Have you ever felt that no matter what you do, you cannot break through an invisible barrier? It is like playing a game without knowing the rules.
The neuroscience is clear: We live in a simulation created by our beliefs about WHO WE ARE. But what I have seen in my practice is that most of the self-concepts are NOT even ours!
Our inner realities are crafted from the experiences and conclusions we made in our formative years when the ability for conscious processing was not available. This results in the never-ending looping of the same ideas, stories, and inner movies.
These conscious and unconscious narratives are categorized and organized into beliefs, which in turn keep the familiar stories going—even when they are unpleasant.
It is like wearing our personal Virtual Reality headset, never getting a clue that life can be different. Everyone can see our VR set except us.
Interestingly, we have more than one belief about who we are, so we get mixed results in life. While some beliefs serve us well, others are like expired ingredients in a recipe. Sure, the cake may rise, but what’s that smell?
The fascinating fact is that whether constructive or destructive, these beliefs often feel DEEPLY MEANINGFUL and unchangeable. They influence our lives profoundly but just because something feels intense or meaningful does not make it True.
Here’s another intriguing fact: beliefs tend to support themselves AUTOMATICALLY, in other words, outside of your conscious awareness. In other words, you don’t get to choose! So until you realize there must be a better way of being and thinking, life is like flying an airplane whose autopilot and destination were set by someone else.
I found that when our inner lives feel overwhelming, it’s usually because of unprocessed emotions combined with wild apocalyptic imagination about ourselves and our future.
Trying to build a feel-good life is like trying to focus with a blaring TV in the background. The noise is distracting, and before you know it, you’re lost in someone else’s show instead of living your own life!
It helps to remember that some ideas about self were adopted from the dysfunctions and limitations of others when we were too young to critique their ideas and we accepted them as the TRUTH.
It is like looking in a broken mirror and believing you are broken. The fractured mirror phenomenon has been affecting many of us.
The good news is we are on to it now!
So here we are, navigating through life, never actually knowing who we are, still using mixed-up recipes of experiences and emotions, all while pretending we’ve got it together.
But the best part of being an adult is that you can reimagine YOURSELF. Once your deeper mind recognizes that you are not just a collection of other people’s experiences and opinions, AKA “the past”, you can start rewriting your recipe of life, swapping those expired ingredients for something fresh!
Hmmm, I’ll take a cup of self-compassion, a sprinkle of humor, and a dash of “I’m Actually Doing My Best.”
Imagine that! Imagine knowing what’s serving you and what’s just taking up energy and space.
How free will your life be then?
How much more energy will you have when your brain stops with the useless looping of self-defeat?
If you’re fed up with the outdated BS (Belief Systems), let’s have a chat. I help people identify those pesky self-defeating beliefs, make the unconscious conscious, and update the system with fresh and functional programs instead.
And…pst…this process can be super intriguing, deeply meaningful… and FUN!
Warmest anchors, Olga 🙂
Curious?
