In my view, “Think positively and positive things will happen” may be the most misguided, oversimplified advice ever conveyed by the self-help movement. My conclusion is based on many years of personal experience in seeking better inner and outer life circumstances.

In the past, it seemed that no matter how hard I tried to focus on the good elements, what I most desired always existed just outside my reach, with the ultimate prize being inner peace and harmony; an alignment with truth and a better understanding of how our reality is formed; and the recognition of a higher power that lives within every living thing.

Today, I’ve come to believe that every human being battles a belief of duality, an outward egoistic personality along with another mindset that exists beneath it. It’s like there are two of us: a rational mind and a quieter inner mindset that speaks through our gut instinct, intuition and heart. Our innermost essence explains how we just “know” something we can’t consciously grasp until we truly listen to that inner voice.

Whatever we call it, there’s no denying that this deeper, truer being sends signals for us to embrace, but that we too often ignore. It’s up to us to choose whether we listen up or disregard those guiding whispers that show us each step of the way to what we really desire, even when it doesn’t make sense to our rational mind.

These days my practice for seeking to improve life circumstances and attain higher levels of peace and joy is to more consistently pay close attention to this inner voice. When an idea or an impulse comes, I’m more apt to pause and pay attention to where the thought is coming from. Is it tied to ego or to a deeper place? We all know the feeling when something just feels right. I’ve also noticed that when all indications from my thinking mind, gut and heart are harmoniously aligned, I’m at peace; that’s my signal that I’m on the right track with a green light to proceed full speed ahead.

May we each allow more of our true self to come forth day by day!

Peace,

Maisie Raftery, Publisher