Lately I've been reading some self-empowerment literature. Yeah, I know, how new age hippie of me, but seriously, the older I get the more help I need in the positive reinforcement category. I admire those that take adult life less seriously, and by that I mean enjoy the little things, revel in the moment, roll with the punches, all the while knowing that they are truly happy and content.
I'm an over-thinker. I dwell, I analyze, I replay, I question everything, and it tends to lend toward anxiety and stress, and just plain grumpiness. But I've been taking intentional steps toward correcting this flaw in my character. Well, not correcting, rather refocusing. I can't change who I am on a basic level but I can redirect my energy into more positive outlets. And I can't do that alone, I need help.
So, I picked up this book, it was a borrow for free on my Kindle, it's called The God Academy by Angelica Crystal Powers. Now, I've read The Secret, and while I appreciate the tools it gives for applying the rules of the power of attraction, it's a little kitschy, and it doesn't really go that deep into the core of what intrigues me about the principles of the POA. TGA was highly recommended by other that had the same feelings as me so I thought why not. I'll give it a read. I find it rare that anything I read is a waste of my time, knowledge is knowledge regardless of if you find a way to apply it to your life directly.
I know what you're thinking... the GOD academy? It's going to be all religious. On the contrary, it has nothing to do with religion of the organized variety so much as it has to do with the religion of the heart, your heart. Your soul, your own personal feelings about the universe and your place in it. In fact, it's more likely to ruffle your feathers if you follow a strict belief in God than if you don't believe in one at all.
"Automatically accepting the secondhand perceptions of our past conditioning without question makes as little sense as wearing hand-me-down spectacles. Just because someone else's prescription helped to bring the world into focus for them doesn't mean it will work for you."
THAT.
That right there is something I've always felt is true. Being raised Mormon I was given a pretty strict outline of what our spiritual lives consist of and how our physical lives are to be led in direct reflection of that. Life, as it often does, threw me in to situations that made me question everything I was taught. Now, don't get me wrong, the universal truths like "Do unto others" and "Love thy neighbors" and "Be true to yourself" all stuck. Those are things that don't require a God or a religion to know. But all the specifics about where we come from, where we go when we die, prayers, angels, Bible stories, etc, all of that was bunk to me. It just didn't sit right. Much of my family remain practicing Mormons, and more power to them, I've never said that because I choose not to believe it doesn't mean I think they should change their minds. What works for one does not always work for another. Some people need religious structure, I find nothing wrong with this. I do have issues with forcing your need on others, but that's another topic for another time. I merely believe that everyone should try their hardest to find the truths that work for them in spite of their upbringing. You may find it is what you were taught by your parents, but you may not.
I find it hard to believe that if there is a God, a supreme ruler, that he'd be so loving and yet so judgmental and narcissistic as to expect everyone, with all our differences, to believe only one "true" religion. Yup. I know if I were a God I'd be happy if everyone could just get along. I wouldn't need them to praise me, just to reflect some of that omnipotent love on their neighbors. I'd be a groovy god. Peace, Love, and Music. You could call me dude and I wouldn't be offended.
Okay, so back to the OT. So yes, I have a very hard time practicing positive thinking without constant reminders to do so. It's just how I'm hardwired, but I recognize that and so that's why I take the time to read books like TGA. I print and post positive messages on my mirrors and next to my bed. I verbalize these sentiments daily. You are welcome to poo-poo this, it doesn't bother me, because I always see a drastic improvement in my life when I take the time to do this.
"See yourself as the hero in your narrative. On a sheet of paper, describe yourself as a hero enmeshed in your own fabulous story, a central character who may have been tossed about by life, but who is about the grab the reins and take command. How, exactly, will this hero traverse the same spiritual threshold other bold men and women of history have stepped across to reach all the personal success and material wealth they knew they deserved? What is your next move?"
I will sometime pretend I'm being followed around by a camera, that my life is a movie, and I focus on what a protagonist in a script would do in any given situation. So I'm facing a hardship, how would Dorthy react? I like using Dorthy because she's just so darn positive and it's the series Jude and I are currently reading together. Dorthy and her pals faced countless obstacles, her story is actually really basic when it comes to plot structure, obvious in fact, but that's why it works so well for this exercise. There's not a lot of crazy psychology to cloud the situation. Just strip it down and ask what Dorthy and her crew would do (because it was always a group effort, all solutions used the individual strengths of each character, none could have made the journey alone).
It takes time, it's not an over night change, but in the grand scheme of time immemorial it'll take none at all to change your life from negative to positive. And you'll likely slip, and you'll back slide, and you'll need reminding again, and that's OK, because that's is simply part of the human condition. There is no shame in reaching out, asking for help, or accepting it when it's not even asked for. I will never understand why people feel they must do everything on their own, we're a symbiotic species, we need each other to survive, it's how we're built.
So yeah, that's where my head is at right now. I hate that I've already wasted so much time focusing on what I don't have, or waiting for that day that I do have something to make my life better. It's ridiculous and I'm actively trying to do better by this wonderful life I've got.
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