Thoughts and Beliefs

After graduating from college, my daughter decided to choose Law school over becoming an editor, and when I asked her why she told me that she liked that law school didn't teach what to think, it taught you how to think.

Her answer created a significant shift in my beliefs about the Law. Being a visual artist, I never thought of the Law as having freedom and creativity within it.

Ultimately, the most significant freedom and creativity we have is deciding what we make the circumstances in our lives mean. When faced with a problem, notice what your thoughts are and see if you can trace the cause of that problem back to your thoughts about the circumstances and events. 

The trick is to become aware of your thoughts and then notice if your thoughts are rooted in a belief that you hold. When negative feelings come up, feel them instead of denying them, they provide insight into your beliefs. 

Today as I clean my closets, I realize that I apply a similar practice to my beliefs. I am curious and challenge them. I ask myself why I have chosen to hold onto this way of thinking, and then I consider if it serves me and if it is worth continuing. Sometimes finding a path forward is choosing to change a belief and look at a situation differently. 

There are so many beliefs out there. You have a sacred, protected space of free will and choice over what you think. You determine what you believe. It is for you alone to take complete responsibility for your mind. 

"A person's freedom ends where another man's freedom begins." Abraham Lincoln