Happiness Beyond Belief

Copyright (c) 2010 Willie Horton

Here's a question that you may have never seriously asked yourself. Are you happy with yourself and with your life? The chances are that there are things that you would like to change about both you and your life - I have rarely met anyone who is truly happy, they are few and far between. People often believe that if they improve themselves, lose weight, get fit, buy a new car, go on a great holiday, move house that, then, they will be happy. That kind of happiness, however, is fleeting and superficial. Happiness should be lasting and not dependant on having this or doing that.

The only place that you find happiness is within. However, that is a bridge too far for the vast majority of people because the normal person's 'within' is shielded from them by what psychologists call 'The Sentry'. This is a self-defence mechanism that we all have that prevents others getting into our subconscious minds - because, if they could, they would be in a position to brainwash us. The big problem with , 'The Sentry', however, is that it keeps us out too. And with good reason '' our beliefs about how the world operates and who we are are stored in our subconscious. This may seem reason enough for us to be mentally wired the way we are. You wouldn't want to go messing with those, would you? Or would you? Because most of us believe ourselves to be inadequate at least in some aspect of our lives, most of us perceived ourselves to have flaws and weaknesses - some of which often get in the way of us doing our very best in important situations in our lives. Most ! of us are not 100% happy with who we are and that's because our beliefs are not based on fact but on an accumulation of what be called programming or conditioning that we were subjected to during what is generally described as our formative years. This programming or conditioning is both the source of your discomfort with yourself and, just as importantly, everything that you perceive to be wrong with your life currently.

Your reality is created from your beliefs - it is those beliefs that automatically dictate your behaviour, your actions, your reactions and your interactions with others. It is through this process that you, yourself, create your reality. In other words - and this is crucial - what you're thinking about, at the deepest subconscious level, quite literally creates your life. And none of it is real. All of it is based on what others did to you or for you during your formative years - when you were young and impressionable. So of course you'd want to go messing with your beliefs, because your beliefs are actually holding you back - you've been living down to other people's expectations.

You could start changing your beliefs to bring them into line with the kind of life that you would like to have. Because, the way your subconscious mind works, once it believes something new, it will actually bring your life into line with those beliefs. Don't scratch your head and think that that's a weird statement - that's how your life is what it is already. The problem with tinkering with your beliefs is that you're going to start that process from a normal mental perspective - and that's not much good because that perspective is too narrow, too constrained, closes off too many options for you.

Instead, you've got to go "beyond belief". Beliefs are just programs - either someone else's or your own - but what might you discover if you went beyond those programs? You'd discover the inner real you! This is where you will simply discover true happiness as it's happening, moment to moment in the life that you're already living. This is where you will find a you that is unstained by the crap of normal conditioning, unsullied by the unreal beliefs that mess up all our normal lives - stupid beliefs that keep us in our place. Stupid beliefs like we should know our place, like you have to work hard to be a success, like pain is never far behind pleasure, that pride comes before a fall - fill in your own list.

Forget that nonsense. Indeed, forget about who you thought you were and find out who you really are - and the life that you can really have. Your mind is obsessed with the normal nonsense - stop it. Turn you attention away from your flawed beliefs and toward the reality of just this precious moment. From having worked with clients for over fourteen years, I believe that the most immediately effective way to redirect your attention - and therefore your entire mental power - is through meditation. You may have preconceived notions about meditation (actually they're probably just more nonsensical beliefs) - but consider this: meditation gives an undisciplined mind the discipline to simply focus on what is real in the present moment as experienced by your five senses - in other words, reality before it is regurgitated through our inner 'belief machine'. Meditation enables you clear your mind of the nonsense that has been holding you back. Most importantly, meditation ena! bles you to be more focused when you're not meditating - in other words, during the cut and thrust of your day - when it really matters.

The key thing to realize is that happiness and success is only found beyond belief - outside the scope of normal programming and conditioning. You've got to do whatever it takes to get beyond those limiting beliefs and start truly experiencing life as it is.