What if I told you that there is one thing in your life that is the root cause of most of your problems and literally prevents you from having a life that you want and desire. That one thing is shame. Shame is devastating, to the body, the mind, the soul. It is much worse than guilt, and it is very important to understand the difference. Because guilt, is the belief that I did something bad, my action or behavior was bad. whereas shame is the belief that I, as a person, am bad. That everything about me is bad. Guilt is fine, it’s actually a good thing because sometimes we need to know and feel that our action was bad, BUT that shame inside you telling you that YOU are bad, that YOU are not worthy, that YOU are not good enough. That is just something that you can not even comprehend the negative effects it has on people. But everyone experiences it. It’s something that has been embedded deep inside us even before we were born. Ever since humans became aware of their surroundings, we began to feel the shame from all of those who are more beautiful, all those who are smarter, all those who are stronger, all those who are more wealthy. And that’s only what you’ve allowed others to see. Most people don’t value themselves at all. We are excruciatingly aware of our own faults and inadequacies. Ashamed and doubtful of our value. In Jordan Peterson’s 12 rules for life, he is able to sum up our self-shame perfectly as he explains why people are more likely to take better care of their dog than themselves. “You are bad enough as other people know you, but only you know the full range of your insufficiencies and inadequacies. No one is more familiar than you. With all the ways your mind and body are flawed. No one has more reason to hold you in contempt. To see you as pathetic and worthless. And by withhold something that could do you good, you punish yourself for all your failings. A dog, is clearly more deserving. He explains ever so eloquently, that with your shame, you punish yourself for your failings, you withhold the things that could create good in your life, as punishment. Now, this is all done subconsciously, as we are unaware that we are even doing it to ourselves! So what do we do? What can we do to overcome this deep devastating shame we all have? What You need to do is create a state of CONGITIVE DISSONANCE. Cognitive dissonance is the state of having inconsistent/or contradicting thoughts and beliefs in the mind at the same time. So what you need to do is create new beliefs in the mind to combat your deep shame. These contradicting beliefs may include beliefs that you are worthy, you are deserving, you are good enough. This state of cognitive dissonance does not last long, as the mind will choose one belief over the other. In time, one of the beliefs will win. And in time, the old messages of shame and doubt with begin to subside and be replaced by more accurate beliefs of self-love and value. Beliefs that reflect your inherent worth. There are a couple ways in which you can create cognitive dissonance in your mind. Both of which are immensely powerful and when used together, will create massive positive change in your life. First, with your actions and behaviors, treat yourself as if you loved yourself, cared for yourself, were valuable and worthy. Consciously Act in ways that will improve your health, expand your knowledge, strengthen your body, Treat yourself, take a trip, buy the car you always wanted, get enough sleep, relax, play, get a massage, get pampered. You will surely feel uncomfortable/anxious/ or guilty by doing these things for yourself because they contradict the deep beliefs that you don’t deserve it. That is you creating cognitive dissonance and it is good. The second way to create cognitive dissonance, is using positive affirmations. Repeatedly speaking these new positive beliefs into the mind. This following meditation will help create cognitive dissonance, dissolving the shame and doubt in your mind, and replacing those beliefs with new ones, creating positive changes in your life that will be unimaginable. You will begin to treat yourself as if you are deserving and valuable. Others will see this too and treat you will higher value. You will begin to naturally seek out better life circumstances, better relationships, better health, better career, a better lifestyle that will create a life of fulfillment, purpose, and joy. Listen as you fall asleep nightly and allow the new beliefs to sink deep into your subconscious mind. MUSIC: Elf Meditation Preview by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5728-elf-meditation-preview License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Night Vigil by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5746-night-vigil License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/