Posts tagged Possibilities
It’s Not My Fault I Have Problems!
Oct 22nd
According to post-structuralists (Derrida, Lacan, Foucault), it is not my fault whether I am screwing up my life. Post-structuralists say I am not the only one to blame. They say that everything that is external to me determines how I behave. So when I can’t stop drinking and my wife wants to leave me, it is not solely my fault. Rather, everything that has happened in my life up until this point has led me to drink or behave in the way that I do.
But regardless of whose fault it is, the question still lingers…What can I do to change? The post-structuralists say that you cannot change unless you change the things around you. In other words, you would have behaved differently had your context been different. Hence, something external to yourself is keeping you from doing your best.
The really cool thing about post-structuralism is that merely understanding that you are not to blame for your problems, will create change. If you stop blaming yourself and share the blame with something or someone else, then your attitude changes. The change in attitude consequently incites change.
Post-structuralist philosophy says that our environment inscribes our bodies and that our bodies, in turn, inscribe our environment. What they mean is that you cannot separate the part from the whole and that we are one with what surrounds us. Hence, our reality is merely a reflection of this relationship. So, a change in one individual means a change in the environment and vice versa.
How can we put this philosophy to work? First, by believing that we are not responsible or can determine how we behave. Second, after we stop blaming ourselves, and feeling deficient, we can try something different, whatever is possible at that moment. Remember, we cannot determine what those possibilities will be. After we try that, we keep on trying. Eventually, according to post-structuralism, things will turn out in the only way they can. If you still have problems, then you need to keep on trying. And if you die trying then you can conclude that even though you tried, and things did not change, that it was not solely your own doing.
To put it simply, it is not only trying to make change individually, but rather that the world and the individual are trying together. If you fail, then you both fail. For those of you who believe in God, for example, the thought would resemble the saying that you do not walk alone but hand in hand with God. In other words, the world you create is the world according to you and God.
Find How Wonderful You Are
Oct 10th
Compliment yourselves, believe in yourselves, and give yourselves credit.
You are wonderful people; each and every one of you has many talents. You have achieved much in your lives. You are dear people. All you have to do is acknowledge it, believe in it and cultivate it. I once heard a dear person say – “The perfect person for being myself – is me”. ?And so, the most perfect person for being you – is you”. It is a wonderful sentence. Please remember it and give yourself credit for the wonderful person you are. Believe in yourself and in what you are able to do. Believe in your ability to love and be happy. Believe in your inner light and that you can create so much. Even the sky is not the limit. Believe in the multitude of possibilities for you. Believe that you can believe!
Give yourselves a kind word. Stand in front of the mirror and say a kind word to yourselves. Give yourselves credit for things you are successful in, for things you have accomplished, for gifts you have given to the world, for your good qualities, for the beauty within you. Thank yourself for the beautiful plant that you have placed in your house, for the good cake you baked, or for the beautiful picture you hung on the wall. Let yourselves enjoy who you are.
Two exercises that will assist you
First exercise – complimenting one’s self
Make a list of things you love about yourself. For example: “I am smart”, “I am kind”, “I have a great sense of humor”, “I have pretty eyes”, “I am very friendly and I make people feel good about themselves”.
Make this list and within it you will find yourselves. You will find out how lovable you are. You will find out your useful and good qualities.
First you might need to strain your brain a little but the rest will soon to follow. ?
You are wonderful people. Much love to you…
Here is an example of the one of my attribute lists:
Complimenting Myself:
I am filled with love and give love to the universe
I am kind and helpful
I am friendly
I am beautiful
I am filled with happiness and optimism and I share it with my surroundings all the time
I am aware of my ability to create in my life
I am able to solve any dilemma
I eat healthy and take care of my body
I am intelligent
Second exercise -Accomplishments
Make a list of all the things you have accomplished in your daily life, things you feel you have been successful in. Note these things and add a few of the sentiments you that have felt while achieving them. Describe them in detail. Experience once more those good sentiments through the writing. Later you will be able to relive the event and sentiments while reading them once more. You can also add more small achievements every time you recall them. Soon enough more and more insights will come to you as you realize that the act of adding achievements is the greatest success.
Here is a list of my achievements in the recent past:
My Achievements:
One of my paintings was hung in my parents’ dining room. The painting is pretty and expresses joy.
I made wonderful breakfast for my friends and they all enjoyed it.
I finished my Bachelors and Masters Degree
I help people find the good and beautiful within them
I helped a friend buy a shirt that looks good on him
I attended a good workshop on attracting abundance and it helped me attract the things I wanted in my life
I was successful in managing a project at work
Now read what you wrote and see how wonderful you are.
