One of the craziest things to me is how many lies we believe about ourselves. We believe we're not worth it, or we're failures, or nobody will ever love us, or that rude and mean things that people say about us are actually true, etc. etc. For a lot of us, these lies are fed to us by people in our lives. Sometimes they're lies we heard when we were kids or teenagers. Sometimes we started believing them based on the way other people acted towards us or around us. Other times, they could be lies that we make up ourselves in those neurotic places of our own minds. Regardless, we all have them. And the fact of the matter is, those lies are just that= LIES.
The lies hurt our adventurous nature and keep us from going after those vast goals we want to accomplish. They keep us pinned underneath a false sense of inadequacy. The lies tell us not to try because we'll just end up failing anyway. Well guess what, guys. It's all bullshit.
Write down those lies. Call them out. Put them down on paper so you can see their ridiculousness. Sometimes it'll be hard. You'll look at them and it'll be hard to believe that they're actually lies, but they are. And hey, if you want to, go ahead and burn that list, because those lies shouldn't be allowed to have power over your life.
Our thoughts are the air breathed by our spirits. If we breath the toxic thoughts of these lies, we fill our spirits with their poison. It stunts our growth and atrophies our ability to stretch and grow. The lies keep us in a state where we are weak and unable break free from them. By choosing to throw out the lies and start "breathing" the truth, you invigorate your spirit and allow it to be healthy and strong!
Write down the truths now. Combat the lies with what is true. Write them on notecards or photos and put them on your car's dashboard, or on your mirror, or in your purse so that every time you touch them or see them you remember the truths. It might seem gimmicky or dorky, but combatting the lies we believe about ourselves is crucial to becoming your whole self. How can you become the most whole "you" if you constantly believe things about yourself that aren't true?! If everyone threw out the lies and only believed the truths about themselves the world would be one hell of an amazing place.
I was working at a retreat for High Schoolers this past January, and the whole retreat was very much in the same vein as this e-course. At the retreat, the leaders had everyone grab a wooden board and spend about a half hour writing down the lies they believed about themselves on that board. Later that night everyone Karate-chopped their boards in half to symbolize that the lies weren't true, and in the morning they took one half of the broken board and wrote truths about themselves on it, and then burned the other half. Before burning the other half, though, we asked them if they would share some of their lies and then some of their truths, and also one thing they were going to commit to from then on. As everyone shared their lies, it was amazing how many of the lies were the same, or at least very similar. Some of the lies I can recall off the top of my head were: not worthy, not smart enough, not good enough, not pretty enough. I think it's very common for people to feel the same way, but never open up enough to help each other though their shared struggles. When we realize we're not alone, we're not the only one feeling this way, we feel less isolated.
Lies also make us feel embarrassed. We're embarrassed to admit that we believe these things. Some of them are ridiculous, but they still manage to hold a power over us, and we're embarrassed to admit that to others. I know I am sometimes! I'd much rather appear to have everything put together than to admit that I allow these silly things to have power over my life! But the lies thrive in the darkness, they thrive off of the secrecy. Once you bring the lies into the light of day, they lose so much of their power!
I was working at a retreat for High Schoolers this past January, and the whole retreat was very much in the same vein as this e-course. At the retreat, the leaders had everyone grab a wooden board and spend about a half hour writing down the lies they believed about themselves on that board. Later that night everyone Karate-chopped their boards in half to symbolize that the lies weren't true, and in the morning they took one half of the broken board and wrote truths about themselves on it, and then burned the other half. Before burning the other half, though, we asked them if they would share some of their lies and then some of their truths, and also one thing they were going to commit to from then on. As everyone shared their lies, it was amazing how many of the lies were the same, or at least very similar. Some of the lies I can recall off the top of my head were: not worthy, not smart enough, not good enough, not pretty enough. I think it's very common for people to feel the same way, but never open up enough to help each other though their shared struggles. When we realize we're not alone, we're not the only one feeling this way, we feel less isolated.
Lies also make us feel embarrassed. We're embarrassed to admit that we believe these things. Some of them are ridiculous, but they still manage to hold a power over us, and we're embarrassed to admit that to others. I know I am sometimes! I'd much rather appear to have everything put together than to admit that I allow these silly things to have power over my life! But the lies thrive in the darkness, they thrive off of the secrecy. Once you bring the lies into the light of day, they lose so much of their power!
