Let me kick off this list of books to read with one of my own. I know–very self-serving. But in this case, I’ll forgive myself because I think this workbook might help you.
At the basis of faith is an understanding of our assumptions. And finding the ideas which form your mental core is not an easy task. But it’s a very important one.
When we’re in trouble, we rely on our most trusted ideas. But we can end up with some pretty distorted views if we’ve been raised with inflexible ideas. It’s easy to blame ourselves for the problems our parents had. As children, we feel responsible for things outside of our control. We don’t know any better.
But when we grow up, we don’t always leave those ideas behind. We can have a childish mind running around in an adult body. And that’s not a good thing. It’s okay for a 2-year old to have volitile emotions and throw a fit. But if you’re 32 and acting the same way, something’s wrong.
Clearly, ideas are the very powerful. So it’s important to discover which are worth keeping and which should be discarded. So how do you find them? What exactly do you do? The long version is found in a little workbook I wrote, called Five Life-Changing Ideas. The short version is:
- Start with what you do. Look for themes in the books you read, movies you watch, and the music you hear. Consider the content. And its frequency. What you do in a free-choice situation (when you can do anything you want) is a pretty good indication of what you find rewarding.
- Make a list of adjectives. Check out the “fuls, the “ives” and the “ous-es” How do you see yourself: thoughtful, careful, successful, forceful, graceful or bashful? And are you creative, sensitive, tentitive or supportive? Which “ous” is you: adventurous, dubious, zealous, jealous or boisterous?
- Explore your shoulds. I should…. What rules and restrictions do you impose on yourself? And why? Why those rules; why not other rules?
- After you’ve identified a long list of possibilities, narrow them down to your most basic ideas. There is no specific number of assumptions or ideas you have to reach. I like getting it down to five because I can then count them on one hand. I use each finger to remind me of what my best ideas are.
In case you’re curious, here’s my list.
- Everything is under control
- I Am Important
- I Am Durable
- I Am Free
- Today Is The Happiest Day of My Life
That should get you started.But make up your own. The whole purpose is to help you in your pursuit of self-discovery. If you think my little book would be helpful to you, get the Kindle version. It’s only $3. Give a try and let me know if it helps. To buy it on Amazon, Click Here.
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