Imagine that life is a mirror, reflecting all your beliefs, values, perceptions, thoughts and actions. When we want to see something change in our physical reality we need to start by making the changes on the inside. What we put out into the world is what is going to be reciprocated to us.
If we want our circumstances and experiences in the outside world to be more to our liking, then we need to make the changes within ourselves first and focus on what we are putting out there.
How to recreate the reflection you see in the mirror of life:
- Evaluate the way you speak to yourself
Very often our own worst critic is the voice within our heads. We belittle and degrade ourselves, pick on ourselves over decisions made, judging our actions and playing on our fears. What’s worse is when that judgmental voice turns to the outside world and forms an opinion about every circumstance, commenting on every person and situation we encounter.
This soundtrack is a large part of who you are, and if you are constantly negative about yourself and others, even quietly to yourself, you will slowly start to believe it and live it. Learn to control the voice in your head. A good rule of thumb is, if you wouldn’t say it aloud to another person, you shouldn’t let it run through your mind, souring you! Take steps to change your internal dialogue to one of love, encouragement and kindness and see how your positivity reflects into the world. - Identify the negative beliefs which are trapping you
Sadly, many of us have grown up with heartfelt beliefs which, firstly don’t serve our best interests in life and secondly, may not be accurate. “I’m not pretty enough”, “I can’t do what she does”, “I’m not clever enough”, “I can’t take charge”. These beliefs hold us back from endless possibilities, BUT they are only true as long as you choose to believe them.
Identify any negative or degrading beliefs and start the process of breaking them down by reframing them. Focus on your strengths and values, while trying to put a positive spin on the situation you find yourself in. For example, when you find yourself in yet another difficult situation instead of asking “why does this keep happening to me?”, rather ask what you get to learn from the experience or where the situation can lead you. - Create habits and new intentions to emphasise your value
In order to vanquish any limiting beliefs you need to set a powerful intention – write it down and place where you will see it daily. This is to constantly remind you of your direction. You then need to go one step further and start to implement healthy, realistic habits to help you move in the right direction in life.
A good way to integrate a new habit into your life is by starting a ritual and practising it until it becomes a natural part of your routine. For instance, if one wanted to develop confidence you would stand up straight in front of the mirror each day, practicing to speak with assurance, eventually it will be easy and natural for you to speak with confidence and persuasion.
Any rituals repeated mindfully will set new healthy habits in place and will help to breakdown your negative beliefs and in no time at all, the new positive you will be reflected out of the mirror.
By Debbie Taylor
