Beneath the surface of you - the pre-programmed, outwardly obvious you - sits a reservoir of untapped opportunities. We mostly either don't realise this exists, or we have a feeling that it does but no idea whatsoever how to access it. We effectively become prisoners of our own limiting thoughts and automated behaviours, and make the mistake of believing that these represent us, the true us - the only us.
This is not true.
Sitting beneath the exterior lives possibility, potential, a pool of whatever you want it to be.
The reason many of us never tap into this pool is because we hear only the loud, dominant and ultimately restrictive part of our minds. We tune into the voice that tells us we shouldn't try because we most likely will fail, that we can only be a certain way, that we have to act upon our urges and thoughts.
But if we learn to dive beneath this self-sabotaging element of our consciousness, we can mine the reservoir of untapped opportunities.
This essentially involves largely ignoring your whims and urges on a daily basis, parking your thoughts when they are telling you unhelpful and self-critical ideas, and basing your choices and beliefs on something much bigger, much more profound, much more effective in helping you live your life in a way that makes you happy and content - your values. It means learning to separate your mind into the bit that tells you a load of old rubbish, and the bit that guides you into greatness. And then following the latter.
I never for one moment contemplated such a thing pre sobriety. Or even prior to about 4 or 5 years ago, when the accumulation of years of meditation, reading and practicing mindfulness and self-compassion all finally came together to provide me with a new perception of the world and my own headspace.
We are subject to such strong competing and mostly negative thoughts that, as we mature, it grows increasingly more difficult to stop ourselves aligning with them. We become more and more conditioned to be the most restrictive version of ourselves, the older we get... Putting the brakes on this process takes time, dedication and tools that we practice every day, but when that change is realised, the outcome is amazing.
We become free, free to be whatever we want and whoever we want to be.
You can start this process of dividing your conscious self into two elements by keeping track of your Inner Critic for a couple of weeks. How often do you hear negative and restrictive thoughts in your mind? How often do you give in and stop trying because you choose to give credence to a limiting belief that pops up in your thoughts? How often do you judge yourself and infer through your thoughts that you are not equal to other human beings?
Creating this awareness is the first step in learning to deep dive into your pool of opportunities... Why not commit to this today and see where it takes you?
If you are interested in exploring this further, contact me for a free consultation.
