Changing the Past

Changing the Past

A two-card draw today, on the same theme, curiously. Why am I positive? and Why am I a winner? What a nice set of questions.

How are you doing with changing the way you talk to yourself? Are you still yammering at you about being a loser, listing all your faults, criticizing your own efforts and results, acting like the way things are is somehow not the way they should be?

What would it mean to you to understand that the present moment is perfect? That you, in this present moment, are perfect? Would that help inspire you to speak to yourself with more kindness, more respect?

I would love to do that for you, show you so you really get it, your good qualities, your skills and talents, the wonderful things that make you, you, and take out all that negative self talk, but I can’t. No one else can, only you.

What do you need to start noticing how you speak to yourself? Why would you treat you with kindness and respect? What would make you own your power, feel competent and capable? We can do this anytime. We don’t need to be old, we can change to this way of thinking no matter how old we are. And as we feel more empowered, we find compassion for our former self, and for our loved ones who may have helped us learn to be so cruel to ourselves.

Have you ever paid attention to what you find most comforting? Me, I have two particular gestures that really help me when I need comfort. But I will also tell you a secret I use to help me change stuff.

We all have particular times in our lives that we remember as hard, painful, and scary, like maybe we weren’t somehow going to make it through. I have resources and wisdom and skills now I didn’t have then.

When those times pop into my head, I have started “going back in time,” and I sit with that savaged former self, and I comfort her in the best ways I know we like, and I let her know it will be okay, and then it will be good, and then it will be great. Poor little thing often can barely take in what I’m saying, but she gets the comfort, and the soothing words, and something deep inside both of us changes; my current self for treating me with deep compassion, and my former self for getting exactly what I needed at the time. It may not change the past out there, but it does seem to change my internal experience.

Feeling compassion for our former selves is powerful. Forgiving our former selves is powerful. Comforting our former selves is powerful. It helps us release shame, and fear, and all sorts of icky stuff.

And, then, practicing our positive Creative Questions, changing how we talk to ourselves, appreciating our value, will do a lot to cleaning out our emotional basements.

I find it gets way easier when I remember that I am, we all are, perfect divine and infinite beings at our core. Speaking to our own selves with compassion, gentleness, and loving kindness will go a long way to helping us live our natural lives.

How have I changed from dissing myself to death to treating me with love and respect?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2014 all rights reserved 05102014