Written by: Patrick Batson, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
How do you feel when you read the following words: I am already enough just as I am. Most people experience a combination of relief and resistance. The relief comes from an intuitive understanding that it must be true. The resistance comes from the part of us that has been programmed to believe otherwise.
Our Beliefs Come from Outside of Us
Although we don’t like to admit it, most of what we believe comes from outside of us. Cognitive neuroscience and psychology know that as young children we operate in a theta brainwave state most of the time. This means we are almost always in a mild-to-moderate state of hypnosis until about the age of seven. In this state, we constantly absorb the beliefs of influential people in our lives—beliefs that go directly into our subconscious mind. Noted scientists like Dr. Bruce Lipton state that our subconscious programs drive our lives 95% of the time.
In addition, the abundant choices available in the modern world come with an almost infinite variety of messages telling us what we should choose. From our friends and relatives to the myriad of “influencers” we will never know personally, other people’s beliefs, values, and priorities have substantial influence over our lives. Often, they lead us to judge ourselves for what we have not yet accomplished or acquired, or how we believe we have failed. While we are not responsible for these messages, we are responsible for how they affect our beliefs.
Three Steps to Releasing Self-Judgment and Reclaiming Sovereignty
The good news is we are absolutely capable of choosing our beliefs to help create the life we desire. Here are three simple steps you can start taking today.
Step 1: Recognize when you judge yourself against someone else’s standards.
Create a list in two columns with the headings limited and limitless. Then take 5-10 minutes each day to observe your thoughts and track how they make you feel by placing a mark in the appropriate column. You’ll recognize the thoughts that make you feel limited because they always come with feelings of lack, failure, regret, or shame—all symptoms of the larger belief that you are somehow not enough. Here are some common examples:
Age: I am too (old, young) to do what I really want to do.
Capabilities: I am not (smart, educated, talented) enough to achieve my dreams.
Resources: I’ll never have enough (time, money, relationships, skills)to get what I truly want in life. Or It’s too late for me.
Worthiness: I don’t deserve to have what I want. Or I wasn’t born into the right circumstances to have what I want.
Others’ expectations: I can’t do what I really want because everyone will think I’m crazy.
Past experience: I tried that once and failed, so I guess I learned my lesson. Or My (father, mother, friend, sibling, idol) tried that and failed, so why should I expect to do any better?
External models: I just don’t measure up to the (wealth, beauty, health, vitality, friendships) other people seem to have.
Body type: I am too (fat, skinny, short, tall, plain, ugly, beautiful, hairy, dark, light) to be attractive.
Once you recognize such self-limiting beliefs, ask yourself, “Is this really my truth, or did I adopt someone else’s truth?”
Step 2: Consciously choose your response.
The more you pay attention to your thoughts and feelings, the more you will notice when self-judgment arises. You may be surprised by how often it does. But from this place of awareness, you can consciously choose a different response. Rather than unconsciously slipping into feelings of lack, failure, regret, or shame, simply recognize the judgment in the same detached way that you might notice a bird flying by. Then consciously affirm, I am already enough just as I am. Don’t just think or say it, but feel it deeply in your body. In that moment, you are choosing the high vibration of self-love over the low
vibration of self-judgment. If you do this with strong intent and feeling, you will immediately feel more calm and centered.
Step 3: Consciously choose what influences you.
The many “influencers” in today’s world are exactly that. We see them everywhere on social media, entertainment, news, and advertising. While we don’t have control over the preferences and judgments they broadcast, we do have control over whether we pay attention to them. So, practice observing them neutrally, the same way you observe your own thoughts. And when their messages trigger the feeling of I am not enough, consciously decide whether you want to allow their influence in your life. If not, stop paying attention and choose something uplifting instead—something that makes you feel, I am limitless, and all things are possible for me.
Practice Makes Possible
Once you begin practicing these steps, even for just a few minutes a day, you’ll start to feel more positive about yourself and more optimistic about what you can create in your life. As a result, you will naturally begin to attract the right people, circumstances, and resources to bring you more of what you want. You will even start to notice positive changes in your overall health and energy levels, as well as in your relationships. It really is true that as you believe, so you receive.
If you would like to release your negative self-judgment even faster and replace it with positive beliefs about your limitless potential, consider hypnosis or neuro-linguistic programming. Both are proven methods for reprogramming your subconscious mind with beliefs that you choose. I offer an effective and affordable program called the Quantum Connection Experience (QCE) to help you achieve exactly that.
Above all, remember that every moment is an opportunity to choose, so choose wisely.
Patrick Batson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Patrick assists people on their journey of awakening to higher consciousness. Drawing upon decades of study and practice of Spiritual wisdom, as well as executive-level management and modern family life, Patrick serves as a guide for bridging the physical and Spiritual worlds. He has authored two books and publishes a monthly blog of channeled content on topics common to the human experience, as observed from the perspective of the Higher Self. Through his healing practice, Patrick helps clients connect with their Higher Mind. By bringing unconscious, limiting beliefs into alignment with the Higher Mind's vision of wholeness and abundance, clients are able to amplify and accelerate positive life changes.
