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Practising Who You Are
Just the other day I was walking past the Symphony Hall near my Birmingham office when I noticed a young man with a violin case in hand literally running into the building.
Nothing very unusual in this, of course, but it did put me in mind of an old story that I heard some years ago. Perhaps you've already heard the story, and I ask your indulgence if you have.
In this particular tale, a young man is hurrying down the street with a violin clutched under his arm. 'Excuse me', he breathlessly asks a passer-by, 'but how do I get to the Symphony Hall?'
'Practise. Practise. Practise', comes the response.
Well, the young man rushing into the Birmingham Symphony Hall obviously had no need of directions. And chances are he'd already done his practice.
Few would deny the value of practice, because we intuitively understand that this is the way we human beings function, the way we operate.
We do indeed do better with practice.
And this is true in so many areas of our life -- for good and for bad.
You see, the way in which we learn to play an instrument or train ourselves to be proficient at any new skill -- riding a bike or driving a car, for example -- is exactly the same way that we practise thoughts and beliefs.
Simple repetition of thoughts and beliefs drives these things deep down where they become a part of us, how we function and feel and manifest our reality. What we think we are, what we believe we are, we easily become.
The fact is that each time we tell ourselves we won't be able to do something, each time we tell ourselves that we really aren't worthy or clever or attractive or good enough, then we are practising being that way.
We are teaching ourselves and setting ourselves up to become these things.
It's the combination of a couple of simple laws -- the Law of Expectation -- what the mind expects to happen tends to be realised, and the Law of Focus -- what you say to yourself, about yourself, you tend to become.
The mind is structured in such a way that it will expect whatever we programme it to expect -- and it does its best to deliver on this.
Yet just as we practise doubt and failure and low self-esteem, just as we set ourselves up to become these things, we could as easily be practising being successful. We could be programming ourselves to be positive, healthy and optimistic. It's simply a question of directing our internal resources in a positive and useful manner.
Hypnosis and hypnotherapy can teach you how to direct and redirect your internal resources, and so help you to achieve your goals. But even without hypnosis, maybe now is the time to allow yourself to practise being what you really can be -- that positive, life-affirming self that you know, deep down, you really are.
Perhaps now is the time to tap into your own inner power and allow yourself to discover how good it really does feel to be you.
There is neither beginning to practice, nor end to enlightenment
There is no beginning to enlightenment, nor end to practice.
Dogen (1200 - 1253)
There is no beginning to enlightenment, nor end to practice.
Dogen (1200 - 1253) Copyright © 2008 Peter Field - All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any form is prohibited
Reproduction in any form is prohibited
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