When the sun sets on our beliefs

March 27, 2018 1 Comment


We are a few days away from turning back our clocks here in Sydney to mark the end of daylight saving. It’s a pretty simple transition, as most of our devices automatically adjust the time change. The odd clock here and there might need a manual adjust, like the clock on the stove or the alarm clock by your bed, but really daylight saving is a fairly straightforward process. 

It wasn’t until I was 19 though that I discovered the simple reality of daylight saving.
I had just moved to England to study art history and shortly after moving into my student accommodation it was time to turn the clocks back for the end of daylight saving. I imagine it was probably a regular day for most people on the planet, but not for me. I was sitting on the couch, looking out the window in absolute amazement. It was early evening and the sun was setting. I was in awe. As I stared out the window, I was lost in thoughts of the intelligence of the sun, and impressed by how incredibly organised it was. In my mind, the sun had known on that exact date, in that exact part of the world, to start to disappear exactly one hour earlier because daylight saving had ended.  Just like, well, clock work.

 

I quietly wondered, could it be that living inside the sun was a team of assistants working around the clock, to keep the sun’s schedule? All of the rising and setting around the world depending on different cities' daylight saving dates must be a full time job to manage. I shared my thoughts with my housemate, beaming with delight as I spoke of the magic of the sun. She looked at me with a sense of amazement. She must get it I thought; how amazing the sun is. But as I quickly found out it was not the sun that had her in amazement; it was that I believed the sun could do such things.


"That is not how daylight saving works!" she laughed, "We simply change the clocks. The sun has nothing to do with it!" I reflected on her explanation of daylight saving. "Oh…yes...of course" I said. I felt myself sinking into the couch, confronted by this new reality.

For 19 years I had held a belief, a belief about the sun that made life feel more magical. Many of us carry beliefs about the world around us and within us that can make life feel more magical. As children we hold beliefs about fairies that bring you money when your teeth fall out and rabbits that bring you chocolate as Easter. As adults though many of our beliefs limit the magic-ness of life. 

 A belief can be defined as:

something you hold to be true, often without needing proof it is.

A belief can be seen as a story or idea that you repeat or practice, (consciously or subconsciously). Through repetitive thoughts or continuing to tell yourself or others the story or idea, you begin to believe it.

Often when we believe something to be true, we go out into the world looking for 'evidence' to support it being true. And more often than not we find what we are looking for.

So when your beliefs centre around life being magic, and you find 'positive evidence' to support your beliefs, chances are your experience of life expands. But when the belief is limiting or negative, chances are you find evidence that limits your experience of life.

Your beliefs are one of the lenses through which you see the world. Recently I have been reflecting on some of the beliefs I hold about friendships, finances, health; beliefs I hold about my ability, my capacity, my willingness. I have been 'checking out' these beliefs, assessing if they expand or limit my experiences in life.


If you are curious about your beliefs here are two ways you can check them out:

1. Write in your journal. Ask questions of your beliefs such as,
    Does having this belief expand or limit my life experience?
    Does holding this belief to be true make me feel good?
    Does this belief allow for connection with myself and others or does it create separation?

    Believing, for example, that eating your crusts will make your hair curly is not really going to limit your life experience. But believing that if you show up in life as your 'true self' you will be rejected by those closest to you, probably will. 

    2. Get feedback. Feedback is a source of information and can come in many forms. It might show up as the amount of money in your bank account, a health or physical issue in your body or the patterns in your relationships. Feedback could come in the form of a conversation with a friend or it could be a sense or emotion you feel. Feedback provides you with information about how your beliefs are expanding or contracting your life experience. So use the feedback you receive to check out if your beliefs are ones you want to continue to hold to be true.

      Beliefs are powerful forces and can absolutely direct the course of your life. Use this to your advantage by focusing on expanding the beliefs that feel good and create positive experiences in your life.  The next time you are heading out the front door checking if you have your phone, wallet and keys I invite you to take a moment to also check in with yourself and see which beliefs you are carrying with you for the day. And unless they have the potential to bring magic to your day, maybe don't carry them with you. At first this might feel a little tricky as we are so used to carrying around the beliefs that bring us down, so here is a little inspiration for you: 
         
         
        I would love to hear from you! Feel free to share in the comments below what beliefs you are exploring at the moment and if you have any questions about how you can support yourself to create more 'feel good' beliefs, ask away. 

        Love, Rosie.


        1 Response

        Kelsey
        Kelsey

        March 29, 2018

        I like the imagery of checking your beliefs as you leave the house to start your day. It takes so much practice to know which beliefs are limiting and which ones are expanding. Thank you for these three great questions to play with! Plus, the story about daylight savings is so innocent and refreshing – your magical way of looking at the world makes life more fun!

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