Self-Evaluation of Seven Basic Beliefs Underlying Your Perceptions of Life – Part 1 of 7: Self-Worth

Image of large road sign against a background of blue cloudy sky that says SELF-WORTH

© Andy Dean Photography/shutterstock.com

This week we are beginning a 7-part series in which you are invited to become aware of the Basic Beliefs Underlying Your Perceptions of Life.  Even more importantly, you are offered the opportunity to transform your self-limiting beliefs of Separation and fear into self-empowering beliefs of Oneness and unconditional love.

 

Our Basic Beliefs are the fundamental concepts we have formed about ourselves and the world around us, based on the mental input we have received throughout our lives. They are the underlying thought forms deep within our psyche that support all our views of life.  Our basic beliefs have a profound impact on the quality of our lives because they are the core of personal values governing absolutely every perception we choose.

 

Many of our Basic Beliefs generate self-limiting thoughts because they are framed within our childhood perspectives, rooted in societal training, and do not reflect our Whole Self.

 

The following is a Self-Evaluation of Your Beliefs about Self-Worth.  As you scan through the questions, simply ask yourself, “Do I relate to the statements of Separation, or do I relate to the statements of Oneness?  The perceptions of separation correspond with fear and lock us into self-defeating behaviors, while the perceptions of Oneness resonate with our spiritual truth of unconditional, universal love and open us to our greater potential.

 

It is best to trust your immediate, spontaneous responses to these questions.  When we analyze ourselves and deliberate over the answers, we run the risk of falling into the trap of self-judgment rather than pure awareness.

 

Remember, this evaluation is not an exercise in self-criticism, nor does it involve judgment of others.  It is merely a tool to shed the light of self-awareness on the foundation of beliefs upon which we base our view points of life.

 

BASIC BELIEF #1 – SELF-WORTH

 

Do I love myself?

 

Do I believe that I deserve to be loved, healthy, happy, and successful?

 

Separation: Feeling a sense of non-entitlement to the blessings of life; compulsively reacting to external demands; not acknowledging the need to recharge; looking to others for approval and validation; feeling responsible for the happiness of others.

 

Oneness: Realizing that unconditional love begins with self; feeling worthy of life’s blessings; treating oneself with compassion and kindness; being open to receiving the loving energy of the universe; taking the time to go inside of self for spiritual regeneration.

 

Which statements do I most relate to – Separation or Oneness?

 

Where does this belief originate?  (I.e. parents, family culture, religion)

 

Is this my own personal truth now that I am an adult?

 

DO I CHOOSE TO CHANGE THIS BELIEF?

 

The following are affirmations to transform your perceptions of separation and fear into affirmations of Oneness and unconditional love:

 

Feeling of Separation: I feel unloved.
Affirmation of Oneness: I deeply and completely love and accept my unique self.

 

Feeling of Separation: I give much more than I receive
Affirmation of Oneness: As I give, I receive the unlimited, loving energy of the Universe

 

Feeling of Separation: I feel like I am a bad person.
Affirmation of Oneness: I choose to be compassionate and forgiving with myself and others.

 

Feeling of Separation: I don’t deserve to experience happiness
Affirmation of Oneness: I am worthy of all life’s blessings

 

Feeling of Separation: I don’t have the time to take care of myself
Affirmation of Oneness: I choose to create the time and space to nurture and regenerate myself.

 

Affirmations help us to develop the habit of consistent, positive self-dialogue.  By making a commitment to the ongoing practice of repeating affirmations of self-love, you have the power to transform your self-deprecating beliefs about yourself into self-respecting perceptions that reflect the truth of your Oneness with Spirit and universal love.

 

I welcome any questions or insights you would like to share regarding your self-discovery process as you become conscious of your beliefs about self-worth.

 

Love and Light

 

Sandra

 

A portion of this message is an excerpt from the book, The Power of Oneness, Live the Life You Choose.  To learn more about how you can align your life with spiritual truth, order the book at http://www.thepowerofoneness.com/products/ 
The e-book version, regularly priced at $9.99 is presently being offered for only $1.99.

 

Welcome 2014! Another Year That Brings Forth Many Opportunities To Reinvent Ourselves

 

This is an image of year 2014 with an arrow pointing down a road toward light - as though we have the whole year ahead of us.

© Aslyson/ Shutterstock.com

 

As we begin yet another new year, we may beat ourselves up for not sticking with the previous year’s resolutions (uh oh – I didn’t keep my resolution to exercise every other day and/or to lose that 50 pounds!). This can lead to a sense of resignation about being able to achieve things in the New Year.

 

Studies consistently indicate that we tend to be extremely self-critical. Psychologist, Rick Hanson, states, “The mind is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones.” That said, we also know that one of the best ways to motivate ourselves is by focusing on our accomplishments.  Since we tend to measure our successes from the previous year by only the “big things” we have achieved, we overlook the countless “little things” we’ve done that have added a lot of quality to our lives and the lives of others.

 

This is an image of the word negative crossed out and the the words Think Positive displayed

© Anson0618 / Shutterstock.com

 

 

For this reason, I encourage you to congratulate yourself for the many things you DID accomplish in 2013, like all the times you:

 

  • Were supportive of your child/children when you felt you didn’t have an ounce of patience left to do so
  • Listened attentively to your spouse or partner sharing a problem even when you were experiencing plenty of your own challenges
  • Went to work or finished a major project, giving it your all even though you were exhausted
  • Smiled and said “thank you” to someone who needed to hear it
  • Forgave someone who really hurt your feelings
  • Placed a phone call or sent an email to encourage someone even though you, yourself, were feeling discouraged
  • Offered encouragement to someone in pain even while you were experiencing your own pain
  • Volunteered to take time to help someone in need even though your calendar was jammed
  • Took the time to recycle even though it would have been a lot easier to just throw everything into the trash

 

I could go on and on – but you get the picture!

 

So this year, let’s do something different.  Make it your number one resolution to be kind to yourself and thank yourself for all that you’ve already accomplished.  You were and are amazing!

 

Drop a comment on this post to share what you’d like to thank yourself for today.

 

Love and Light

 

Sandra

 

Living From the Inside Out

This is an image of words written in the form of clouds that say CORE VALUES

© phloxii/shutterstock

 

 

We live in a physical world where there is a great emphasis on defining ourselves by title, power, money, and material possessions. This model of life is based on living from the outside in and centers around ego gratification, trying to control other people and outer circumstances, and material accumulation. If we are living from the outside in, we are likely to feel that we never have enough of anything and that no matter how successful we are, there is a sense of emptiness within our souls. It is not surprising that many of us have adopted this perception of life because it is based on the competitive, survival-oriented way of living which is the predominant model that has been demonstrated and taught to us by our parents, caregivers, and teachers.

 

 

As we expand in our spiritual evolution, most of us are seeking to realize a deeper purpose for our lives and are longing for a sense of inner peace. This requires that we reverse the center of our lives from the ego-based desires for outer approval and material gratification to centering our lives around our inner core values. In others words, we need to shift from living from the outside in to living from the inside out.

 

 

What Does Living From the Inside Out Mean?

 

 

Living from the inside out is a model of life which evolves from viewing the world from the Perspective of Oneness and is based on spiritual values and cooperating for the good of the whole. When you see the world from this vantage point, you remember that you are connected to the Source of Divine Love, as well as to everyone and everything. When you live from the inside-out, you are living in integrity, which is to say that you are integrating every aspect of your being – Soul, Mind, and Body – with the values of spiritual love.

 

 

Soul – Your soul is your connection to Spirit and becomes the center of your existence and the highest authority for how you choose to live your life. You access your spiritual wisdom by listening to your intuition and honoring your “gut level” feelings. Your self-worth is determined by your connection with Universal Love, not by how others perceive you.

 

Mind – You choose perceptions that are based on the qualities of Spirit: unconditional love, respect, cooperation; and you use your energy to create the quality of life you choose, rather than to fearfully react to others and your outer world of experience.

 

Body – Your body and material world align with your spiritual values and you create a physical reality that is in harmony with the values of your soul. Because you are reflecting your true self, you attract people and situations that resonate with your True Self.

 

 

Living in integrity from your spiritual core center incites motivation, passion, and inspiration because you are honoring your commitment to bring the gift of your Essential Self to the world. When you live from the inside out, you are living in harmony with the Oneness of Spirit, creating unity and harmony within your inner personal life, as well as the world all around you.

 

 

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

 

 

Do you have any insights that you would like to share with us regarding how you have learned to live from the inside out?

 

Love and Light,

 

Sandra

 

For more information on Living From the Inside Out, order the book, “The Power of Oneness, Live The Life You Choose.”

 

 

You Are Worthy!

Sign with clouds behind that says, "Self-Worth

© Andy Dean Photography/Shutterstock

 

 

Do you constantly long for wonderful things in your life that just don’t seem to be happening?  Perhaps you are hoping for more love in your relationships, greater financial abundance, a career you truly enjoy, and better health.  You have worked hard, may have thought about the quality of life you desire in countless ways, imagined it, and prayed for it – and still, it just doesn’t seem to be manifesting into your reality!

 

 

So why aren’t your hopes and dreams for a better life coming true? 

 

 

In your pure state of spirituality, there is a higher aspect of yourself that already knows you deserve to be loved, joyful, healthy, peaceful and living in abundance. This is the natural way of being your Essential Self, or often times referred to as your Higher Self, that is connected to spiritual truth. When your thoughts are in harmony with your truth, you remember that you DESERVE to receive all of these blessings.

 

 

There is also another aspect of yourself, which is the ego part of your mind, that dwells on thoughts of fear.  All thought is creative, so whatever you are experiencing is a giant mirror reflecting your predominant thoughts.  When you focus on fear, you create fearful circumstances.  When you choose to focus on unconditional love, you create loving experiences.  Since fear is the opposite of love, when you choose thoughts of fear, you are blocking the flow of blessings that naturally flow to you through the energy of unconditional love.

 

 

One major way in which we block the flow of blessings manifesting into our physical reality is through guilt and shame.  

 

 

When we hold on to these self-defeating fearful emotions, we are basically sending out a conflicting message to the Universe:  “Yes, I ask for all these blessings to come into my life; but no, I can’t accept them because I am not deserving.”  By doing this, we are separating our Spiritual Self from our Physical Self and are standing in our own way of receiving,  Not surprisingly, we don’t feel like we are in the flow of life.

 

 

If you are feeling guilty or shameful, you are most likely dwelling on the past and judging yourself for all the things you have said or done to hurt yourself and others. Perhaps the rationalization you are using for holding onto guilt and shame is that you feel the need to punish yourself for the many things you may have said or done in the past that you now perceive as “wrong.”  The problem is that this type of self-flagellation does not heal anyone or anything. In truth, holding onto guilt and self-punishment is a form of ego that confirms victimhood.  If not expressed and transformed, chances are that your feelings of guilt and shame will turn into long-term resentment, bitterness, and anger because you are not being kind to yourself.

 

 

Express your feelings

 

 

Feeling guilty and shameful at times is human and appropriate.  This is why it is important to be honest with yourself about your feelings and express them in a constructive way.  Talking with a non-judgmental friend or professional health practitioner, spending time with people you love, participating in physical activity, and being with nature are just a few ways to let out your emotions. Expressing your feelings of guilt and shame is healthy – on the other hand, making these feelings a permanent foundation for your beliefs about yourself  is extremely damaging.  It can become a constant excuse for denying yourself the quality of life you want to live.

 

 

Forgive Yourself

 

 

After you express your feelings, FORGIVE YOURSELF.  Forgiving yourself does not mean that you just forget about everything.  Forgiveness is a choice to stop living in the past and adjust your thoughts to focus in present time, where all possibilities exist.  Forgiving yourself actually requires that you take full responsibility to choose healthier thoughts and actions.  Since the past is already behind you, you now have a choice:  you can drag along the pain and sorrow of your past experiences, or you can carry forward the lessons and growth that you have gained from dealing with the many challenges in your life. While this may seem like an oversimplification, this single decision will have a healing effect on your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions – in other words, it will change your whole reality!

 

 

Then make a commitment to yourself to be as honest and kind as you know to be to yourself and others from this point forward.  This intention, based on forgiveness of self and others, requires an enormous amount of practice every day in every way.  It is more than worth it because it harmonizes your thoughts with the frequency of Universal Love and will clear the way for you to receive the infinite blessings you DESERVE.

 

 

Love and Light,

 

Sandra

Choosing to Have the Courage to Be Yourself

This is an image of a bright blue sky with beautiful clouds with the the word Courage written into the clouds

© phloxii/shutterstock

 

Ironically, one of the greatest fears we humans have is that we will be vulnerable if we express our true self to the world.  In an attempt to “protect” ourselves, we many times project emotions which we do not authentically feel, display behaviors which are designed to please others, and say things we don’t really mean.

 

 

Why do we do this? 

 

 

We live in a society in which we are conditioned to focus primarily on outer stimulation. From earliest childhood, many of us were taught by well-intentioned parents, teachers, and caregivers to define ourselves by what other people think of us.  Seeking the approval of others quickly became the major motivation for most of our behavior patterns, starting very early in the lives of many of us.  As a result, we may have developed a belief system that our self-worth is determined by the opinions of others rather than learning to develop our own sense of self-esteem based on inner values.  Unless we became aware of this perception and chose to change it, we most likely continued to perpetuate this belief into adulthood.  

 

 

Why does this cause pain in our lives?

 

 

One of the tenets of the Universal Law of Manifestation is that we attract what we project.  Accordingly, if we do not project our authentic selves, we will not attract responses from other people that align with who we truly are.  For example, most of us have been in numerous life situations where we have knocked ourselves out trying to please someone by being the selfless mother, father, spouse, sibling, or friend.  We emotionally gave and gave until eventually we felt depleted.  We were desperately seeking approval for our heroic deeds.  When we did not get back what we considered an appropriate response, we felt totally unappreciated and, perhaps, even rejected.  This seemingly selfless approach is far from selfless because it cultivates an environment where everyone is looking to everyone else to feel regenerated.

 

 

Does it take courage to express our true self?

 

 

Of course it takes courage to live an authentic life in which we are projecting our honest self, rather than hiding behind layers of veneers that we have designed to deflect the hurtful thoughts and actions of others. It is important to remember that  “courage”  (root word cuer, meaning heart) does not mean the absence of fear; indeed, we all have fears.  Having courage means that we make a conscious choice to live from the heart by choosing thoughts, words, and actions that are aligned with our spiritual values of kindness, cooperation, and respect for self and others. Interestingly, when we are being who we truly are, we are actually able to detach from needing approval from everyone else because there is an inner peace and sense of confidence that comes from living in integrity.

 

 

The only real “safety” any of us has in life is the security of being our authentic selves.  Every single one of us is amazingly special.  NO ONE ELSE CAN BE YOU!  No other human being has your particular personality, your one-of-a-kind brain, your special body, and your extraordinary soul. YOUR UNIQUENESS is a contribution to all of humanity.

 

 

When you express your TRUE SELF to the world, you are sharing the physical expression of the Love and Light of your soul. What could be more “safe?”

 

 

Love and Light,

 

Sandra