To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” Anatole France

Self belief…. key to living a happy and fulfilling life, so simple and yet so challenging at times!

When I was a little boy, we used to have a wonderful LP record (that’s a large black disk that has voices and/or music on it that plays on a record player for those that are too young to know what I mean!) with stories on it about Thomas The Tank Engine. I used to love listening to it and, I have to admit, I still like watching the children’s TV show portraying the stories now!

Anyway, there was a great story on the record about Thomas (a little engine) and Gordon (a huge engine). Thomas pulled a couple of small carriages about and sometimes helped with shunting the goods trains too. Gordon, however, was the train responsible for pulling the express train that, as you can imagine, gave him quite a sense of self importance. To cut a

long story short, Gordon one day was told he had to pull a long train of goods carriages which was incredibly heavy. He complained and said that was beneath him but had no choice but to pull I the heavy carriages. Unfortunately he got stuck halfway up a hill and couldn’t get moving again. He needed the help of Thomas (the smaller, more lowly engine in Gordon’s eyes) to get moving again. Gordon was humiliated and angry and upset. All he kept saying to himself was “I can’t do it, I won’t do it”. Thomas, however, was a happy, optimistic little train and repeated “we can do it, we will do it”. Slowly by slowly Gordon began to move, although still saying “I can’t do it, I won’t do it” with Thomas, enthusiastic and believing as ever, repeating “we can do it, we will do it”. As Gordon built up speed he realised he was moving and his words changed from “I am doing it! I can do it! I will do it!”.

Forgive my lapse into my childhood with that story, and I’m sure you probably know already where I’m going with this! However, I’m going to labour it anyway! Gordon is very much like the Ego Self: A bit self important, doesn’t like to try new things, likes to think it’s better than everyone else, and will give up when things get a bit challenging. However the Soul Self is very much like Thomas. It may appear small, but it’s a wonderful powerhouse full of energy, light, and enthusiasm. There is nothing that it cannot be, do, or achieve. It has Strength, and Determination, and is the Pure, Authentic, True Self.

So there are two points I want to make this week:

1) In life, we must learn to be humble enough to take on tasks that might appear “lower” than us. For when we think like that we are judging that we are better than others – which is not the case at all. We are all equal in this world

2) In order to get things done, to change, to move forward, and to evolve, we must aim to have as much self belief as we can. If we keep telling ourselves we can’t do something then we won’t be able to do it, and vice versa. As the brilliant quote by Henry Ford goes “If you think you can, you’re right. And if you think you can’t, you’re also right.”

We can create the life we want by believing in ourselves and what we can achieve. We just need to remind ourselves what powerful creators we really are. Remember: I think I can, I know I can. Say yes to what you do want rather than no to what you don’t want, then get out there and create it. The Universe believes in you, otherwise you wouldn’t be here now ;-)

I don’t think there is anything particularly spiritual about living in poverty, and yet so often our consciousness and ego self would have us believe that abundance, wealth, and prosperity are ‘bad” things. It’s amazing to discover how many hidden limiting beliefs we have about abundance and the attraction thereof. Just the other day I heard myself saying “I’ve always been in debt and so it doesn’t stress me”. And then it hit me “wow!” It was like I heard that sentence for the first time. Really heard it and understood it. If you relate that simple sentence to the cause and effect way we think: cause: I’ve always been in debt, effect: therefore I will always be in debt. Which, of course, is utter nonsense! That’s like saying “I’ve always lived in this place and therefore that means I always will”. It’s all about choice and focus isn’t it.

There are a couple of themes I’d like to get into my musings today so I’ll try and keep it as succinct as possible.

There is a difference, I think, to having non-attachment to wealth and its gain, and living in poverty consciousness. Having non-attachment (to me) means that if you lose it or it is taken away from you, you remain centred and confident that you will attract whatever you need to live a happy and comfortable life. Having poverty consciousness means hanging onto every penny you can for fear of never having enough. It also means being devastated were you to lose what you had and fearing that it’ll be too hard to get it back again. Do you see the difference? Abundance consciousness would be a person giving away their last penny to someone who needed it more – knowing that it will come back to them when it is needed. Whereas poverty consciousness is always of the view “I cannot afford to help someone else because then I won’t have enough”

Therein lies the big deception that the ego, and much of society, would have us believe: “There is never enough to go around”. This is an abundant world and I’m absolutely of the belief that there is more than enough to go around. Sadly, though, the fear of not having enough prevails and there is a tendency not to give freely to those around us. We just don’t trust the Universe enough to provide whatever we need, when we need it. The dichotomy is that the more we give away selflessly, the more we attract into our lives. If everyone had this attitude then no one would go hungry because there would always be someone there to help us when we need it.

Let’s also look at some of the limiting beliefs and unhelpful sayings we have about money:

“it doesn’t grow on trees”
“it’s not easy to come by”
“you have to work hard to receive it”
“filthy rich”
“dirty money”
“you have to work your fingers to the bone to scratch out a living”
“life is hard”

Have you ever heard yourself saying any of these or had them said to you? I’ve heard things like this all my life and I particularly love (as in find it amusing) how we refer to “the filthy rich”. As if it’s a bad thing to be rich! Well of course it is if we don’t feel we are rich ourselves! All that anger and resentment at the thing we wish for ourselves anyway!

Of course, abundance isn’t just about money. Indeed not. Abundance is about everything we have in our lives: friends, food, clean water, love, bed to sleep in, clean home to live in, work, hobbies, beautiful nature, animals, birds, trees, flowers, and so on. Abundance consciousness is really about acknowledging all the wonderful things that we already have in our lives and appreciating them. Rather than focusing upon lack, focus instead upon the abundance already within our lives. Being rich or abundant is mentality, it really is. If you think you’re rich, and acknowledge the riches within your life already (and I do mean really acknowledge and appreciate them) then you will find it’s easy to stop worrying about where the money will come from.

In conclusion, then, to have a rich and abundant life, it’s very much about how we think. In this Universe, the Law of Attraction (i.e. Like attracts like) is key. If you think you’re rich already then that’s what you’ll attract to you. If you think you’re poor, then exactly the same thing happens. Time to let go of attachment and let abundance flow into and through your life. Time to let go of limiting beliefs. Time to change those unhelpful sayings. Time to remind and affirm to ourselves: This is an abundant Universe, and there is enough for everyone – including me.

Have you ever watched a river and pondered where it comes from? Where it’s going to? Or even, how it knows where to go? Some rivers flow straight and direct, and some meander along. The bendy river is no better or worse than the straight river, and the slow river is no better or worse than the fast, churning river. And vice versa. They’re all just rivers.

What got me to thinking about rivers was a television programme I saw recently about the Nile. Joanna Lumley was tracing it back from its outflow from Egypt into the sea right to it’s source. It was a wonderful programme showing how the Nile brings life and contact to so many different places and peoples. Never halting its flow. Flowing with determination and purpose. Sometimes meandering around but always, always flowing to the same end point – meeting up with the sea. The larger body of water.

It was quite humbling to see source of the Nile: a tiny, muddy stream that was barely flowing. It’s hard to believe that this little trickle would turn into something so huge and that has such an effect upon the world around it. Do you think the little trickle knows it will turn into a huge river hundred and thousands of miles away? Who knows. If it did, I wonder if it would feel intimidated about the power it has and just stop where it was instead. I very much doubt it. Whether or not the Nile Trickle knows it will turn into a river, it just carries regardless. Without fear. Just flowing, and flowing.

I think the key for me here was, the river didn’t really care – and I don’t mean that in a heartless way at all. The river just flowed and dealt with what was going on around it as it arrived. If the river was as big at its source as it gets further along, so much forest and life would be destroyed. So instead it gradually builds, in line with its surroundings, and they live in harmony together.

So many people rely on the Nile for what it brings to them: a means of transport, food, a place to wash and clean, water for fields of crops, and so on. It also brings life for animals, birds, fish, insects, plants, and trees, and probably so much more that I haven’t mentioned.

We can learn a lot from rivers like the Nile, and modelling upon it how we approach life is one of the most beneficial. Wherever we are on our journey right now – be it a tiny trickle, a gentle flow, or a rush and churn, it is so key to focus on where we are right now and not worry about how big we’ll end up getting or where we’ll end up. Of course, it’s good to have an overall purpose to head to. It’s also good to know that life will bring with it unforeseen twists and turns before we get to the end. It will bring us into contact with many people whom we can help along the way. Living a life of selfless service, whilst enjoying the journey.

Sometimes it’s good not to know how powerful we can get right at the beginning of our journey or it might put us off starting it at all! Yes there’s a massive chance that we will. It’s inevitable that we’ll grow and evolve – just as the river does. But focusing upon the surroundings of where we are right now and enjoying the people and scenery is the most helpful thing to do. Just like a river, we need to build and grow in strength so that we’re more able to deal with the challenges further along in our life.

Could you imagine trying to run the marathon at the age of 5? Or doing PhD maths at the age of 12? Do people who run the marathon and obtain a PhD in maths know they will do this at 5 and 12? Probably not – imagine how scared or intimidated you might feel! Do you see, it’s important for us not always to be aware of what we may do because we’re not necessarily ready mentally, physically, and emotionally to deal with it.

To close, then, it’s good to have purpose, and it’s also good to share with others as we journey to and for our purpose. As we journey along we will also be supported. But all this can only really happen if we focus upon where we are on our river right now. As the saying goes: “Let go, and go with the flow”. Stop paddling back upstream when you see rapids just ahead – steer yourself around them or through them. The river always survives the rapids, despite everything being churned up and changed at the time. Just enjoy the bouncy ride!

It’s very easy in life to get into the habit of blaming other people and situations for things that happen to us that we don’t like. “We didn’t have a good day at the beach because the weather wasn’t that good”. “I didn’t have a good time as a child because my parents did X to me”. “I got really frustrated at the delay because the man in front of me in the queue took ages”. And so on.

Do you see one of the key words in all those sentences is the word “because”. Cause and effect. This happened because of that. We live in a cause and effect world – which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, it can be unhelpful when we get into the belief that everything that happens to us or around us is because of something or someone else rather than ourselves.

Being realistic, how long can we really go on blaming other people from our past for what’s going on in our lives right now? Is it really that helpful to hang onto all that resentment towards something that is no longer in our lives? Two good questions to ask ourselves when we realise we’re hanging onto resentment are: “how is this serving me now?”, and “how could my life be different and better if I were to let it go for good?”

You see, another thing about this prolific “blame culture” that currently exists is that it stops us taking responsibility for ourselves, where we are, and where we’re going. It’s a get out clause. An excuse. A reason not move ourselves forward and stay in a place of stagnation and fear – and a place of “feeling sorry for ourselves”. After all, if we get people to feel sorry for us then they’ll make our life better for us. Won’t they? Well they may try at first, but in the end those people tend to disengage from us – temporarily or permanently.

Of course, we all need a bit of help now and then, and that’s not a bad thing at all. It gives others the opportunity to be of service, and for us and them to learn, experience, and share. However, there comes a time we need to give something back to them (or someone else) and ourselves. I love the phrase “God helps those who help themselves” and, religious beliefs aside, I find that life does seem to work like that. The more we take responsibility for who we are, where we are, and where we’re going, the more the Universe/Life supports us in that.

There is so much change happening in the world around us right now that we just don’t have the time to wallow in old blame and resentment to others, or blame it for where we are right now. How many people need to disengage from us before we learn that we’re not helping ourselves by dwelling on past events and situations, or taking responsibility for choosing where to go next? Imagine how fantastic and wonderful life would be if no one blamed anyone else or anything else for anything. If we all lovingly connected with the peaceful soul within, and took responsibility for where we are right now, and what we are creating for the future.

We all have a choice about how we respond to something – or whether we react. Just because someone else is choosing to be angry or fearful, doesn’t mean that we have to be too. Recognising where we’re letting our ego self get the better of us is the first step to reconnecting with the beautiful, loving, Authentic Self we really are. When we do realise it, we can ask ourselves those questions:1) how is this serving me?, and 2) how could life be better if I could let it go for good?

“Let go, and go with the flow”

“Asking is the beginning of receiving. Make sure you don't go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won't laugh at you.” Jim Rohn

Have you ever heard that phrase “It’s better to give than to receive”? In many ways I’d agree with that statement. It can feel wonderful knowing that you’ve given something to someone that’s helped them or brought them a bit of happiness. When giving there’s that element of enjoyment about knowing you’ve helped. Instant satisfaction. Like smiling at someone in the street and seeing their face light up.

But what about receiving? Is that such a bad thing? Is it wrong to allow others to help us too? We can be such prideful beings at times can’t we! There’s that fear that if we allow ourselves to receive then that makes us less than we really are. Not as good as others. Of course it’s OK when we’re giving because that means we’re contributing and making a difference. BUT, if we’re receiving… a whole different story! Which is of course utter nonsense.

No one can go through life without even a little bit of help at times. The Ego would have us believe that by receiving help from others we’re beholden to them, or that they’re better than us. This is just another illusion to keep us in a place of stagnation and fear.

Let’s look this in a different way. Take an oil lamp. Without the oil and the wick, there is no flame. Without the flame there is no light. The Light allows the person filling the lamp to do so many things when it gets dark. The person using the light of the lamp looks after it and makes sure that there is enough wick and oil in the lamp to provide the light. So, in a sense, is giving something back to the lamp. It’s a cycle. Person fills lamp. Lamp provides light to the person, and so on.

In the same way in life, we need to allow ourselves to receive from others in order to give of ourselves more fully.

Given that we are all equal, all part of the same thing, which is The All That Is/Divine Source, what on earth makes us think we’re not good enough to receive? That’s like saying that a beautiful rose is not as good as a beautiful daffodil. Or course they’re just as good as each other – they’re just slightly different. However they’re still flowers. The bees and insects which fly into them allow themselves to receive the nectar to make honey and, at the same time, take the pollen to new flowers. The flower and bee both give and receive freely. It’s mutually beneficial.

Here’s the thing: if we keep on giving and giving and giving until we’re ready to drop what use are we then? We are so pooped and penniless that we cannot continue giving to others. Whereas if we give and receive equally, in balance, then the cycle can continue on for as long as it needs to.

Let me leave you with this final thought. Every time we stop ourselves receiving from someone who wishes to give to us, we are also denying them the joy and opportunity of giving. Think about it and gift yourself permission to receive just a little bit more ;-)