Observing Beliefs

I was recently tasked to learn something new and out of my comfort zone. I thought, oh, I can't do this; this is out of my wheelhouse.

I had to examine what was stopping me from taking on this challenge. An old belief from my childhood told me, "You're not smart enough."

Because I learned differently from the highly academic town of Princeton, where I grew up, I was plagued with the belief that I didn't measure up.

A statement I've been contemplating a lot lately is:

The things we repeatedly think about become our beliefs.

When we observe our thoughts, where do most of them come from?

Many thoughts are influenced by the news and who we're listening to.

It's important to remember that they're not necessarily true; their opinions are based on who they're listening to and what they believe.

Our thoughts also come from our past experiences and conditioning. Based on past experiences or beliefs, we may be attracted or repelled by something or someone. Therefore, because I struggled with learning traditionally, fear arose when I had to learn something new.

So, I took some time to re-examine that belief and questioned if it was still true.

If we have a bad experience, feel less than others, or are taught "bad othering," we subconsciously react based on that and miss opportunities to see things differently.

But we often don't realize where our thoughts come from because we are so deeply conditioned. We are not necessarily thinking our own thoughts; we are thinking about past experiences, society's thoughts, our family's beliefs, or what groups we follow are saying.

In the spring, according to Chinese medicine, the observer is the most prevalent consciousness this season. The observer, known as the Hun in Chinese medicine or the Buddhi brain in yoga (buddha brain), means the awakened mind.

To activate the observer, one must question where that belief came from and whether it is true and relevant or needs upgrading.

When I observed my belief that I was not smart enough, I realized that was a very old story I had been running in my mind that needed to be updated. There are many things I've taught myself that are out of my comfort zone and figured out. So, I used that motivation to get me going.

Any disgruntled emotion we repeatedly suffer from is worth observing and tracing its source. Meditation helps with this, putting us in the observer's seat.

When we can observe the emotion, we are no longer under its control. It may still be there, but we can manage it by naming it, as when we name it, we tame it.

Once we can tame it, we can question where this emotion came from. Is the story behind the emotion true?

Journaling about these difficult emotions is another way to observe them and their root causes.

When we shine the light of awareness onto them, it eradicates their power. They may still arise, but not as strongly or frequently.

This is a game-changer. This can shift patterns that may be years old, creating chronic anxiety or pain. And this is how we start to heal.

This time of year is the easiest time to tap into the observer and shift our relationship with our emotions.

If you'd like help with this, consider joining the Emotional Endurance Program for the Spring! See below for more details.

From my heart light to yours~

Namaste,

Maggie