This picture was taken in the ancient capital city of Shanghai. The tour guide explained that when China was being united, the Emperor took the ‘animals’ of each province and combined the ‘strongest’ parts to form a dragon – a unified symbol for China.
This reminds me about people – how we are all a ‘combination of different parts’. I remember seeing a commercial (can not remember what it was advertising, though!), about women saying, “I am mother, I am sister, I am a wife….” Although, all these labels only refer to one person. However, depending on who we are interacting with, some parts may seem stronger. For example, if I was talking to my mother, it would be mostly as a daughter, whether I am conscious of it or not. Whenever I think of my mother, I think of her as a mother doing different things, not the other way around. Similarly, we all have perceptions of who we are within our own consciousness. My question is: How well does this image match what others see us as? Do we take the time to compare the image we portray with our own perceptions of ourselves? Remember, the only person who sees us as we do, is us! There may be people who understand us quite well, but even they have a perception of us formed from seeing us from ‘the outside’.
“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.” — Edgar Allan Poe
In my last blog, I discussed ‘dismissing’ and how we tend to dismiss or even miss things that do not make sense to us at the time. One of the reasons for the mind ignoring things, could be our focus being too narrow or on things that we want. We may put our intentions out, or make it known that we are looking for a change, or new job or career, etc. However, at the same time, it is important to set an internal intent – almost like a message to the brain – to keep itself open to and aware of things happening around us, even if it does not match our expectations. Often, opportunities arrive in a quiet manner and some believe this is to test our resolve. Are we willing to allow ourselves to be open and available to what we want? It may not always be evident why we are not able to attain what we desire and at times it seems like we are almost there and suddenly it is gone. Yet there are others who set an intention and soon they are where they would like to be. What separates those who are successful from those who are not? Why do some people allow the right information to come through at the right time, yet others seem to dismiss or are just oblivious to things around them?
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. – Henry Ford
Sometimes, we sabotage ourselves (usually subconsciously), because a ‘part of us’ does not believe in our goals. If the part is a strong influence on our being, it could prevent success. Why would a part of us keep us from succeeding when it would benefit the whole person? To answer this, we have to look at our subconscious mind in a very simplistic manner. The subconscious mind’s job is move us away from pain and keep us happy. If a part of us believes that succeeding is going to have a negative impact on our being, it will prevent it. It is doing its job very well. These beliefs are formed in various ways and usually are part of us for a long time. This is evident when clients come for sessions. One woman discovered that her parents had ‘programmed’ her to want less so as not to be disappointed with things life brings. Another client, who came in for weight issues, found that every time she lost weight, she would have problems with her husband. Through our sessions, she discovered that when she was feeling confident and slim, her husband felt very threatened by it; even though it was her husband who kept bugging her about her weight! I believe that people who succeed are either ‘programmed’ for success or want it strongly enough to overcome their doubts and fears. The trick is to combine the ‘parts of us’ into a unified, but strong symbol, like the dragon. A symbol, that just upon thinking about it, give us the courage and determination to succeed. What are your challenges? How do you find your journey towards success is progressing? What stories do you have to share?
There are various paths that can be taken to improve self-awareness, as mentioned in my last posting. For me, self-awareness is a journey made much easier through use of hypnosis and NLP. Meditation is wonderful for peace of mind and acceptance of self, while traveling this journey to a better future.
At Healthizar Natural Healing, Inc., we work towards meeting your needs.
The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same ~ Carlos Castenado
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. – Abraham Lincoln
