The world around us is absolutely miraculous. A mindset that fills me with direction. One area of my life that I am seriously passionate about has to be positive personal reflection and the capacity I have to change my own mind.
“I have the capability to make choices that benefit my life.“
It started out with small but powerful phrases like that, and I chose to begin to try to change the thought patterns, and put purpose behind my daily decisions that had been previously keeping me in active addiction. Just as much as my conscious actions were keeping me from moving in a helpful direction, my thoughts were motivated by irrational and unhealthy core values. My mind was so very narrowed, and closed off from believing that I had the potential to perform miracles.
Now, I don’t exactly mean miracles in the sense of outwardly otherwise inconceivable feats, but rather choosing to see that who I am fundamentally in itself is a miracle. I gave myself permission to say different, more positive and productive phrases that might have the potential to change my perception and perspective. I understand that emotions and physiological response are powerfully convincing, but there is so much power in allowing my mind to believe that I get to choose differently if I am still alive. It sends chills down my arms feeling the strength behind that belief. And how much more incredible is it that the chill running down my arm is my bodies physiological response to a thought formed from the same mind that used to believe couldn’t think differently.
Daily, hourly, down to every few seconds, I am having different thoughts about a plethora of topics. I know that my feelings, emotions, and nervous system are influenced by the thoughts running through my mind. That is a fact. The more consistently I am putting a conscious effort in to saying, thinking, and believing in a positive, helpful, and compassionate way, the more my whole self will react in a way that is congruent. My actions will tend to be directly influenced by this. The way I react to and treat others will be influenced by this. The way my eyes view the world will be influenced by this. My whole belief system is influenced by this.
Through some deep introspection, I was able to identify what my values were and how I was living as if these ideas were actually in line with who I now desire to be fundamentally. Turns out, I was able to choose helpful and self-nurturing positive values that continue to benefit my life. I changed my own mind. I get to choose to be kind on purpose and be nice because it doesn’t cost me anything. I look around me and actively choose to see how miraculous this world truly is, and I give myself permission to look in the mirror with awe at the miracle that is me!
Jeramy Dickman, CBHPSS, ACLC
