visualize, as specific as possible, what it is I want. This allows my body to experience the feeling of meeting that goal. Repeatedly reminding myself of this feeling provides motivation and insurance as I move towards accomplishing the goal. That way when obstacles come up and throw me off track, returning to the feeling of successfully completing the goal allows me to rebound and get back on track. The stronger the feeling, the easier it is to make the goal happen.
Continuing with the circle of habitual patterns once my thoughts morph into feelings I start creating beliefs. The interesting thing about my beliefs is they are based upon my perceptions of the world around me. There is this interesting concept that I become aware of and tend to focus on the things in my environment that support my beliefs. So, if I believe my day is going well, I focus on events during the day that support this belief. In short, beliefs are fulfilled by what I chose to see in the external world. When I get locked into a belief, it is hard to change my position. Creating a positive belief and locking onto external criteria that support this belief, strengthen the belief internally.
With my beliefs firmly in place, I am now ready to act. My beliefs are the north in my compass, the guide by which I act. These actions are my personal behaviors and how I chose to react when different stimuli occur in my life. There is this saying, action is stronger than words. My behaviors solidify the beliefs I have in life and make the invisible visible for myself and others to see. Now my life shifts, and it is evident by my new actions. I am no longer in the past habitual pattern I wanted to change. And as I continue to act in this new manner, I create reinforcing thoughts, which causes the cycle to start all over again.
In summary, I can change habits that no longer serve me to beneficial habits that enhance my life with this simple process...
• To change a habitual pattern, I start by thinking differently, stepping out of my old patterns of thought.
• When I create a new thought, with the energy of an accompanying emotion or feeling, I can change my belief.
• Once I change my belief, I am then able to act in a new way, creating a new behavior.
• This new behavior then supports my new thought and reinforces the process as I learn a new habit.