To change the negative thoughts holding you back in life,
start with the Home page and work through each section.
search this site |
Does it really matter what we think?
Yes, it does. Nothing exists in physical without first having existed in thought. Thought drives our every action or inaction. The state of humanity is what it is today because of our thoughts, whether positive and negative. If we are ever to solve the problems we face, we must first change ourselves; we cannot change ourselves unless and until we change our own thoughts. We must stop blaming others (the devil, the moon, other people, circumstances, etc.) for our problems and start accepting our power. Figure 04: We all think, all the time Our thoughts drive our every action or inaction, and they determine the course of our lives. Paying attention to our thoughts, attitudes and emotions, and learning about our belief systems and desires enables us to start changing them. Food for thought Our thoughts express our spiritual reactions to whatever is going on within us and around us. Thought patterns start forming as soon as soon as a soul settles into its human form. The Universal Intelligence hears every single one of our thoughts, and knows the pattern each thought expresses. For example, thinking something as simple as, "At least I'm not like that person" expresses an attitude of self-righteousness. Our guide flags this as a lesson to be learned, and future experiences will provide us with opportunities to learn humility. Our spiritual reactions are expressed in the following ways: Review the following self-assessment list. If three or more apply, then your spiritual diet may be placing your physical health at risk:
Now this is the starting point, the doorway into learning how our thoughts affect our lives. Behind each statement, there is a story. Take for example the first: “I want/need everyone to like me”. In order to change our thought patterns, we must bring into conscious focus the backstory. How many times did we go without love, or compassion, or understanding or encouragement, when we most needed it, from the person from whom we most needed it? What conclusions did we reach as we came to realize that we were not loved, not respected, and maybe even invisible? We may have thought “Nobody likes me.” Or “I’m unlovable.” We may also have thought that well, since I was treated this way, it is all right for me to treat others the same way. We may have taken out our pain on a younger sibling, or a pet. We may have manifested eating disorders or self-harming behaviours. We may also have reacted in the opposite way by deciding, “When I grow up, I’ll never treat anyone this way.” Or “When I grow up, I’m going to help people.” Negative thoughts? Who, me? Before we can change our negative thoughts, we must acknowledge that we have them. If humanity is ever to take its next evolutionary leap forward, we must first change ourselves; we cannot change ourselves unless and until we change our thoughts. Table 01: This phrase is this thought pattern
Steps in becoming spiritually aware In large part, we are who we are because of our reactions to, or our thoughts about, our early childhood experiences. Paying attention to our thoughts and acknowledging that we, ourselves, really do have negative thoughts enables us to change them. Resolving the inner conflicts resulting from our experiences is done through introspection and meditation. Resolution brings inner peace. Being at peace frees us to make wiser choices about our lives, enabling profound change. That’s it. That’s the process. Figure 05: Steps in becoming spiritually aware ![]() Spiritual decluttering (cleaning up our thoughts) Resolve, Refine, Reduce Figure 06: Spiritual decluttering: Resolve, reduce and refine the thoughts ![]() Inner conflicts keep us stuck. They create negative behavioural patterns and generally prevent us from being able to live life well. Such conflicts result from having core patterns and generally prevent us from being able to live life well. Such conflicts result from having core beliefs that are not based in truth. We cling to the childhood beliefs that were taught to us by our authority figures, or that we developed on our own in the absence of input from our caregivers. Once we have them though, changing them can seem next to impossible. Refine your thoughts Refining the thoughts means understanding at ever-deeper levels just what a particular thought pattern sounds like, so that it can be gradually eliminated. For example, judgment can take many forms:
How many times in a day do you make such judgments? You might be surprised. Negative thoughts like judgment, criticism and condemnation are refined by paying attention to the physical signals that your guide gives you, and by gaining understanding of the signals in meditation. What we consider to be judgment and what our guides consider to be judgment are quite different, and that is the reason that signals are given. They remind us to pay attention to our thoughts. Reduce your thoughts Have you any idea how much time we spend worrying about things over which we have utterly no control? Or how often our thoughts return to past events and rehash them, searching, wishing somehow for a different outcome? The refinement process enables us to gradually reduce the number of thoughts we have. The fewer thoughts we have, the more we are able to simply be in observation mode and achieve the overview effect, bringing order from the chaos of our thoughts. Food for thought Learn how to change our automatic responses (Section 2) and learn to meditate (Section 3). With these actions, we gain resolution of inner child issues and healthy self-esteem. Our lives gain new meaning and our spiritual awareness increases. Pain from the past seems to magically disappear, not because we are ignoring it or medicating it, but because we are dealing with it. 1. What are the five components of our spiritual diet? Click here for answersThoughts, attitudes, emotions, belief systems, and desires. 2. What are the steps in becoming spiritually aware? Click here for answers
3. What thoughts, attitudes and/or emotions are expressed by the following statements:
Click here for answers
4. Define each of the following:
Click here for answers
|
top of page | Site contents
← Introduction | Section 2 →
Contact the author |
Cookies This site uses statcounter web analytics to track statistics using a 3rd party analytics cookie. No personal information is stored in the cookie. To set a Refusal cookie for your web browser, visit statcounter.com |
© Copyright: Sheila A. McBeath 1999-2022 All Rights Reserved ISBN 978-1-7753521-2-9 If you print, reproduce or use any of this information, credit "Making Change in Our Lives (a workbook)" by Sheila A. McBeath within your material. Do not alter the content. |
Pay it forward If the spirit moves you, please donate to your favourite charity or perform community service. |
Terms of use The information in this website and/or e-book is provided as spiritual information only. It is not to be used or relied upon for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your healthcare provider before making healthcare decisions. Your use of this web site and/or e-book means that you accept these terms. |
Last Updated
20220301
With thanks for this Initial basic layout from thesitewizard.com