BRING TOGETHER WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW.
Most of us don’t need more knowledge in order to transform! What we DO need is some help in bringing together what we already know. We need help to put it all together in a meaningful way. That is the aim of this book.
We will need some inspiration or motivation to start our personal transformation. And by better understanding what’s involved, we are more likely to persevere. This book aims to make this as simple and understandable as possible.
CHANGING OUR THOUGHTS CHANGES OUR LIFE.
What we choose to think determines the direction of our life. The way we view the world will also change the choices we make. Our beliefs & thoughts impact our mind, body & life! This process initiates a subtle cascade of change in our external world.
The importance of our thoughts might at first be hard to grasp. Remember, we have the ability to promote positive lines of thought. And we do that simply by focusing on them and giving them more of our attention. It's that simple!
…Are you focusing on more positive lines of thought?
WE MIGHT BE HESITANT TO TAKE BACK CONTROL.
This process of taking control of your thoughts is the basis of self-development. It's an innate ability we all have. It might just be a little rusty from underuse. So, it's time for some practice! Let's explain how we do this.
To start this change, we simply become more aware of our thoughts. To aid this process it helps to slow down or ‘quieten’ our racing mind. We practice placing our attention on our thoughts, without getting attached to them. Labelling our thoughts as we observe & recognize them can be a useful exercise.
…Can you observe your thoughts without getting attached to them?
LET YOUR THOUGHTS PASS ACROSS YOUR MIND.
We aim to do this impartially as an unbiased observer. We don't attach to the narrative, but instead let the thoughts pass across our mind unimpeded. They will then fade away spontaneously, as long as we don't give them any more attention. That's the natural process.
Building this internal awareness is the first step. It starts with making time for quiet contemplation daily. As our awareness rises, we can better choose which line of thought to promote.
Remember, we do all this consciously, with conscious awareness. We take back control and decide which lines of thought are promoted! We stop living on autopilot and start making executive decisions again.
BEING SOVEREIGN MEANS EXECUTIVE CONTROL.
But how do we take charge of this process? We have control over our thoughts because we are autonomous beings. We have a sovereign nature! Our sovereign nature allows for executive control. In simple terms, we have ‘free will’. This means we can choose which thoughts we empower or promote! This is integral to being a human.
Our sovereign decision making is critical to personal development! It enables us to direct our growth. It also means we are responsible for our choices. We have the sovereign right, but also the responsibility that comes with it.
Realizing we are responsible for our thoughts and decisions can be confronting. But for us to transform ourselves, we need to welcome this understanding and incorporate it into our behavior!
…Can you recognize and connect to your sovereign nature?
SIMPLE ADVICE CAN BE DIFFICULT TO IMPLEMENT.
Even if advice is clear and simple, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to implement. Change can be hard to incorporate into our life. We can slip back to our old ways. But slowly overcoming our resistance can be part of the thrill of transformation.
Breaking through each barrier becomes an ongoing personal challenge! There are progressive levels of difficulty along the way. So, personal transformation is an ongoing adventure that matches our increasing capacity!
We don't need to understand the mechanics of how inner transformation occurs. It's sometimes beyond intellectual understanding! We can think of it as being an innate and intuitive part of us. We just need to embrace that natural and spontaneous process. That will provide us with a way forward.