Do your beliefs control your attention?
Or does your attention control your beliefs?
Most people are in a situation of having their beliefs control their attention. This causes you to have reactions and often follow what the reactive thought process would have you do. This leads to expending a lot of your power, chasing dead ends without getting relief.
This is because the belief at the core of the problem is also generating false solutions. Those solutions might include making others happy, making more money, buying things, trying to be perfect, impressing others, or doing what they believe we “should” be doing.
This leads to feeling exhausted, frustrated, powerless, angry, and depressed.
When you use your attention to control your beliefs, you can identify the assumptions you live by and consciously choose another thought, interpretation, belief, or behavior about what is happening.
There is a lot of great advice about not letting others bother you or “don’t take anything personally.” What needs to happen to follow this advice is that you need control over your attention first.
You can use the practices in the Self Mastery Course to gain the skills over your attention, and gain power over your beliefs. The first four sessions are free to try here.
When you realize this, you should set a goal of gaining control over your attention so that you can control your beliefs. It is the long-term plan that will free you from suffering.
Peace be with you,
Gary van Warmerdam