Why is it that your efforts don’t ever seem to pan
out as you’d like? Why does the same type of stuff happen to you repeatedly?
Why can’t you get unstuck?
Each of those three questions is an important one,
but especially why you can’t seem to get unstuck. Anyone who feels stuck in a
life they desire to be different and improved contends with the fact of life in
this physical-reality experience that how we experience life is a match to or reflection of our inner
identity. Let’s go ahead and admit it: this just doesn’t feel good to know
or accept. It’s easier to blame someone or circumstances. But that doesn’t
create desired shifts, nor will it ever.
One of the popular practices promoted is to shift
your thoughts to better ones. That can certainly be helpful and certainly aims
you in a better direction than negative thoughts about you or others or
circumstances ever could—which they can’t. There are times when that kind of
positive-thought shifting feels easier and at other times feels nearly
impossible. And, why doesn’t this always work or last as expected or desired?
Shifting thoughts, or using affirmations or
visualizations, happens at the conscious level of mind. That’s all well and
good—UNLESS—at the subconscious mind level, your inner identity is in direct contrast with what you use your
conscious mind to try to convince your ego aspect is otherwise. You’ve got
programs running deep, like an underground river, which means that’s where you
need to paddle your boat if you’re
going to move forward and find your way into the air and light.
It seems logical to then look at beliefs. You’ve
possibly done exercises where you look at the beliefs you grew up with and
absorbed from others about money, education, success, self-worth, your
lovability, and so forth, and then rewrote them as better, more supportive
belief statements. That’s a good practice, too. But why doesn’t that practice
stick as well as expected either, if it hasn’t? It’s because the original
beliefs became what you practiced for a very long time—they influenced your
inner identity, and the new belief statements became your new verbal practices, but they don’t address
your inner identity—what you believe you know about you as fact and truth,
which is where you operate from at all times. And this is why you can get stuck
here in belief statements, as well.
Maybe you try to convince yourself to believe in
you because you weren’t taught to do that or because your value and worth and
lovability were diminished by someone you trusted. But that was their practice, not the truth of you or
about you. If—and when—you can truly see yourself as an expression of the
God-Mind, you will realize that any thought you have about yourself that isn’t
in alignment with that Truth can only be an illusion you practice. What makes
the illusion feel real is that your inner identity gets matched in the physical
realm to and with people and experiences—like moths to a flame. This is why any
true and positive change or shift matches your inner identity at all times.
Your inner identity goes much deeper than the
conscious level. It goes into the heart of what you believe about you and even
deeper into what you believe about Source, God, God-Mind, One Consciousness,
Universe—call it what you will. You may have said to yourself that you are an
expression of the God-Mind and have a connection with God-Mind, and meant it or
meant to mean it, but do you believe
it as your inner identity, to the point where you know without doubt that it’s
your Truth? It’s one thing to say it and another to believe it, know it, and
live from it. If you’ve believed negative things about yourself for a lifetime,
stepping into this Truth may or may not be as quick and easy for you as you’d like.
But it’s doable, and it’s worth it so that you live and experience the true
dignity of your existence.
If you can truly see and allow that you are an
expression of the God-Mind, you will realize that absolutely nothing and no one
is the source of your abundance, prosperity, well-being, worth, deservedness,
lovability, and so on—no matter appearances—other than God-Mind, which is the only source, and your only Source, of
everything. When you can begin to align with that as a fact of YOU and
everything and everyone in creation, your inner identify can begin to realign with that Truth instead of the
illusions you’ve believed. How you choose to feel about your experiences will
shift. You will see your outer experiences begin to match or reflect your inner
identity in ways that seem magical because of how fluid and natural they
become. It’s possible that you’ve had moments where this was your experience.
These were times when you connected with this Truth and experienced that
connection as a feeling, a knowing. It’s a feeling like no other.
When your inner identity is aligned with this
Truth, or as it begins to align with it, circumstances will become signposts
that direct you onto a better path for you, rather than be viewed by your ego
aspect as obstacles to beat your head against or be defeated by. And, you will
no longer be able to tolerate some of the nonsense you currently tolerate from
others or from yourself. I recently saw a quote that’s supposed to be Polish in
its origins and is used when others want to pull you into their nonsense: “Not my circus. Not my monkeys.” You’ll
also become aware that people who bring nonsense into your life, even serious
types of nonsense, are letting you look into a necessary mirror to show you
where and what your inner identity is reflecting outwardly and where and how it
needs adjustment and realignment to the Truth of your divine nature.
You know your inner identity needs your attention
when:
- You
are present physically but are mentally focused on or in someone else’s
business and life more than in or on your own. That’s a clear signal that
you’re engaging victim mentality or are avoiding your own life and what
may be needed to strengthen your inner identity, or that you’re doing
both.
- Your
sense of self and self-worth is diminished or lacking.
- Your
energy for your life is lacking.
- You
rely on others instead of yourself to cause you to feel good about you or
to feel lovable and valuable. No one but you can heal the inner wounds
that have influenced your expression of your inner identity.
- Even
if loved by someone and or others, you still feel undeserving. This taints
the love you give and causes you to fear giving and receiving love, as
well.
- You
live from your ego rather than your authentic self.
- Even
though good things happen to and for you, you still feel empty and or
undeserving.
- Compliments
or praise make you feel uncomfortable rather than appreciated.
- You’re
in a non-reciprocated intimate relationship (or any non-reciprocated
relationship). You allow and accept less than you deserve from any and
maybe all relationships, personal and professional.
- You
allow yourself to accept blame for how consistently unhappy or angry
someone else is.
- You
allow verbal or physical abuse or apathy from someone or anyone,
especially repeatedly.
- Most
of your time and energy is spent
putting out “fires”—yours or someone else’s—instead of creating something
new that you’re enthusiastic about or on being focused on moving forward
in your life.
- You
use alcohol or other chemicals to escape or cope (long-term and frequent
use, as opposed to occasional use).
- You
ignore the “red flags” when you meet someone new, whether personally or
professionally, and allow yourself to get hurt—again.
- You
keep attracting the same types of non-supportive or emotionally
unavailable or abusive people, whether in your personal or professional
life or both.
- You
people-please in an effort to receive approval, acceptance, and proof you
are lovable and worthy.
- A
person whom you know you shouldn’t be in any kind of relationship with
keeps hooking you back in, including with “Let’s stay friends.” You’re
addicted to the person—or rather, addicted to the chemicals that flood
your body from the stress you experience with them or when you think about
them, and your cells keep asking for hits of that particular “drug.”
- You’re
addicted to stress and drama, which causes self-sabotage.
- An
extreme form of this is when you’d rather not live than make necessary
changes, mostly because you don’t realize it’s the condition your inner
identity is in that’s contributing to your experiences—and that it doesn’t
have to be this way. It’s not your physical life you want over but the
cause of what hurts you that you want stopped. It won’t be anyone or
anything that shifts in order for this to happen: it will be your inner
identity that shifts, and you’ll be amazed at how wonderful this feels,
because it is ultimately the true you that you seek and desire to be and
express.
There are two significant ways to restore,
realign, and re-enliven your inner identity: 1) Get clear on and in your
relationship to and with Source and 2) love and encourage yourself from genuine
(not egotistical) love and appreciation of and for you. Both of these, working
together, can bring healing to emotional wounds that caused your inner identity
to suffer. No affirmation, visualization, or positive thought can restore
self-love. In fact, as well-intentioned and temporarily beneficial as these can
be, they tend to remind you of what you believe you lack. Only your true
willingness to love and appreciate yourself and your connection to Source can
accomplish this restoration and replenishment. As a dialogue line in one of the
Chronicles of Narnia movies said: “I’ve spent too long wanting what was taken
from me, instead of what was given.” You’ve forgotten what Source gave you
as your birthright—your heritage, as well as your personal power and your
divine attributes to use while you’re here. This statement, borrowed in part
from the bible, may help: I can do all things through SOURCE, which
strengthens, supports, and supplies me through its Infinite Love and Resources.
You also want to stop putting your attention on
what happened or happens that calls your inner identity into question and focus
instead on why your soul aspect was or is willing to allow such experiences to
happen, which was or still is to inspire you to heal childhood wounds that
cause you to have the types of experiences you have as an adult, and to take
responsibility for knowing and defining your true inner identity rather than
let anyone else define it. If your inner identity needs redefining, please
understand that this is one of the best, most loving things you can do for you.
Others will benefit, but this is for you.
It may also require some time and definitely intention, dedication, and—I’ll
repeat—time, intention, and dedication to you and your right to an amazing life
experience, whether the experiences are amazing or how you experience them
feels amazing to you. Your inner identity didn’t shift from a divine expression
of God-Mind to you believing it was less than that overnight. So it won’t
necessarily shift back overnight either. But, you can do it, step by step, day
by day, moment by moment. It’s a good practice, one you’ll appreciate.
Practice makes progress.
© Joyce Shafer
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