Does It Help To Analyze Our Past?

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The Western view of mental health puts great emphasis on our past with Sigmund Freud popularizing psychoanalysis and our psychosexual developmental stages.

However, Freud’s views run in direct contrast to the Eastern view of mental health when viewed through the lens of the Yogic sciences and philosophy. In fact, the two couldn’t be further apart. 

We are all familiar with the more Westernized traditional forms of therapy where one goes to a professional to help dissect the past hoping to find a seed experience that might be shrouded in trauma which helps to explain or at least point to present day subconscious tendencies, poor coping skills, and maladaptive behavior.

People are often in therapy for years on end, endlessly digging, analyzing, and putting what they think are the missing puzzle pieces of their broken psyche back together again. 

But the ancient science of Yoga doesn’t place any emphasis on the mind or any of its disturbances. In fact, focusing on the mind and past experiences is of no interest at all to this path of enlightenment and higher awareness.

Yoga instead focuses on the present moment.

But how does one stay focused, present, alert, and aware of what is happening when we have obvious mental hang ups, negative thought patterns, and unbridled emotions that keep us from staying cool, calm, and collected?

Wouldn’t analyzing our past help us to stay aware of the present moment?

Don’t we need to look to our past to know who we are now?

The above questions come from an erroneous assumption. The assumption being that we are our personality or our ego.

But if we are not our personality, then what are we?

Ah, now we are getting somewhere! This is where the path of Western psychoanalysis has an obvious dead end.

No, we don’t need to endlessly analyze and pick through our past traumas and suffering in order to fix ourselves because fixing the ‘person’ is not the point.

Our suffering, in any and all cases, is due to our deep identification with our personhood, our personality, our character, our ego, our likes and dislikes, all of which of course, include our past and projected future.

The crux of the issue is what we identify as or what we think of as “us” or “me”.

Western psychology has not evolved past the notion of the egoic state of consciousness because those that are analyzing and digging through the past are themselves deeply identified with their own personality and egoic structure. It is like the blind leading the blind.

To truly move beyond all your self-imposed suffering one must create a distance from what you call as ‘you’ and start identifying with your greater ‘Self’, as your true and ultimate nature.

This is not the same as simply exchanging one belief system for another.

To be clear, a belief is defined as an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists; trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something.

In contrast, knowledge is defined as facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education.

The reason Yoga is considered a science is because it has a systematic process that can be replicated over and over again through experiential validation. It is not a belief system and doesn’t require one to believe anything.

All that is required is to follow the process and realize the results.

All those that follow the path of yoga have realized that their true reality can be summed up in one Sanskrit word: Satchitananda or existence, consciousness, and bliss.

How would you like to let go of the past? No longer suffer? Remain present and aware to every moment and not miss the glory and miracle of being alive?

How would you like to be soaked in bliss every moment?

This is not only possible but assessible for everyone right now.

We are not our past. We are not our personalities. We are not our likes/dislikes or even our family bonds and connections.

We are existence, consciousness, and bliss. This is our true nature.

Do you believe this? Or, do you know this?

If one truly wants to discover who and what they truly are, then looking behind you will never free you.

The past is dead.

What is alive is this present moment; this NOW.

Yoga is defined as ‘union’ and describes the union of individual consciousness to universal consciousness.

What Hidden Patterns Are Shaping Your Reality?

How To Be More Confident – The Confidence Formula That Works

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We all admire those with that cool, calm and collected air of presence; a heady combination of self-assurance, wit, ease, and grace. These are the people that walk into a room with all eyes on them; a magnetic force too strong to deny.

They speak with power. They walk with purpose. They command attention without uttering a word.

Where does this self assurance come from? How is self confidence made?

We Are All Growing Into Someone

As youngsters we had to be taught the rules of how to live in this world starting with basic communication skills like speaking, reading and writing. These skills were systematically learned one upon another over years of continuing education. Whether you go so far as to earn your P.h.D or get certified in a vocation, the aim is to acquire a skill set or knowledge base that can be readily implemented to further your livelihood.

As the years go by, this accumulated knowledge is implemented through action over and over again until a certain level of competence has been gained. Accountants crunch numbers, sales people sell, doctors support patients and artists hone their craft.

Experience begets expertise.

Thus it comes as no surprise that those among us who excel at what we do, are more confident than others.

When our knowledge and abilities are continually executed with a high level of precision that results in a successful track record, we build confidence.

Confidence is a skill that can be learned – but more often earned.

Confidence Comes From Competence

So why do so many people suffer from low self-esteem or feel insecure? Well, if all human beings learn the same way and are made up of the same basic genetic structure and mental capabilities, then it stands to reason that most people simply haven’t exerted any level of effort to excel in something by which they can feel confident about.

Confidence is a byproduct of successful execution.

“CONFIDENCE BREEDS SUCCESS AND SUCCESS BREEDS CONFIDENCE. CONFIDENCE APPLIED PROPERLY SURPASSES GENIUS.” MIKE TYSON

When we say that we suffer from not being ‘confident’, it simply means that we are not really competent. Competence is defined as the ability to do something successfully. Whether it is public speaking, building a business, losing weight or forming healthy romantic relationships, it doesn’t matter what arena of life your self-doubt and insecurity manifests – you have not mastered the skill-set needed to perform at a competent level of mastery.

INFORMATION —> KNOWLEDGE —> EXECUTION = SELF MASTERY = CONFIDENCE

Information that turns into knowledge which is then continuously executed is the formula for Self Mastery. If you’re feeling anxious, insecure and unsure then rest assured you likely haven’t paid your dues or logged enough hours. You cannot earn a black belt in one weekend, build your dream business overnight, or find your true love when you don’t love yourself. In every area of life there is foundation work required before successful execution results in competence. After all, they say that it takes 10,000 hours of practice before you can master any skill. How many hours have you logged?

“I FEAR NOT THE MAN WHO HAS PRACTICED 10,000 KICKS ONCE, BUT I FEAR THE MAN WHO HAS PRACTICED ONE KICK 10,000 TIMES.” – BRUCE LEE

 

 

In rare cases where people have tried but have continuously failed, the answer is not in the execution but in the approach. If you are doing something and not getting the results you want, then obviously you need to change your method of execution.

No one said life was easy, but it certainly gives you exactly what you are putting into it. Not getting the results you want? Go out, get new information, turn it into knowledge and execute. Same formula – different data set. Life is really that simple.

Ask yourself the following questions:

What have you wanted to do but have been too afraid to even try?

“I CAN ACCEPT FAILURE, EVERYONE FAILS AT SOMETHING. BUT I CAN’T ACCEPT NOT TRYING.” – MICHAEL JORDAN

Many people have hopes and dreams but fail to execute any of them.

Want to build a business? Having the desire to build one isn’t enough.

Remember the formula? Information —> Knowledge —> Execution = Mastery. Go out and build your knowledge base, read business books, watch videos of entreprenuers and listen to their stories, take business 101 classes, and associate with successful business owners who you can learn from.

Want to feel good about yourself? Having the desire to feel good isn’t enough.

Remember the formula? Information —> Knowledge —> Execution = Mastery. Go out and build your knowledge base, read books by inspiring people, watch videos of how the happy live their lives, take classes that excite you, and associate with happy, healthy, loving people who you can learn from.

Want to lose weight? Having the desire to lose weight isn’t enough.

Remember the formula? Information —> Knowledge —> Execution = Mastery. Go out and build your knowledge base, read books on proper nutrition, watch videos and documentaries of how the physical body works, take classes at the gym and associate with physically active, healthy individuals who are already the living embodiment of the life you want to live.

Life offers many ways in which to obtain new information that can be turned into knowledge. The trick is in going out and obtaining this new information and executing it consistently. With consistency one eventually obtains experience and with experience comes confidence. Life really is that simple.

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

Failure is a part of life and those that are at the top of their fields have failed many, many, many times. Mistakes are life’s greatest teacher and many successful people know that any new endeavor will see some inevitable mistakes along the way. This is simply par for the course. Mistakes are natural, normal, and totally acceptable.

“I’VE MISSED MORE THAN 9000 SHOTS IN MY CAREER. I’VE LOST ALMOST 300 GAMES. 26 TIMES, I’VE BEEN TRUSTED TO TAKE THE GAME WINNING SHOT AND MISSED. I’VE FAILED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN MY LIFE. AND THAT IS WHY I SUCCEED.” – MICHAEL JORDAN  

 

 

The Time Is Now

Please see that our ‘personality’ is nothing more than a construct; an accumulation of life experiences, knowledge, and the interpretations we put on them. It doesn’t matter where you feel insecure, for insecurity is just limited data or failure of execution. What matters is obtaining the right knowledge from the right place and taking action. If you follow the formula then success and confidence are natural byproducts.

If you’re ready to change, ready to gain different information, new knowledge, and be held accountable for action and execution then a Spiritual Awareness & Integration Reading can help guide you into Self Mastery.

All you need are the right tools and methods to step into your Greatness.

Are you ready to step into yours?

Are Your Unconscious Blocks Holding You Back?

All Suffering Is Self-Created

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We all know what suffering is. It can span the spectrum from mild anxiety and stress to extreme terror or grave depression. It is true that all human beings experience setbacks, disappointments and tragedies in life. No one is exempt from tasting all the flavors of this world.

Yet there are some people who are resiliant and overcome their hardships whereas others seem to be stuck in their misery and victimhood. Some people are able to attract good jobs, beautiful homes, kind friends, and maintain a healthy body where others accrue more debt, keep getting in trouble with the law, remain stuck in a rut, or live with chronic illness. There must be a reason why some people are able to transcend their suffering while others perpetuate it. What is the cause of all this?

It is widely known in Western psychology as well as in Eastern spirituality that the suffering we experience is because we believe our thoughts. It is our thought and belief of a person or situation that causes our pain and suffering; not the actual experience or person. This may sound like a radical notion but it is the foundation towards self-realization and personal empowerment.

Generally, mental and emotional healing come through greater self-awareness and understanding. In Western psychology the aim is to generate increased levels of self-awareness while learning coping mechanisms in order to reframe our past and current life circumstances. In coaching we uncover hidden limitations to an individual’s state of awareness and set actionable goals towards living a more fulfilling and satisfying life. In spiritual self realization we take responsibility for everything that has ever happened to us and use it as a catalyst towards discovering our true nature.  

Breaking The Unconscious Programming Of The Past

Many people grew up in chaotic, distressful and negative family environments and have lots of emotional wounds from their early life experiences. These life situations have left their mark on people and color their world in the way they percieve life. In many ways these individual’s unconsciously attract the same negative people, places, and things that they were once subjected to simply because they are unaware. These people are innocently unconscious and ignorant to their own programming and lack the self-awareness and clarity to seek an alternate way of living consciously in the world. Whether it is through counseling, therapy, coaching, or spiritual practice, there are proven ways in which an individual can break free from these repetitive karmic cycles.

In both Western psychology and Eastern spirituality, we can easily see how our external lives serve as a mirror to what is happening in our inner world. Thus, if one wants to know the inner nature of their mind all they need do is take an honest look at the life they are currently living. The players and characters in your world are mirrors of you. The circumstances we find ourselves in show us our current level of consciousness. The environment we live in illustrates our thoughts and emotions.

We alone determine how much or how little we get by what we feel we deserve. We are truly the creators of our own subjective reality and thus all of our happiness or suffering is completely self-created.     

This turning point in life is often the beginning of personal growth and possibly the spiritual path; one in which a human being no longer seeks external validation or approval from others but understands that lasting happiness and peace can only be found from within. There are no more victims and there are no more perpetrators. Only life circumstances by which we do our best with what we have. As we go within and acquire greater self-awareness and clarity of perception we see very clearly how the circumstances in our lives occur at the perfect time and place to offer help, assistance, guidance, lessons, alarms, and wake-up calls. If you are here reading this then perhaps you are ready to take responsibility for your thoughts and programming and consciously choose a more enhanced way of perceiviing and living life.

“All experiences facilitate the expansion of consciousness. There are no exceptions.” – Liz hancock

Learning To Accept The Present Moment As It Is

Life presents many situations for us to experience. Some of these are very challenging and extremely difficult. As we commit to greater self-awareness with Spiritual Life Coaching we know that accepting what is happening is the only way forward. We cannot change another person nor can we change what has happened to us and so we must let go of our expectations and allow the present moment to be what it is.

Are Your Unconscious Beliefs Holding You Back?

Listening to Your Inner Wisdom

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Inner Wisdom

If we all knew how to access the deep inner wisdom that we all have, then we wouldn’t have a need for doctors, therapists, or spiritual teachers.

This doesn’t mean that we have no need for outside assistance. We all had to learn our ABC’s and how to count. But when we are talking about body awareness, mental health, and spiritual growth, these all fall within the realm of inner knowing and intuition.

Our bodies are simply an extension of our mind. If you want to get an understanding of who someone is just take a look at the vehicle they are using. In most cases, the body reveals your past, your present, and can even predict your future if you pay close enough attention.

This reminds me of a quote that used to flash across the screen at my old gym, “What you eat in private is what we see in public.” 

Similarly to the body, we can also sense, feel, and know anything we wish through our sensitivity to energy. Our aura is the unseen extension of us. Though we may think we are hiding certain aspects of ourselves, everything is accessible through the quality of our energetic aura. 

This energy field cannot and does not lie. If one is sensitive enough you can simply feel the energy field around someone and know everything you need to know. Words are actually a very primitive mode of communication. They often confuse and complicate things. Energy on the other hand, is always crystal clear. 

I mention all the above because whatever assistance we need, in whatever capacity, whether it be diet, mental health, or spiritual awakening; it is always accessible from within. We don’t need to seek what is already within us, from the outside.

Yet, because we don’t know how to access this inner wisdom we turn to doctors, therapists or spiritual teachers. 

Connecting To Our Inner Wisdom

So, how do we strengthen the connection to our inner wisdom? What can we do? How do we do it?

Well, first you will need to be ok with being alone. Alone doesn’t translate to ‘lonely’. Alone simply means having no one else present. 

Being alone with your mind, body, emotions, and energy is extremely enlightening. In order to know what you need to work on and what direction and guidance you need, you first need to understand what you’re working with. 

When you are alone with yourself you pay attention to your physical body, thoughts, habits, and ways of reacting to things. We gain immense self-awareness through being alone as well as strengthen the connection to ourselves.

Being alone allows for deep reflection and contemplation. We can reflect on our behavior, our tendencies, the language we use and words we choose, the friends we keep, the relationships we form, the food we eat, the home we inhabit, the lifestyle we live. 

Without this alone time and greater self-awareness, we are lead to believe that we are the product of unforeseen circumstances. There are many that have settled into the notion that our upbringing, parents, genetics, or environment are to blame. 

However through being alone we can truly take the time to contemplate on how we arrived at exactly where we at in our lives. Through reflection and contemplation we can see that everything that has happened, occurred through moment-by-moment choices. Perhaps some more conscious than others. 

Right now, we are living the consequences of each of these moment-by-moment choices. 

The paradox to living joyfully is accepting responsibility of your life and this is precisely the reason why so many people are unhappy and depressed. They refuse to take responsibility for their body, mind, emotions, and energetic state.

Being alone allows for deep reflection and contemplation. We courageously face all facets of our selves and we slowly integrate them. We become more self-aware. We mature, grow, and expand our consciousness. 

Being alone and having the courage to self-reflect is all you need to strengthen your connection to your own innate inner wisdom. With consistent practice, your connection to your inner wisdom will be so strong that you will intuitively know what are the right foods for you to eat, what people are best to commune with, where to best focus your time, how to exercise the body, what skill to learn, what job to take, how best to execute a plan, and how to live your best life. 

There is no cookie-cutter answer to create joy or wisdom. As everyone is different there are millions of ways to go about creating joy for oneself. 

Do yourself a favor and spend some time alone today. 

Inner Wisdom and Solitude

Start small and get a journal.

Write down your impressions, thoughts, feelings, and fears. 

Keep up the practice everyday.

Learn to form a relationship with your Self. 

Learn to look forward to this alone time.

Learn to appreciate the inner gift of higher wisdom.

And when you are so filled with joy that you feel you could burst,…

Go ahead and start spreading and shining that joy unto others.

What If The Answers You Seek Are Already Within You?

What Do You See When You Look At This Homeless Man?

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What do you see here? A worthless bum or joyful free being? A disgusting vagrant or a version of your greater Self?

How you see the world tells a lot about you.

“A MAN IS WHAT HE THINKS ABOUT ALL DAY LONG.” – RALPH WALDO EMERSON 

There is a passage in the book, Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins that has stayed with me for many years. For those that are unfamiliar, Hawkins was a prominent American Psychiatrist who was also an ardent spiritual seeker. Through many years of searching he finally realized the ultimate goal, that of awakening or enlightenment.

His scientific background paired with the awakened state prompted him to create a model for expressing various levels of consciousness. Like many emotional scales, his numerical model helps to illustrate increasing levels of maturity and growth in the development of individual human evolution beginning with shame, guilt and apathy and eventually reaching to the pinnacle of conscious evolution and the experience of joy, peace and enlightenment. Instead of paraphrasing this passage, I feel it is best to simply absorb it on your own:

“…Imagine a “bum” on the street corner: In an upscale neighborhood stands an old man in tattered clothes, alone and leaning against the corner of an elegant brownstone. Look at him from the perspective of various levels of consciousness, and note the differences in how he appears to different people and viewpoints.

  • From the bottom of the scale, at the level of 20 (Shame), the bum is seen to be dirty, disgusting, and disgraceful. From the level 30 (Guilt), he’d be blamed for his condition: He deserves what he gets; he’s probably a lazy welfare cheat. At 50 (Hopelessness), his plight would appear desperate, a damning piece of evidence to prove that society can’t do anything about homelessness. At 75 (Grief), the old man looks tragic, friendless, and forlorn.
  • At consciousness level of 100 (Fear), we might see the bum as threatening, a social menace: Perhaps we should call the police before he commits some crime. At 125 (Desire), he might represent a frustrating problem – why doesn’t somebody do something? At 150 (Anger), the old man might look like he could be violent; or, on the other hand, one could be furious that such horrible conditions exist in our country today. At 175 (Pride), he could be seen as an embarrassment or lacking the self-respect to better himself. At 200 (Courage), we might be motivated to wonder if there is a local homeless shelter – all he needs is a job and a place to live.
  • At 250 (Neutrality), the bum looks okay, maybe even interesting. “Live and let live,” we might say – after all, he’s not hurting anyone. At 310 (Willingness), we might decide to go down and see what we can do to cheer up that fellow on the corner; maybe we’d be motivated to volunteer some time at the local shelter. At 350 (Acceptance), the man on the corner appears intriguing: He probably has an interesting story to tell; he’s where he is for reasons we may never understand. At 400 (Reason), he’s a symptom of the current economic and social malaise, or perhaps a good subject for in-depth psychological study.
  • At the higher levels, the old man begins to look not only interesting, but friendly – and then lovable. Perhaps we’d then be able to see that he is, in fact, one who had transcended social limits and gone free, a joyful old guy with the wisdom of age in his face and the serenity that comes from indifference to material things. At 600 (Peace), he’s revealed as our own self in a temporary expression. 

When approached, the bum’s response to these different levels of consciousness would vary with them. With some, he’d feel secure – with others, frightened or dejected. Some would make him angry; others would delight him; some he’d avoid, others he’d greet with pleasure. (And so it’s said that we meet what we mirror.)

So much for the manner in which our level of consciousness – that is; the world we encounter as passive observers – decides what we see. It’s true that we’ll react to things in a fashion predicated by the level that we perceive them from, that is to say, external events may define conditions, but they don’t determine the consciousness level of human response…”

Your Life – Your Choice – Your Consciousness

So what did you first see when you set eyes upon this homeless man?

After reading the above passage, where do you fall on the scale of consciousness?

Are you surprised to know that there are many ways to perceive the same thing?

Can you see now that it is the quality of our consciousness that determines our reality?

What we believe, we percieve.

Self-Inquiry and The Spiritual Journey

We all have beliefs, but the challenge is that many of these are unconscious. When we are called to walk the spiritual path we are being called to question our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. Self-inquiry is the conscious act of questioning oneself and reflecting on whether a particular belief or thought is true.

Examining our thoughts helps us to recognize where we are holding ourselves back in life, where we are limiting ourselves, and where we are not taking responsiblity.

The awakening process is about coming to the truth of who and what we are. We must examine our thoughts and beliefs in order to evolve beyond certain attitudes, states of mind, and perceptions.

Having a spiritual teacher, mentor, and coach can facilitate this process of self-inquiry by asking you the tough questions, helping you face your shadow self, and support you in the integration process.

If you are interested in learning more about Spiritual Coaching and Mentoring please schedule your discovery call today. I look forward to meeting you! 

Are You Ready to See Yourself Clearly?

Live A More Enlightened Life!

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Elizabeth Hancock CPC, CSC - Yogi, Mystic, Artist

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