Color
Me Light
“You
can glom on to every tool in your arsenal to overcome negative
thinking. Use affirmations and visualizations. Connect with nature.
Do some deep breathing. Every time you have a negative thought, use
it as a reminder to get back to positive thinking. Develop
self-discipline. Keep your energy up. Chant. Meditate. Use your
journal, or your pillows. Or ask for help from the Universe...It may
take a major effort, but it will be vital for progress on your inner
path to become aware of the self-defeating mental groves you function
in...”
Elaine
St. James (Inner Simplicity)
Call
me a harper—I harp, I know. Same old saw, same old message—get a
grip on your attitude and change your world. You probably read the
first line of this post and thought, “Oh, not again! Stop with the
positive thinking, already!” I don't blame you. It's just that,
this is it, y'all. This is the route to making things better.
I
was talking with my friend, Harry, over the weekend. He's just back
from a week at a Taoist retreat on the west coast—one of those
where you spend eight or so hours a day in meditation, and listen to
a teacher's wisdom. Harry and I have served on way too many church
committees and boards, and in the process have become somewhat jaded
about the good intentions of our fellow Christians—I'm sure they
feel exactly the same about us. But now, we're trying to actually
walk our talk. We're trying to do our own work regardless of what is
happening around us. When you think about it, that's all you can
do—work on your own stuff—because there will always be people and
situations that will get on your last nerve. Harry uses an
affirmation to convert irritation to inner peace. When he feels
himself start to heat up, he says, “I see it one way, and they see
it differently.” No need to lambaste and berate—it's
simply a matter of seeing things differently.
I've
begun to say to myself, “Let it go.” I'm so obsessive when it
comes to negative thinking. My brain rips things apart and huffs and
puffs. So as soon as I feel that energy cranking up, I take a deep
breath and say, “Just let it go.” and exhale. It may take several
attempts and a number of deep breaths, but sometimes I can let it go.
I'm getting better.
These
simple things work, but they take time and discipline. Some say
breaking any habitual behavior requires a minimum of six weeks of
consistently resisting the urge to engage. Negative thinking is a
habit. It is one that is every bit as debilitating as smoking. It
colors our lives dark. If we want to let in the light, we have to
start within.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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