Being Me: Week 25

"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." ~Marcus Aurelius 

Being Me: Week 25 - What thoughts have distorted our belief

June theme: Believe you can and your halfway there

If our beliefs tell us who we are then how do we uncover where our distorted beliefs come from, or more importantly, how do we change them?

Our brains collect information from the outside world and without our recognition, processes that information before feeding it to our consciousness. Over time this information becomes a part of who we are. Our perceptions of the world can often be misleading, creating an inaccurate belief system, and as this system runs more efficiently, our habits and beliefs become more difficult to change.

As a child my perception of my father's frustration in wrangling four kids was that I needed to respond to others needs first. If they were in a hurry and I needed to go to the bathroom I would not be the child to interrupt their flow and would not say I had to go to avoid his impatience. 

It has taken me years to recognize when I still do this today, as if my time is not as valuable as anyone else's. I am sure if my father was alive today I would tease him about this complex he gave me, but the truth of it is, we don't know how our behavior is affecting those around us, and often times our behavior is because of something we learned from our beliefs of long ago.

And while this is a silly, simple example, there are many ways we can test our beliefs and practices to notice what we do or how our actions may impact others, learning to focus on positive ways of change.

 Themes for each month to journal, create or contemplate on your journey

• January - The best time for new beginnings is now

1. Morning routine
2. Mission statement
3. Create your YES list
4. Goals, baby steps, tiny promises
5. Putting it in motion

• February - Before anything else, find yourself, be yourself and love yourself

1. Take care of your body
2. Meditation and solitude
3. Food choices and ideas for change
4. What makes you happy

• March - All you need is tea and warm socks

1. Enjoy the simple things
2. Letting go of thoughts and things
3. Both hands
4. Mindfulness (social media and smart phones)
5. Setting intentions

• April - Water your roots so your soul can blossom

1. Water and other things we need to grow
2. Time to blossom
3. The 3 R's
4. Forgiveness

• May -  The difference between a flower and a weed is judgment

1. Stop judging yourself and others (why we judge)
2. The grass isn't always greener
3. Love is the absence of judgement
4. Stop judging yourself if you don't want to be judged

• June - Believe you can and your halfway there

1. Believe in yourself
2. Believe in others
3. What thoughts have distorted our beliefs

• July - Bold stripes, bright stars, brave hearts
• August - We are who we choose to be
• September - Sometimes we can learn and study & know, and sometimes we have to believe, trust and hope
• October - We can't become what we want by remaining what we are
• November - Small seeds of gratitude will provide a harvest of hope
• December - Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of hope

 Mission Statement:  I will improve my overall health and wellness, use kindness and inspiration with a vision that creates  a community of giving and in doing so achieve my purpose in this life.   

Weekly post links