| "Why do you stay in prison, when the door is so | | | | the opposite is also true. You can train yourself to |
| wide open" - Rumi | | | | see your thoughts as simply thoughts, and then |
| Many of us walk through life thinking thoughts | | | | adjust your actions to give yourself better results. |
| that control our actions and keep us behind | | | | A very simple story that has circulated can |
| invisible bars. Not all thinking is bad, but some | | | | demonstrate this point. A mother and daughter |
| thoughts can imprison us if we cling to them as | | | | are in the kitchen fixing a family meal which |
| holding some sort of supreme value and allow | | | | included a ham. The mother instructed the |
| them to control the actions of our lives. | | | | daughter to cut each end of the ham off before |
| In the area of money beliefs, we can have these | | | | placing it in the oven. The daughter asks the |
| internal scripts about the value of money, is it | | | | mother why this has to be done. The mother |
| good or is it evil, do we deserve it or not, will it | | | | responds that she doesn't know; that this is how |
| be easy or difficult to attain. These thoughts, | | | | her mother taught her. As it happens, her own |
| whether or not they are true, can start to affect | | | | mother, the grandmother, was there so they |
| how we act. Sometimes these actions result in a | | | | asked her why the ham needed to be cut before |
| self-fulfilling prophecy of what we were thinking to | | | | going into the oven. The grandmother had a |
| begin with! | | | | similar response - that was how her mother had |
| With the practice of mindful meditation, you can | | | | taught her. Well, as luck had it the great |
| train yourself to see these thoughts just as they | | | | grandmother was also present for this meal, so |
| are. They are thoughts, that's it, and you don't | | | | they asked her. Her response was a little |
| always have to place any value or judgments on | | | | different: "The roasting pan I used for my ham |
| them. You don't need to condemn them and you | | | | was always too small, so I had to cut the ends |
| don't need to allow them to consume your | | | | off of the ham to make it fit!" |
| response or action. | | | | That's it! So an idea that had been passed down |
| It is uncomfortable at times when you move | | | | from generation to generation was no longer valid. |
| outside of your belief system. After all, if you are | | | | I can just imagine the family arguments over the |
| an adult you have been practicing and putting | | | | years about the best way to cook a ham! |
| importance on certain limiting thoughts for many | | | | It is possible that you are holding onto thoughts |
| years. You can train yourself, whether you are | | | | and beliefs that have been passed down |
| aware of it or not, to believe that there will be | | | | generation to generation that are simply not true |
| horrible consequences if you do something that | | | | for you and worse, holding you back from your |
| falls outside of your current belief system. But | | | | true potential. |