When you expand your limiting beliefs, you increase your self-respect. To do this, you have to risk trying something new. Here’s a guided meditation to help you rehearse trying something new and how it changes your attitudes and actions.
Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
by Linda-Ann Stewart
As an art teacher and friend once said, “Give yourself permission to do it badly.” That’s one of the most freeing concepts for creativity. When you do this, you allow yourself to experiment and be spontaneous. And only with experimentation can you find new ways and techniques. Staying with the “same old, same old” will simply keep you in a rut.
Pick up a brush, lump of clay or camera and create something. Challenge some of the beliefs you have and say, “No” to something you don’t want to do. The sky is unlikely to fall, and you’ll feel stronger. Hold your ground when someone tries to bully you. Tell a friend how you feel when she’s always an hour late for lunch.
You’re more authentic when you risk. Stepping out of what’s secure and safe breaks down your inner barriers. You unblock yourself and let the Universe flow more fully through you. And even when things don’t work out, as sometimes happens, you have more resources to handle it philosophically. You can assure yourself, “At least I tried.” Giving yourself permission to try and fail can create a feeling of safety that allows you to try again.
I couldn’t sit silent and let the group be bullied into a course of action that would be unproductive. That would have made me feel like a victim. Because I risked going out of my comfort zone and speaking up, my beliefs were altered in a positive way. It gave me the courage to explore other areas and confront my fears.
When you risk, even if it doesn’t work out, it expands your horizons. You learn something valuable that you can use the next time. You’ve empowered yourself to stretch and be a victor. This establishes a pattern that can continue to reveal more of your authentic self.
Affirmation
When I try new things and experiment, I give myself permission to do it badly or fail. What matters is the attempt to move out of my comfort zone. As I risk new directions and activities, the Universe flows more smoothly through me into greater good. I empower myself explore new avenues and experiences. By allowing myself to risk, I open myself to be more authentic.
Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
by Linda-Ann Stewart
Many years ago, I was a member of a group that promoted and encouraged creative writing in the community. We’d been working together for a couple of years when a new member joined us. She came in with a host of ideas, many of which we’d already tried, with no success. Even after we explained that, she insisted on our implementing them anyway.
No one challenged her and said, “No, that didn’t work the first time and we’re not going to do it again.” I decided someone had to draw the line, and although I expected censure from the rest of the group, I stood up to her and said, “No.” It got a little heated.
After the meeting, I was surprised and amazed when the other members thanked me for standing firm. “Someone had to do it,” they said. This was the opposite reaction that I’d learned to expect, based on my childhood experiences. In my youth, if I set a boundary or challenged someone, I was ostracized. The members’ appreciation rocked my worldview. It altered even more when the new member called me and kept trying to change my mind. And that, from then on, she respected me.
When you risk stepping out of your comfort zone, you find a deeper level of self-commitment and self-acceptance. By being true to yourself, you give yourself the message that your opinions and values are important. This buoys up your self-concept and increases your self-respect, which in turn gives you a greater feeling of confidence. It encourages you to open up and be more authentic.
I felt the new member had to be stopped from taking us down a fruitless path, so I acted on what I thought was right. By following my values, I fed my self-respect and felt like I’d accomplished something. When I stepped out of my comfort zone, I found approval when I expected displeasure.
The same thing can be said for trying new things. Making the choice to risk trying something you haven’t done before, whether you’re good at it or not, opens your mind to new experiences and possibilities. You don’t have to be good at it, you just have to try. And if you don’t explore new activities or pursuits, you won’t find hidden treasures that make your heart sing.
This is the way children learn. They try, fail, and try again. When they’re learning to walk, playing with building blocks, or making a sand castle, they don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work out initially. Exploring and experimentation allows them to expand their awareness and discover what works and what doesn’t. Children are persistent and keep trying, even it they don’t succeed the first time. They’re authentic and their confidence grows as they try again and achieve their goal.
Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
Question: After I had an upheaval in my life a couple of years ago that changed everything, including me, I haven’t had the same connection to my guidance or to the Universe. How do I get it back?
Answer: There’s an old saying that goes something like “When we lose touch with God, God hasn’t moved, we have.” It sounds like you had a transformation during that chaotic time. It sounds like your perspective, your relationships to others and to yourself has changed. Why would you think that your relationship to the Universe wouldn’t change as well?
Your awareness has expanded because you’ve gone through a spurt in evolution. This means you’ve outgrown the old connection to your guidance and to the Universe. The connection is still there, but you have changed position in relation to it, and you’re still looking for it in its old form.
It’s like you used to have an oak tree in your old backyard. Once you’ve moved, you’re still expecting that oak tree to be in your backyard, even at your new house. You may have a grove of oak trees now, but you can’t see them because you’re looking for a single one.
You’re ready for your connection to be at a higher level than you’ve ever experienced before. You’ve gone through a maturing process, therefore your sense of guidance and the Universe will also be more mature. Meditate. Be aware of tiny signals, the still, small voice. You may sense it in a new way. Meditate on the Oneness of the Universe, and how It flows through you.
You’re building a new relationship with yourself, learning about who you now are. You need to do the same with the Universe.
Copyright 2003, 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
by Linda-Ann Stewart
Whereas judgement assigns an emotional value on something, discernment is when you assess a situation or a person objectively and decide that you don’t want to participate. For instance, they don’t like apples, and decide not to eat one. There is no emotion attached to the decision. Just a simple “no thank you.”
Maybe an acquaintance keeps making disparaging remarks about Jill’s clothing as a way of teasing her. Jill has the right to decide that this isn’t a person she wants in her circle of friends. It doesn’t mean that she judges this person as “bad.” Just that the person’s actions makes her uncomfortable, and she doesn’t want to be around them.
Jill can accept the person as they are, knowing that they have the right to express themselves as they want. But also knowing that their self-expression isn’t compatible with hers. And if they really hurt her feelings, she can accept the individual, but not the way they act. If what they’re doing is inappropriate, then she can separate it from the person. Suppose a child leaves their bicycle behind her car, she doesn’t see it and runs over it. The child isn’t a bad person. They just did something irresponsible.
Being discerning means detaching from a situation, and letting go of any need to feel superior. It also means not avoiding making a decision for fear of being judgmental. Either of those issues has an emotional charge. Discernment is a spiritual quality, and one which we all need to develop for our spiritual evolution. We need to learn to say “no thank you” to that which is our lesser good, so we can say “yes” to our greater Good.
For if we can’t decide between turning left or right, how can we learn to follow the path of our Highest Good?
Copyright 2001, 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
by Linda-Ann Stewart
Those of us on the spiritual path generally aim to be nonjudgmental. We know the dangers of being judgmental, and what can happen to ourselves and others when we fall into those negative patterns. But do you really know what judging is? Judgement is when a person places an emotional value of good or bad on an activity, person, or experience. When they see an apple, if they determine that it’s a terrible fruit, then anyone who eats one is also bad. Judgement comes from a feeling of shame and inferiority.
A person who judges others feels inadequate. They feel that they aren’t good enough. Not that what they DO isn’t good enough. But that they are not enough. They probably had parents and an environment that criticized them repeatedly, and they have internalized those statements. The only way they can get some relief from the pain and anguish is to dump their negative feelings on others. They judge others as “bad,” and then, momentarily, they can feel superior to someone or something else.
I once had someone tell me that anyone who likes the color green is stupid and has no sense of taste. Because I had the audacity to disagree, she took it personally, as if my opinion was attacking hers.
Being judgmental becomes a vicious cycle. If a person judges others, you can bet they’re doing the same thing to themselves. Otherwise, they wouldn’t need to find a target to shame. As people who are interested in developing spiritually, we don’t want to judge others, and we certainly want to stop judging ourselves. But too many people on the spiritual path swing too far in the other direction, and don’t utilize their God-given ability to discern what is better for them and what is not so great. There actually is a difference between judgement and discernment.
Copyright 2001, 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
The Sermon On The Mount: The Key to Success in Life
by Emmet Fox
This author’s books made a huge impact on me when I began to seriously study metaphysics almost thirty years ago. This book was one of those that really affected me and my understanding of mental principles. It takes a metaphysical perspective on one of Jesus’ most well known messages. Mr. Fox states that Jesus’ message was to teach mental states, not theology.
Cautioning against taking Jesus’ message literally, the author explains how Jesus taught through parables. The Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Lord’s Prayer are directions on how to think rightly, how to manifest, and how to achieve a greater spiritual understanding. He dissects each phrase to explain it more thoroughly from a metaphysical perspective.
Many of the phrases that have been twisted or that many find confusing are very practically explained and now make sense. Karma is discussed, as are many metaphysical laws. This book’s original subtitle was “A general introduction to Scientific Christianity in the form of a spiritual key to Matthew V, VI and VII.” For anyone raised with the orthodox view of Jesus’ message, the information in this book is revolutionary and a revelation.
Copyright 2004, 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
Question: I was wondering whether you need to have a plan to achieve a goal or whether you should let the subconscious mind work out the best way?
Answer: It is important to have a goal, and then steps to take on the way to the goal. But it’s also important to not “outline” how the goal is going to manifest. It’s a tightrope to walk. For instance, suppose you want a new job. You know the steps to take. You look at the job listings, you send out resumes, you go for interviews. The more action you take in the physical world helps the subconscious to know what it is that you want, and how committed you are to the goal.
If you focus on the new job coming from one of those that you investigated, that’s “outlining.” You’ve decided “how” it has to happen, instead of letting the subconscious mind figure out how. Or suppose you see a job that you really want, and set your heart on “that job.” Your new job may come when you feel led to go into a market and bump into a friend or former coworker who gives you a lead. You follow any inspiration you might have because that’s the inner mind directing you.
If you try to control the result or outcome, that’s when you run afoul of life. Having a plan lets the inner mind know what you want, but if you try to force the goal to manifest in the way you want to, you’ll not get very far. The inner mind knows so much more than you do about the situation. As you follow your plan, you stay aware of any nudges from the inner mind.
Your job is to remain focused on your goal, move in that direction, but let your inner mind power it. Just like driving a car. You keep your vision down the road, you steer the vehicle, but the motor is what moves the car. You don’t have to do a Fred Flintstone, and run or push the car.
Copyright 2003, 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
Many people drift through life, hoping and assuming things will get better. With that level of belief they tend to experience the average of their mindset. To get better results, they need to think more intentionally. Learn how intentional thinking can keep improving your life.
Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
by Linda-Ann Stewart
A belief is like a garden. If you throw some seeds into fertile soil, some will take root, sprout and grow. But they need tending or they’ll wither away. You have to water them with new energy, and pluck out the weeds of negative thoughts and inertia. When you attend to your belief and cultivate it, your subconscious will respond with insight, ideas, and inspired action.
Where are you stuck in a past mindset that’s no longer serving you? What assumptions have you made that aren’t valid anymore? Are you coasting in some areas and not putting energy into your life? Start becoming aware of your passive beliefs. How can you shift them into a positive statement of intention and action?
Instead of continuing to smoke, you could say, “I choose to do what I need to that furthers my health,” and find a way to quit smoking. If you’re in debt, you might decide to cut down on expenses, formulate a budget, and work your plan, committed to get out of debt by a certain date. For increased business, believe that you can be successful by investigating new ways to be visible, market and sell.
Don’t allow the garden of your mind to wilt. Be dynamic and fertilize it with new purpose and action. Treat your belief like a living thing. Plant the seeds and make sure the environment is as favorable as possible to encourage them to grow. Nurture them, give them what they need to thrive. They’ll bloom in your life with all the beauty and success you could want.
Affirmation
The Universe wants the good for me that I want for myself: harmony, abundance, health, and joy. I let go of old assumptions that no longer serve me. Now, I cultivate my belief that all good is mine. Insight, ideas, and inspiration flood into my life. I am guided to take action in the direction of my desire. Whatever I need to have a more satisfying life is now provided.
Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved