Most of my life was spent learning some very key lessons. For some reason, I chose to learn things the hard way, most of the time. I now attribute ALL of those hard times and difficult lessons to my beliefs, perspectives, habituated patterns, and my perspectives at the time. Those beliefs drove all of my decisions, and I earned all of the results that came from those decisions. It wasn’t until I changed, replaced, improved, up-leveled, and upgraded my beliefs, that EVERYTHING else changed, as well. (For examples of some of my old beliefs written down next to my new and improved beliefs, google The goodinthehead Beliefs Project.)
They say that a stupid man never learns, and that a smart man will eventually learn from his mistakes. A wise man, however, will learn from the mistakes of others. I’m finally at a place in my life where I aspire to wisdom and the idea of learning from the mistakes AND SUCCESSES of others, so that I can then apply that knowledge which others have obtained and shared, and implement and habituate it into my own life. Through doing so, I have learned that we can all avoid pitfalls others have already experienced, as well as achieving the type of lifestyles others have achieved.
I think it is incredibly noble and generous of those who see their purpose in life as endeavoring to alleviate the suffering of others. I also see the other side of the coin, and understand that by alleviating the suffering of others, we sometimes disempower and disable them, taking away a golden opportunity of true experiences and learning that they later may have valued and gained from a great deal.
Sometimes, the best possible thing we can do for others is to simply work on ourselves, let go of the need to control situations and the experiences of others, and stay the course.
Somehow, harmony, symmetry, balance, and homeostasis is ALWAYS being achieved, regardless of what we do or don’t do. Things tend to unfold exactly as THEY need to for the greater good of the collective whole at all times, regardless of our personal attachments to the illusion of the need to control ANY aspect of it . All we need to do is our personal work, and learning from the mistakes and successes of others is a great way to do this.
The only thing I used to be consistent about in my life was being inconsistent. I was known for it. People laughed at me, called me a hypocrite, and my self-esteem suffered because of it. It destroyed my confidence and rendered me feeling hopeless most of the time. For years, I chose to be a victim. The way I finally overcame that was to start small. I was at an all-time low in my life. I was at a time where everything had gone wrong, fallen apart, and I had to start completely over. In the summer of 2014, I started with one, easy-to-do thing. Unknown to me that at that point in my life, starting over would truly turn out to be one of the greatest blessings of my life.
The thing I started with was this: Each day, I looked up, saved, and read a new quote that inspired me.
I knew I had to improve my mindset. I had heard somewhere that if I improved my mindset, everything else in my life would work out, and everything would fall into place. Eventually, with consistency and time, everything did work out. Everything did fall into place.
Once I had been reading a new quote each day for a month, I added the daily, consistent practice of gratitude. Each day, in the shower, I would make a mental list of everything I had to be grateful for. Over time, it reprogrammed my mind to consistently look for the positive in everything, ALL THE TIME. After years of doing this, the difference this consistent practice has made is like being in a completely dark room for years, then finally finding the light switch to a room filled with lights in every available space on the walls and the ceiling.
By starting small and continuously expanding, it is less overwhelming, like finding a dimmer switch and slowly turning on all the lights gradually, rather than flipping a switch and burning to death from an over-abundance of light.
Each month, I added another thing. With consistency and time, momentum was gained. My confidence grew. My skills and capabilities improved. (If you would like to see what my daily schedule looked like for 2019, google The goodinthehead Habit-Hacking Challenge.)
EVERYTHING about my entire life has improved. I expect that as I continue with consistency in what I do, my life, and everything about it, will continue to improve. Up until 2014, from the year 1999, I was depressed and suicidal, every, single day, while on mood stabilizers and antidepressants. Because of consistency, and a commitment to make a personal shift from VICTIM to VICTOR, I am now well-known for my high level of integrity, being consistent and dependable, and FAR more emotionally and mentally aware and stable than I used to be. I am thanked on a regular basis for adding value to others, and for me, this is meaningful, purposeful, and fulfilling. I do realize, however, that it is true that we all do or do do OUR OWN WORK, and the results of our lives are a direct reflection of this work.
THE IMPORTANCE OF REPETITION:
There is nothing more beautiful than connecting with others in a real way and enjoying the illusion adding value, while they seem to do the same for me. The exchange of energy and information through compassion, unconditional love, unconditional acceptance, and kindness is incredible.
I would have never thought that so much could change for me in only a few short years. If so much could happen for me in just a few years, imagine all that could happen for ANYONE in a few years, who is willing to be wise, learn from the mistakes and wisdom of others, and commit to a consistent, daily, habitual, mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, financial, personal improvement schedule!
Can you see five years into your future and envision EXACTLY who you want to be and EXACTLY what you want your life to be like? Consistency will get you there!
Consistency creates a conversion and a convergence of circumstances that will serve and save you. It will seem like luck, good fortune, or like everything just always seems to magically work out, but it is because of your consistency that you have become predictable, reliable, and dependable. Consistent effort and action builds momentum and becomes an unstoppable force.
It is simply easier for the Universe, God, or our higher power to work with us when we are consistent. It is through consistency that we set our selves up for success and stack the cards in our favor.
Today I will decide what one, small, easy-to-do thing I can add to my own, personal, daily routine, that will help me to add value to my life and grow my confidence in some way. I will remember that while completing this daily task, CONSISTENCY IS KEY. If I miss a day, I won’t let guilt or shame get the better of me. I will simply keep at it until it is a consistent practice and has become a habit.
An EXCELLENT example of going from VICTIM to VICTOR, is Lisa Nichols. I love her story, and how she literally raised up from nothing to all that she is today. If one person can do it, through consistency and hard work, ANY OF US CAN. Type her name into the YouTube search engine, and prepare to be dazzled!
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Remember: Mindset matters. Character counts. That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives. WE CREATE our realities.