Outsmarting The Tips And Techniques Trap.

One of the hardest things in the world is to think what you want to think instead of what you’re used to thinking.  And our happiness depends entirely upon what we think.

[success] It’s not more knowledge, it’s not more education, it’s not more facts that we need. It’s a better use of what we already have that we need to have. You have, each and every one of you, within your potential power right now to do a wonderful job in your chosen field – if you would only embrace it and use it. ~ Napoleon Hill.[/success]

Em was hooked.  I remember that feeling.  The day I discovered and began to practice using the laws of life on purpose.  It was exhilarating, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops.  Hey everyone, you can do this too.  It’s fantastic.  We can change the world…the Universe.  Yep, overly enthusiastic that’s me.

Em too had discovered that life worked according to laws – it was exact, it didn’t take holidays, it didn’t pick and choose who it would work for, it didn’t stay in bed or hide under the covers because it felt a bit blah today, it simply worked, in exactly the same way for everyone.  She had found the core, the cause of her reality and it was her imagination, her connection to the consciousness that created the whole shooting match.

It was exciting…the way of imagination was definitely for her, and she needed to know more.  So she went to every seminar that came her way, every class that someone suggested and listened to cd’s and watched videos and practiced.

She wasn’t exactly practicing using the laws of consciousness, she was practicing the various and different techniques that had been suggested at each and every seminar, at each and every class.

Em had a dream board, which she was constantly redoing, a creation box, which needed attention, pictures on her mirror – she had to pay attention to them daily.  She used affirmations, hypnotherapy, wrote a dream list, which needed to be read every day, vizualized, and journelled.  Deep breath.  She had a gratitude list, also requiring daily reading, spoke to herself in the mirror, contemplated, acknowledged, did segmenting.  More.  She set intentions, studied Abraham Hicks, Tony Robbins, The Silva Method, Ramtha, and a host of other gurus.

Nothing wrong with any of this you might say.  And you’d be right.

Trouble was, she was overwhelmed.  Her head was spinning.  She was trying to put into practice every single solitary technique she’d learned and she felt as though she was going to explode.  It had become far too complicated.

[success] “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.” ~ Albert Einstein[/success]

Em had been substituting tips and techniques for the creative use of her imagination.  I’m a big supporter of tips and techniques, as you can read here or here.  And all over the place on this blog truth be told.  Tips and techniques are a helpful part of helping us to create new habits.  But discrimination is key.  Allow the winds of change to blow softly into your life.

Being comes first.  And being simply means having and keeping in conscious awareness all that we want, all that we desire.

Where do you go to when you’re alone in your head?  What thoughts do you have, how do you feel?  This is the essence of conscious living.  This is our beingness.

Tools and techniques are fabulous and have their place in supporting us to achieve our goals, but for her, they took over, they became the thing itself. And in her desire to practice the tips and techniques, Em was losing sight of her true and genuine desire…to be the one she desired to be.

The late, great Steven Covey talked about beginning with the end in mind and I would add we need to keep that end in mind throughout our journey so we can stay on track and not get distracted, even by the very things that are intended to support our success.  No sirreee, I’ve never done anything like that.

It begins and ends within.  It’s our consciousness that creates our reality, and the tips and techniques are the tools, not the thing.

There’s a place within each of us that’s connected to something greater, something beyond us.  The time we spend there keeps us focused and on track, allowing, us to stay clear of distractions while refreshing our spirit.  From there, we can be discriminating as to what tool, tip or technique will be useful in any given situation.

And, please I beg you, don’t use them all at once.  Overload.  Overwhelm.