Monday, February 18, 2008

Growing Through Life ... Instead of Just Going Through It

One of the most wonderful facts of life is that the opportunity to learn and grow never ends. Sometimes when I reread a book that I haven’t looked at in years, I’m surprised that I have gained insights I was never aware of before. I have learned, however, that just because we age chronologically, it doesn’t automatically follow that we gain maturity and wisdom. This requires making a conscious choice.

As we become perceptive enough to set an intention to grow through life, we realize that life on Earth is a school in which we are to learn to become more aware human beings. When we do this, we are consciously choosing to leave behind the role of victim and taking responsibility for our lives.

I thought about this during a recent telephone call from someone who is just starting this journey. He believes that all you have to do to change your life is to think positively. I know this is a much-desired step in the right direction, yet experience has taught me that this is a much more complex situation.

After listening to him, I realized that because of Oprah’s television program on “The Secret,” as well as the bestselling book of the same name, millions are now aware of the possibility of changing our lives by changing our thoughts. I know this is a totally valid concept. I also know that many people may give up when they realize that the positive affirmation aspect is not the only step in this process—it is actually the last step.

I discovered that the first important step has to do with the hidden and powerful messages that have determined our past, as well as our present and will decide our future until we take steps to clear them. The reality is that not only do we stuff a lot of food into our bodies – desirable and undesirable – we also stuff down a lot of feelings and emotions that we ignore and forget about because we don’t know what to do about them.

When we hold onto negative thoughts around not being enough or deserving, as well as thoughts of envy, hatred, poverty or sickness, we give them support and power and they control what manifests in our lives.

Here is why clearing these inner messages is so important: When we decide on something we want and place an “order,” the universe ignores this new lightweight thought and instead delivers to us the result of those more powerful thoughts and feelings that we have held onto for most of our lives.

Another vital and often overlooked step in this process is the realization that we are spiritual beings living in a spiritual universe. Because we are one with this creative energy that is Life, and because how we express this energy has an effect on us, others and the world, we must be certain that what we seek to manifest personally is in alignment with the greater good.

To truly be successful at changing our lives for the better, we need to be aware of all the steps. We need to clear and cleanse invalid thoughts, patterns, beliefs, emotions and memories that block our good. We must hone our desires until they resonate within us as truth at a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level. Once we are free of hidden messages that can sabotage us, and are in alignment with our desires on a body-mind-spirit level – which also allows for the good of all – only then do we start using positive affirmations to make our desires a reality.

The number one requirement in changing our lives by changing our thoughts is a true willingness to change ourselves, which is something we resist, and which is the only reason we are here. This means growing through life instead of just going through it. This process requires mental discipline to clear undesirable thoughts, and then to direct our thinking along positive lines to support our desires. It isn’t easy, but when we only hold in our thoughts and our hearts what is for our greatest good—we gain mastery of our lives.
______________________________
Copyright 2008 by Fern Stewart Welch

[To learn how to clear and cleanse invalid thoughts and feelings, go to www.FernStewartWelch.com and click on How-to Lists at the top, then click on How to Fulfill Your Potential. To read the author’s article 10 Proven Steps to Fulfill Your Heart’s Desire, click on Articles-News at the top of the page and follow the prompts.]

The author’s book THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY—How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within is available at Amazon.com and other online booksellers, as well as through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.

No comments: