Finding Peace in a Stressful Life
“We are disturbed not by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens.” Epictetus
Imagine you have decided there is no way out of your current life situation. You will keep earning the amount of money that keeps you just over broke, you will continue to have the same relationships that don’t support your dreams, you will not be able to organize your life, your family life will not improve, the weight you have been trying to lose for years will keep coming back and your success will continue to start and stop over and over again.
You know the stinking thinking that got you into this mess will keep you right where you are. You have come to the conclusion that you will have to change your thinking on the inside in order to see life differently on the outside.
The mind has one job – to find the truth to any question asked. The problem that gets in the way of finding the answers to every challenge in life is twofold. First, most people have been programmed to find the answers outside of themselves by asking teachers, family and friends for advice; and second, much energy is wasted on trying to prove the perception of what the mind perceives is true. Your mind will try to overlook anything that will prove it wrong.
Let’s take the latter challenge first. If a thought crosses your mind that your partner doesn’t love you and you dwell on that thought, then the mind will start looking for proof. It will try to prove that the statement is true and search for answers that justify the statement. Then, your partner walks into the room. Unbeknownst to you, she has just received some news about a friend who has lied to her. You look at your partner’s face and think, “She can’t stand the sight of me.” Now you have your proof. Since thoughts beget feelings and feelings beget actions, you are now feeling angry, so you react to your partner by storming out of the room (action) to justify your thoughts that she does not love you. Your mind uses this to enforce the original thought and so justifies its righteousness. If at this point you call a friend and tell them how right you have been about your partner not loving you and your friend agrees, then you have more proof to justify your thoughts. But this thought is an illusion.
If you use the mind properly and search for the real truth within yourself, you will soon come up with a truth that will replace whatever you have made up. You can retrain the brain quickly by quieting the mind and asking powerful questions that will stir you to seek the truth. You can find these powerful questions in the book “Ask and You Will Succeed.” www.ask-succeed.com
An easy one to ask is, “Is this really true?” If you keep asking the question you will eventually get to a new understanding of truth, in which case the mind will override and replace the original thought. You will know when you have the right answer because you will have lasting peace around the issue.
After answering the questions in “Ask and You Will Succeed,” many people experience immediate relief from thoughts that have troubled them for years. What is noteworthy is that people who have redirected the mind continue to broaden and expand their life. Many have had breakthroughs in the area of finance, where money is no longer a struggle. Some find the career of their dreams. Some experience more joy and fun in their lives than they have had in years. Some who have been searching for life partners for years find them; others find their health improves dramatically; and many experience a newfound peace.
What is exciting is that the inquiry can be fun. The questions in “Ask and You will Succeed” are designed to work on both simple challenges and earth-shattering problems. The questions are an education and they will bring light on every area of your life to put an end to ignorance and bring in joy. The gift is that you will change the conversations in your life … and your life will never be the same again.
The right questions will change perceptions and shift reality. They will free your spirit from the prison of self-defeating thoughts.