What Do We Refine -- Just Our Thoughts!

A reader named Jenna left a lovely comment on my 30-day Appreciation Game post. At the end of it, she asked a very important question:

"It's a good exercise for me because it's what I need right now. I found what I was looking for but I'm not sure if I can handle it!!! I don't know if I need to refine it situation - or refine myself."

First off Jenna, you can handle it. If I can do it, anyone can do it. Secondly, it's really a fun game. But most importantly is the question you ended with.

Abraham would tell us that you can never change outside situations in order to affect an inside change. That would be my experience too. See, whenever we are struggling with something, it always comes down to two things: perspective and alignment. Which are actually the same thing. :) So I'll just take a short-cut and say "Everything is about Perspective." Everything.

The only course of action we can take in order to affect a change is to find the perspective of our Source, our Higher Self; God's point of view, if you will, depending on your concept and beliefs around God. So attempting to change conditions in order to get happy will most likely take a lot of energy and effort and rarely lead to happiness. It's doing the job from the outside in. We need to do the inside, emotional journey job first! Then conditions will change.

The key is learning to work with our emotions. Our feelings are amazing indicators, there to guide us like our car's GPS. They are the seat of our intuition and the best, most factual piece of ourselves that we can every count on. But our thinking causes our emotions. So how to work with emotions and thinking is the big question!

For me, this is done in the following way:

1. Be aware I'm not feeling quite right. Early on when I started working with emotions, the most I could do was ask myself if I was feeling comfortable or uncomfortable. That was easy, because I knew the difference. It took a while longer to learn about the emotions within those two categories, but they are an excellent place to start.
2. Remember that my thinking is what's causing this feeling. That I'm locked into a perspective that feels bad or uncomfortable to me. Now, most people don't get this piece. And to a certain degree, you truly have to believe this statement. I do. I've seen it time and time again in my life. I've seen fear be instantly fabricated just by holding a specific perspective. I've seen love deepen and blossom from holding a perspective. I've had good days and bad days, all from holding a perspective.
3. Truly intend that the most important thing for me is to feel good. To feel good now. Not after conditions change. Not once something I want comes to pass. But right now. And that my feeling good is FAR more important to my Well-Being than anything specific thing or condition I currently desire.
4. Try on different perspectives until one feels slightly or a lot better. Don't go for quantum jumps here. Baby steps are key. Just keep trying on perspectives till one feels better than the last one. When you find one, thinking it strongly and clearly. Don't go back and forth. Then look for another one. Try another one on.
5. Law of Attraction will handle the rest. Eventually, you'll catch a glimpse of hope and you're on your way to a much better feeling place. You'll find the better feeling place just comes upon you as you continue to try on different perspectives. And then, it's like you never felt bad!

Now here's a very, very important piece to putting this bad feeling thought/state/perspective fully to rest. Don't go around through your day telling everyone about the bad feeling moment you had. Don't talk about it. Don't make a story around it. Unless you're just mentioning it as the beginning of the story about you shifting your feelings with your mind. That's in context. But don't go latching onto that state with stories and chatter. Just enjoy feeling good.

I love this practice. I truly do. Some mornings I wake up and don't feel so great. I do this process and don't get out of bed till I feel better. Quite often it's just a few minutes and I'm off and running with a better feeling.

Good luck! Let me know how it goes!