Let’s start with soundtracks. Your movies, of course, have them. They usually go something like this:
You’ll never make it.
Who do you think you are?
It’s selfish to think of yourself first.
Something will always go wrong, so why try?
If you really love me, you’ll….(fill in the blank. It’s always what the manipulator, often well-meaning, wants.)
I could go on, but I think you get the drift. Those voices in your head are the soundtrack of a lot of self-defeating mind movies.
Who SAYS you’ll never make it? Just because it hasn’t happened yet, it can’t happen, ever??
Lies!
Who do you think you are? Well, you’re a creation of Almighty God, THAT’S who you are. And I guarantee you, you came into this life with an important mission to accomplish. Everyone did, even that guy under the viaduct with a shopping cart full of junk. (Clue: He may be an old soul, or even an angel, and know exactly what he’s doing. Don’t dishonor him with your pity.) But unless I miss my guess, you’ve gotten so caught up in your mind movies that you forgot all about your personal marching orders. How do you find out what they are? ASK. God, aka the Universe, is eager to help you out on this one.
Selfish? It’s very unlikely that you’re selfish. I see you sitting there, with your warm heart and those secret dreams of yours, the ones you’ve put on hold to please other people. You do so many things for so many others, especially your family. Here’s a hint: a little healthy selfishness can be a good thing. If you don’t take very good care of yourself, you won’t be there for others who need you. (Also, remember that in some quarters, calling you selfish is a time-honored, sure-fire way to get you to do what the accuser wants.) Don’t buy in!
IT’S A MOVIE, and these are the soundtracks.
As for the drums, well, that refers to the things you say over and over to yourself. This habit is usually so ingrained that it has become unconscious, automatic. You establish a beat, and it becomes so steady and rhthmic that you get hypnotized. You forget who you are. You forget that you have a mission. You forget that Somebody loves you, big-time.
Stop beating the same old drums! Get some new thoughts. How? By doing what we talked about yesterday–get started on those morning pages! Get to know yourself. It will be a fascinating journey, full of surprises. Yes, you’ll uncover some things you’d rather avoid, but where has avoidance really gotten you? Those very things, those hidden things, are the drumbeat of your life. It’s a universal law. What is hidden will be revealed. Why wait until the whole thing gets so big it explodes?
Do you want to march to that kind of drumbeat? I don’t think so.
