Make This a Better Year (Part 2)

This week I\’d like to continue with the theme of making this a better year for you.

Last week I suggested that there are two main reasons why we humans like to make new year\’s resolutions only to fail dismally when it comes to seeing them out.

In Part 1, I explored our relationship with change and the tussle between the ego and the inner being.

In Part 2, I would like to focus on how we perceive our ability to create our own reality.

[box type=\”shadow\”]\”By choosing your thoughts, and by selecting which emotional currents you will release and which you will reinforce, you determine the quality of your Light. You determine the effects that you will have upon  others, and the nature of the experiences of your life.\”

– Gary Zukav (from his book Seat Of The Soul)[/box]

Hard to swallow

For most of us, the idea that we, and we alone, are the creators of our own reality may he hard to swallow.

After all, life just seems to happen around us despite what we may think or do. If we stand back and observe the world going round, it\’s easy to feel that life is beyond our control; that we are virtually powerless to influence it.

As we digest the degree to which we appear to be inconsequential in the greater scheme of things, we are likely to react either by harbouring feelings of frustration and even anger, or by coming to terms with the fact that our fate is not in our hands, by simply resolving to ‘go with the flow’, and ‘roll with the punches’ that life decides to throw at us.

But what if …?

But what if it is true that everything about the reality that we are currently experiencing was attracted into our lives by our very own thoughts and actions?

More and more people, including both metaphysicists and scientists, are starting to reach the conclusion that this is the case.

A very powerful influence

Indeed, my own experiences would lead me to conclude that our thoughts and the actions we take as a consequence of those thoughts, do have a very powerful influence on the course that our lives take and what we get to experience along the way.

So let\’s assume that it is within our own ability to create (or at least strongly influence) the reality that we experience.

Integrating Part 1

Now let me recap on what I wrote last week about how the prospect of change should be viewed as an opportunity to grow and develop. If we try to shut ourselves off from change, for fear of the consequences, we shut down opportunities for growth and development.

Perhaps you are starting to see how, through a shift in attitude towards both change and our ability to create our own reality, we can invoke a powerful natural force that will bring about a step change improvement in our lives.

Creators of our own reality

By embracing change as the catalyst for our personal growth and development and by restructuring the way we think and go about reacting to that change, in the knowledge that we are the creators of our own reality, we can truly begin to lead the lives we want to lead.

To help get my point home, I\’ve concocted two stories, one featuring Bob, who thinks along the more traditional lines that I referred to at the beginning of this article, and another featuring Jane, who has adopted the more enlightened approach that I have outlined in the paragraph above:

Bob, Jane and change

Bob’s story

Bob went back to work in January with a heavy heart. True, he had enjoyed a relaxing and restful break with his family but, as usual, it was all too short and now the usual post-holiday grindstone was looming. Bob hated his job. He had been doing the same thing for as long as he could remember and was feeling stuck in a rut. His boss didn’t make life easy for him as he was a real taskmaster. All that ever seemed to count was how much Bob sold; never how he was feeling or what made him ‘tick’. Bob knew he was a very able person and had been thinking about starting his own business for the past five years but, somehow, just couldn’t bring himself to make the leap. There was just too much at stake. He earned a pretty good income from employment and he and his family had become dependent on the benefits his company offered. How would he ever make do without the pension fund, medical aid and company car? No, the risks were just too high. He would just have to just grin and bear it until retirement – in fifteen years time. Hopefully the time would pass quickly and then, at last, he would be a happy man.

Jane’s story

Jane went back to work in January with a feeling of excitement and anticipation. She had had a lovely holiday and the best part of it was that she had had time to herself to think about what she really wanted to do with her life next. Though she was appreciative of her job and doing well for her company, she felt strongly that the time was now right to embark on a new life experience. She knew she was a very capable person and felt sure she would do well at whatever she turned her hand to. Right now, her head was full of ideas and her vivid imagination was running wild as she pictured herself as a highly successful and happy entrepreneur. There was a lot to be done but she already had a good plan of action. She knew she would need some capital, that she didn’t have right now, to start her new venture – so she visualised receiving a large sum of money. She knew with certainty, from past experience, that anything she focused her thoughts on with enough commitment and excitement would eventually manifest in her life. She simply needed to be clear on what she wanted to create and the tools and means would appear, as if like magic. As she drove into the company parking bay she felt a sense of wonder, inner peace and joy as she contemplated the big change she had committed to embark upon. She felt so grateful for her fascinating and varied life.

The big difference

The big difference between Bob and Jane is the attitude each holds towards change and one’s ability to create one’s own reality.

Bob approaches change from a purely rational, logical point of view, looking for the worst that could happen, weighing up perceived costs and benefits. He doesn’t believe that he can control his own destiny. Life is uncertain and fickle and he doesn’t want to be an unfortunate victim, so he chooses the ‘safe route’, trying to preserve the status quo. Deep down, though he experiences feelings of boredom, frustration and resentment at the hand he has been dealt in life.

Jane, on the other hand, revels in the knowledge that life constantly presents her with opportunities. She relishes the choice she has to pursue those opportunities that suit her. She appreciates the power she has to craft her own life experience and feels confident and excited to take whatever actions are necessary to follow her dreams. Life is a magical journey. Deep down she feels happy, enriched and fulfilled.

Bob … or Jane?

Are you a Bob – or a Jane (or somewhere in between?)

I hope this message has struck a chord with you. Particularly if the story of Bob is something you currently relate to.

May the force be with you

I wish you the strength and courage to experiment with the changes I have suggested. It\’s my hope that, in so doing, you will enjoy a truly different year – a year in which you connect with your inner self; a year in which you set yourself on course to live the life you really want to live!