Where are Your Beliefs Taking You? 

Are you having upstream or downstream thoughts? Unlike salmon we don’t have to swim frantically against the current to reach our destination. We simply have to let go and flow.

Are you having upstream or downstream thoughts? Unlike salmon we don’t have to swim frantically against the current to reach our destination. We simply have to let go and flow. The analogy of up or downstream, means of course, that the natural way for something to flow is downstream. And everything that we want, that we seek, that is seeking us, is downstream. So unlike salmon we don’t have to swim frantically against the current to reach our destination. We simply have to let go and flow. This goes against a lot of beliefs that tell us, that unless you put a lot of effort, nothing good can happen, no pain, no gain. However, Child of the Universe Theory, which I prefer, means, that you are already worthy, simple by being a divine being, of having more goodness in your life than you could ever count.  That abundance is our true birthright in every aspect.  Just as the hatchling turtles reach the beach without a map, if we thought less and felt our way back to our own divine inner connection (our inner beach), we would also effortlessly find our way to the outer beach, or mate, or job, or inspired idea.

Now, for the cynics out there, letting go, may sound like, lie in a hammock all day, hoping to get into shape. But most of us if we did that, would have a large dose of disbelief about it working, that disbelief would create a feeling of hopelessness, and probably that hopelessness would send us diving for donuts.

But the river journey we are talking about does start with your thoughts. And the easiest way to know if you are swimming against the current or downstream towards your desires, true destiny etc, is to use your good old inner guidance. Yes, listen to your feelings.

Just as you know if something tastes good or not, be very picky about your thoughts, do they feel good or not. If a thought doesn’t feel good, it is definitely sending you upstream or at least stuck on a rock mid stream. Thoughts are energy, and you can feel that energy, as resistant or flowing.

For example. Losing Weight or Finding Perfect Body Weight.

How you state a goal is also important, see how the first one focusing on the negative and feels slightly laborious already, where as the second already conjures up the image of the goal and feels hopeful. Then underneath your goal, you could write ten statements which you commonly say to yourself or others about this topic.

For example.

I can easily lose weight once I’m in my flow

Losing weight is harder now I’m older

I naturally prefer healthy food, like fruit and salads anyway

I’m still addicted to sugar

I always bounce back to my old weight straight away

Now, if beliefs create our reality, it’s very crucial what we believe.   A belief isn’t some ultimate truth, it is just a thought we’ve had many times. So if we have the thought many times about being addicted to sugar, we are under-scoring that neural pathway, deepening that belief. Maybe up to now that may have been your experience, but if you want to create a new reality, you have to create a new thought. I’m addicted to feeling good, I love natural favours, I’m only attracted to things that feed my cells with life.

Out of those 5 thoughts above, 3 are upstream, one is downstream, and the one about easily losing weight ONCE I’m in my flow, depends on how easily I feel I can get into my flow. If you heard me talking these statements, you wouldn’t need to analysze each thought, you unconsciously would do the maths and conclude that you probably don’t belief I will reach my goal. And neither do I when I think like this.

If I can deliberately start creating more down stream, positive thoughts about weight loss, before long the inspiration to move more and eat better would naturally come too.

In a retreat I was conducting once, I asked people do this exercise, and one woman wrote 10 thoughts about relationships, all of which were negative. She was determined to argue for her reality, about how bad relationships really were. But the penny dropped when she realized that she wasn’t just describing her past experience, she was recreating it, by holding onto those beliefs. Now, you don’t need to turn around 180 degrees and say, relationships are fun, when you’ve just escaped a horrendous one. But you can take little strokes or paddles in the right direction, till eventually the stream starts carrying you down.

Abraham Hicks outlines these steps or strokes, as the Emotional Scale. And you can use it to check the quality of your thoughts. Anything below number 8 – Contentment, and you are definitely upstream, and moving away from your well-being, but obviously number 25, depression, hopelessness, is paddling up stream fast, so at first you want to at least slow down your boat, by thinking less negative thoughts.

For instance if you were feeling hopeless about finding a good mate, and dwelling on all the bad aspects of your last relationship, try instead, ‘well at least John was a bit better than Jack’, and ‘I learnt to be a bit more assertive’, and ‘there was some good moments too, in fact it wasn’t all bad, but still I would rather have someone who appreciated me more, instead of putting me down’ ‘But hey, it was just their insecurity anyway, I’m a good person’. And so on.  Slowly statement by statement, thinking or writing, you work your thoughts downstream, till when good feeling thoughts are rapidly coming which make you feel really quite hopeful and inspired around the issue. Possibly the negative thoughts will arise again, but each time its easier to find those good ones again, as you’ve made the journey before. And with practice, you really can control your thoughts about the topic, or change directly quickly.

After some time, you may start to notice little or big manifestations coming to you. You met some lovely guys at the party and it just underlines your new beliefs, that there really are nice guys around. Or you get inspired to take up a new hobby where you meet great people. Or maybe an apology from an ex arrives. Not that you have to go there, but it can be a sign that your releasing resistance has reached them, and made them also shift in their consciousness.

So, the bottom line, with any thought you are having, is to ask yourself, does that make me feel good, would I like to create an experience based on that thought, is that thought up stream or down stream. i.e. where are my believes taking me?