you are not your thoughts

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By: Hermas Lassalle

You are not your thoughts nor your beliefs & thought patterns

You are not your thoughts but your thoughts have tremendous power. Every action that we take in this world, everything that we create or destroy is born out of our thoughts. In this way, our thoughts literally shape our lives.

Limiting thought patterns based on habit and conditioning thwart our progression toward positive change and growth. Even if in subtle thought, we go around repeating the mantra, “I am not good enough, smart enough, strong enough,” we will indeed create that reality for ourselves.

The stories at the origin of our beliefs


Consciously and intentionally eliminating negative, self-defeating thoughts and replacing them with positive, constructive mantras can empower us with peace, love and possibility.

If we explore most of our thoughts or beliefs, we will notice that they often originate in stories that we have entrenched into our identities about events that occurred when we were young. Our thoughts also may have been passed on to us by our parents, peers or our culture.

Acknowledging the existence of these stories and assessing the thoughts that stem from them is the first step toward creating new, positive stories and thoughts from which to live our lives.

Whatever the thought, whether it is limiting or not, can we say that it is real? Reality exists in the moment. For most of us, reality is something we decided upon when we were small.

So one person’s reality is not the same as another’s reality.

Choosing our thoughts carefully

If you are not your thoughts and all of our realities are different, does the one that you choose serve you?

We express limiting beliefs with statements like: “ I never have enough time. Money is the route of all evil. And, I will never find a good partner.” These mantras leave us no choice or alternative possibilities, and they are therefore disempowering.

On a piece of paper, write down as many limiting beliefs/thoughts that you can think of. Take some time to discover them and if you cannot find any, make them up about yourself. For example, “If I did have some limiting beliefs/thoughts they would be…”

Empowerment through reframing our beliefs

What’s on the flip side of your thought? Rephrase it in the positive opposite. Challenge it, explore it, look in and see if there is any other meaning for you. How else might you express it? Open yourself up to awareness, and depending upon your thought/belief ask yourself some of these questions below.

• Is it true?

• Who says?

• What stops you?

• How do you know?

• Has it ever been different?

• What would happen if you didn’t?

• What would happen if you did?

These powerful questions can help shift our awareness. Ask yourself these questions to every limiting belief/thought that you have and take the time to write down your answers.

Read your answers out loud and listen to yourself as you read, taking in all of the different possibilities. It may feel false at first but as you progress it will make sense to you.

You are not necessarily looking for answers here, but simply opening up your awareness around your limiting thoughts/beliefs. It is often beneficial to share your findings with someone.

These types of questions will initiate a shift in awareness that will move you from the perception that you have no choice, to realizing that you do in fact have choices as well as possibilities for transformation.

Finally

Knowing now that you are not your thoughts, you may really get in touch with how these thoughts and/or beliefs are affecting you and those around you. If your belief is deep and has been around for a while, it may be difficult to change even once you see it is not true.

Awareness of the pain it causes can provide you with the inspiration finally to challenge it. Choose your beliefs/thoughts in accordance with your true nature and a clear, powerful action will follow.