An Exercise in Creating the Life You Want
Posted on June 09, 2012 by Liz Wiltzen, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
Your beliefs become your life - choose wisely
Have you ever found yourself thinking: “If only x, y or z were different, then there would be nothing in the way of my perfect life.”?
Often when some part of our life is not the way we would like it to be, we get busy looking for the external cause. But since we have very limited control over outside circumstances, its not the most effective place to target our energies.
On the journey toward creating the life we want, most of us eventually recognize that any changes we want must come from within – but perhaps you feel you have limited or no options to create a different situation. The good news is this is rarely, if ever, the truth. If there are areas in your life that are not matching your ideal vision for them, here is a powerful place to look:
What beliefs are you buying into that are getting in your way? And what if changing those beliefs was completely within your control?
If we hold beliefs that are working for us in our lives – ones that are creating peace, joy and positive motion – naturally it’s ideal to keep reinforcing them. This post is about the other kind of beliefs – the ones that keep us stuck, small, unhappy, fearful and limited.
What Are You Ready to Let Go Of?
I challenge you to pick one belief that’s holding you back. We all have them, but they are often so close to home that we don’t view them as beliefs – we think it is simply the way it is. It could be around any aspect of life – here are some examples:
money (I don’t have enough, I can’t figure out how to have more) health (age = quality of health I can have, I’m too busy/tired to take better care of myself) love (is complicated, hard to find, can’t be counted on) opportunity (I would if only…) time (…is in short supply) career (I can’t change jobs, I need the security/income of my current one)Pick one thing you believe that is not uplifting, empowering, and resourceful in your life. Something that doesn’t match what you actually want in that area. If you can’t think of anything, look at the different aspects of your life that are not working optimally. What you see there is a reflection of what you currently believe.
What If You Believed Something Else?
Once you have settled on one, ask yourself this: If I could believe anything I wanted about this thing, what would it be?
This can be an unsettling process, there’s a reason we believe what we do (usually has to do with safety and/or comfort). What we believe, on some level, makes sense to us. The problem is we don’t continually re-evaluate our beliefs to see if they make great sense. We rarely check in and ask ourselves:
Is this the most advantageous belief I can hold?
Is this belief is preventing me from living my life fully?
Using the examples above, here are some alternative beliefs that can help us to live the life we truly want:
money (My life is abundant; money flows easily into my world) health (I feel younger and stronger every day; every cell in my body is infused with glowing vitality and perfect health) love (is simple and effortless; is a fun adventure; adds richness to my life) opportunity (I’m in charge of my life; I have endless opportunities) time (I always have more than enough time) career (What am I here to do? What are my gifts? How can I bring them to the world?)I encourage you to step into new territory for a few moments and think big. No holding back. Imagine there are no limits to what you get to believe. If old, inhibiting voices try to creep in, notice them but do not allow them to take hold. Stay focused on connecting with your optimal vision.
What is one new belief that would change the game for you? Inspire you to open to life in a new way? Motivate you to take a risk or change a counter productive behaviour?
Take It for a Spin
For one week – act as if the new belief was 100% true. Ignore all messages to the contrary, just choose and commit to the potential truth in it. Write it on post it notes and put it everywhere, say it 100 times over in your mind, look for evidence of it in the world. Really step into it. Tell the contrary voices they get to have their say back as soon as the experiment is over.
Honour this trial with your whole heart – remember you’re exploring creating the life you want.
And watch what happens next.
Good to ponder:
“The very least you can do in you life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope, not admire it from a distance, but live right in it, under it’s roof.” – Barbara Kingsolver
