8. Fill Me Up

Since the day we were born, our subconscious mind has recorded all our emotions – the joys, the pain, the hurts and rejections – in our “memory banks.” We have the ability to bring up these emotions at a moment’s notice, by the pushing of a “button”.

We do not like to recall the hurts or the pain. No one enjoys those feelings, so we suppress them. WE will do anything to hold them down, from drinking to smoking a joint or doing cocaine. We refuse to face the rejection and hurt, so we do not allow our conscious mind to recall it.

We often cover up our hurts without realizing it by acting in ways that are irresponsible, even violent. Consciously, we don’t know why, but our subconscious mind does. We want to voce up the real problem and live in a fantasy world.

We should know that for every negative thought, for each feeling of pain and rejection, there is an opposite. We must learn to throw out the negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. We act upon our thoughts. If our thoughts are negative, that’s the way we will act. If our thoughts are positive, we will act those out, too.

We must learn to “dump our garbage” and replace it with goodness and love. When we do this, we become better as a person, a child of god. This works the same way as using a muscle. When a muscle is weak, we build it up by exercising it over and over again. This same principle works with the mind and emotions. When our mind is weak, we can strengthen it by telling ourselves over and over, “We are somebody. We can do it.” The more we tell ourselves these things and act upon what we say, the more they become part of our being.

As you awaken each morning, first thank God for a new day; then start you daily exercises” “I am somebody. I am alive. I have something positive to offer someone. If it is rejected, it will not affect the way I feel right now. I will say, “So what.’ I will say, ‘I am talented, and I thank God for my talent.'”

“It will not matter if someone calls me a name. I know who I am. No words will have power over my life today. I will not allow a negative thought to enter my mind. I will not feel sorry for myself. I will count my blessings, and when in doubt, I will read the attached Bible verses.”

Do not let negative words control you. When people try to put you down, just remember that words cannot control you life. Only God has control over your life, and He has given us all free will to make our own choices.

Choices can be difficult. Whatever choices we make, there will be consequences, – some good, some bad. We always have options. We can choose to act impulsively or to think things through. Acting on impulse usually has negative and sometimes severe consequences.

Stop and ask yourself whether your action will hurt yourself or someone else. Will it hurt your career or cause a loss of trust? Will it contribute to the problem or help it? Is it taking an unnecessary risk which may result in incarceration? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then review your options.

We know right from wrong. When we do things “our way,” we do not allow ourselves any other options, like taking direction from someone else. We do have choices. We can choose to stop and listen to God’s quiet voice deep inside us. We can choose to listen to others who have already had the experience.