Feelings Are Your Personal GPS |
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By: Lynne Hoft Posted: 2008-03-23 09:08:13 |
| A Directional GuideFeelings are your global positioning system (GPS). One of the key functions of feelings is to let us know where our thoughts are coming from. Our thoughts either come from our natural brilliance or from our old thought systems. If we didn't have feelings, we would never know when we were caught up in our thoughts. All of the feelings we generally consider negative feelings are messengers telling us, Uh-oh-you're going the wrong direction. As soon as we begin to use our feelings as a directional guide, life becomes a lot smoother.Without feelings, we would take every thought seriously. We would have no way of knowing whether our thoughts are accurate or coming from past patterns. Psychotic people actually believe all their thoughts are real and sometimes act upon them regardless of consequences.Low-Level Feelings In life today we are surrounded by many expressions of low-level feelings-anger, hate, irritation, bitterness and despair. These feelings are anchored in old thoughts and patterns.Many of us have deeply rooted family patterns that seem natural to us but sap our energy, harm our relationships, and create unhappiness. One of our clients talked about growing up in an anxiety-driven family. She was conditioned to use anxiety as a way to survive and make things happen. She said it took her a long time to recognize that this was not healthy. When she stopped that pattern, it was uncomfortable for her to be in a peaceful state of mind. She still held the mistaken belief that she would accomplish more using the old pattern.Some patterns are so prevalent that they become addictive. They turn into the patterns of choice for expressing negative feelings. New brain research shows strong neural pathways are formed when feeling states are consistently repeated. One of the most prevalent addictive and destructive patterns is that of anger. Many of us are conditioned to believe we can't show pain or vulnerability but we can show anger. After awhile this conditioning leads to an automatic first-choice response of anger. A person with anger addiction becomes angry instead of disappointed, frustrated, sad, or having any other feeling. This creates tremendous pressure and conflict in relationships.Many people work in service professions that help individuals deal with their anger, depression, and chronic unhappiness. Our society has so normalized these negative feelings that we've created a huge market to deal with them. Some of us actually feel out of place if we have no stories of anxiety, distress, or tragedy to share.As we watch world events, we see people responding in anger to any idea that is different from their own, including cultural and religious beliefs. New patterns of thinking are needed to shift the extreme anger patterns in our world. The choice starts with us. We can ask ourselves, "Would I rather be right or would I rather be happy?"Use Your FeelingsWe can use our unpleasant feelings to let us know when our old beliefs are running our lives. These old patterns of thinking may have been helpful in the past, but they don't fit the present situation. Our uncomfortable feelings are telling us this. Instead of trying to hide or get rid of negative feelings, we can recognize that feelings are an inborn gift that we can trust to lead us to health and happiness.We will continue to experience difficult situations in our lives because we don't control all of our life circumstances. Difficult situations often trigger difficult emotions. We can learn to treat ourselves with compassion and understanding when we are experiencing these emotions because we know we have the power to move beyond them. Though we cannot avoid feelings of grief, loss, pain, or hurt, we can move beyond them much more quickly if we are able to let go and connect with our natural brilliance. It will show us the gifts of the past and the gifts in each moment that will move us to peace of mind.When we become aware that we can shift our low feelings by changing the direction of our thoughts, the "lights go on", we regain our energy, and we move forward. We can learn to trust our feelings to lead us to focus on solutions rather than problems and to create happier lives.A New Relationship with FeelingsWe gain control of our feelings when we begin to realize they are guides to our thinking. The first step is to recognize what we're feeling and know that the feeling is a messenger. At this point we need to pat ourselves on the back and celebrate that we are aware. The second step is to listen to the messenger reminding us that our feelings are connected to our thinking. This is the key to being in our power. Third, and most essential, is to stop and shift from our patterns to our brilliance. Many people take a deep breath, relax, go for a walk, or do whatever assists them in shifting to their natural state of mind. Know that, beginning with the awareness of your feelings in the first step, you have already shifted into your brilliance. It is your brilliance that is guiding you to take these steps-steps that create a new relationship with feelings, a place you've perhaps never been before.When people first make this transition, some feel a loss, a sadness about the past; they may blame themselves for not having known what they've just learned. Others are caught up in the magnitude of this shift in behavior; they question what they will talk about with their friends and family when they realize that all of their negative habits of conversation will not maintain their connection with their brilliance. Others judge themselves harshly when they are not able to quickly shift to brilliant living.We urge you not to take these thoughts seriously. Keep in mind that this is a process and the creation of a new habit, a new way of living, and it takes time and practice to establish any new habit. What is important is that you celebrate every time you take a step, no matter how small, toward living in your brilliance. Each day of the journey becomes easier and easier as you begin to experience the benefits of this new way of living.You will find that you are happier because you have used your negative feelings to identify your patterned thoughts and then let them go and shifted into your natural brilliance, where positive feelings reside. The more you learn to live in your brilliance, the more time and energy you will have to create your dreams. Your feelings are your personal GPS. They are free and available to you now.Back to Brilliance: Unlimited Learning for Living, is a company dedicated to providing learning experiences focused on the key principles for creating brilliant lives. It is owned and operated by business partners, Lynne Hoft, EdD and Vivian Hildebrandt, MA, who are both veteran educators. Their book, Activate Your Brilliance; their educational programs: Stop Stress in Its Tracks, Master Your Mindset, and Keys to Brilliant Living: the Art of Living Happy; and their weekly E-zine: The Ultimate Treasure, all assist clients to gain stress relief, create a mindset for success, and create fulfilling lives and happiness.. |
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