To create a new you, you need to be still

While we are in control of ourselves, we aren’t in control of everything around us. It’s important to remember that as people who live and form part of society, we do not live in isolation. Whether we like it or not, it’s important to accept that the world around us affects us and holds some influence over our lives and circumstances. 

In spite of this, I do believe that we have the power and the duty to work on ourselves and take responsibility for our own personal growths. No one can control the way we react to situations but ourselves. But sometimes our biggest obstacles to taking action are our own thought processes and self-beliefs. These are often patterns of thought that we aren’t even conscious of, but which are embedded deep within us. So much so that we’ve come to fully believe them and accept them as true.  

So the next time you find yourself limiting or criticising yourself, do a kind act for yourself. Start by questioning and untangling the learnt behaviours which govern you with an iron fist. Maybe you’ve conditioned yourself to hide an essential part of who you are because you believe you can never be loved or accepted if you express your true inner self. Or maybe you stop yourself from following your passion projects for fear of being criticised or ridiculed. 

These are very common feelings that many of us feel from time to time, but they are beliefs which are not objectively true. By unpicking these patterns and understanding the life experiences that have shaped these limiting beliefs, we can begin to rebuild our thought processes and take steps towards change. 

How does meditation help in all of this?

We currently live lives bombarded by constant noise which doesn’t allow us to connect with our inner world and wisdom. Noise coming from your newsfeed, TV, radio. Noise from being constantly connected to others, talking, chatting, mingling, performing in person or online. We have learnt to panic when faced with silence. But this constant need to drown out the silence in our lives robs us from the time and energy to slow down and reflect on our inner selves. 

Meditation gives us the skills to know how to release and observe. It gives us the space to learn about ourselves by simply being. If you give yourself the time and space to meditate, you can find yourself having intense experiences during meditation, which can help you to rewrite your core beliefs and intentions.

I truly believe that to create something new and great, you need to give yourself time to act and time to be still.