Calendar Books by Allen James - Daily Reading - "The Journey: A Calendar Book"

Our August 22nd reading from The Journey: A Calendar Book,

"Be honest with yourself" (James, 2012).

Today's thought is key to personal success.  How often we deceive ourselves about who we are and what we are capable of accomplishing, and it goes both ways;  we may keep telling ourselves we are/can be/do individual/things which are far beyond our abilities or we may keep telling ourselves we aren't/can't be/do individuals/things which we are possess the propensity to become/accomplish.

Being honest with our dreams, hopes, aspirations assists personal success comes our way easier and much sooner than if we are not honest with ourselves about these things.

However; being honest with ourselves can be like getting teeth pulled; it can be painful, but wow, how the end results leave us in much better condition. And regular checkups are essential for long-lasting health. The dentist in this case is us, and our job is to bust through the buildup of stories, illusions, lies, fears, misperceptions, attachments, and judgments we’ve been collecting.
We don’t let just anyone put his or her fingers into our mouths, so we want to be just as cautious about allowing someone into our hearts. This means it’s essential we also promise to act as a best friend would in this situation — no judging the buildup, berating ourselves for the state of our lifes, or making ourselves feel guilty or ashamed. Yes, what we may uncover during our honesty hearing could sting, but we don’t have to scrape the sensitive areas harshly. Apply unconditional love instead.
The following five steps can lead us through our honesty hearing. All we have to do is grab a piece of paper and a mirror and go for it. We must keep our commitments: point out the buildup and remove it with love!

Step 1: State the obvious

On a piece of paper, draw two lines which divide the paper in four quadrants. At the intersection of these two lines, in the middle of the paper, draw a heart. At the top of each quadrant, write one of the following phrases representing a key area of your life (and a potential place where self-honesty can fall by the wayside).

• My Career
• My Relationships with Others
• My Health
• My Money

And in the heart, write:

• My Relationship with Myself

Go through each area, one by one, while looking in a mirror for added impact, and tell yourself all the ways you think you haven’t been honest with yourself. Share your thoughts openly with yourself, seeing your reflection as a best friend who is listening to — not judging — what you have to say. After you finish speaking about each of the four areas, write down on your paper what you said about each.

Step 2: Go deeper

Go back to the mirror, look into your eyes, and get really intimate with yourself, as if you can see directly into your heart and soul. No mask, just you and you. Now ask this reflection looking back at you — the part of you who loves you unconditionally and has no fear of being honest — to dig deeper to answer the question “How am I really not being honest with myself?” Then, either by speaking the answer out loud or by closing your eyes and listening to that wise voice inside you, reveal the truth. No shame, no self-judgment, just honesty in service of love.
Remember, you are on your side. After you have finished speaking, write down what you heard. Use the other side of the paper you used in step 1, beginning with the sentence starter “I have not been honest about...”

Step 3: Be grateful, not defensive

Look into your eyes again and say, “Thank you. Thank you for loving me enough to help me see the truth.”

Step 4: Soak the truth in

Look back at everything you wrote. Challenge yourself to try on the truth. If you find yourself resisting the truth, ask yourself these questions: “What consequence am I afraid of? If I accept this as the truth, what reality will I have to face that I might not want to?” Usually it’s not the truth that makes you afraid; it’s dealing with the consequences of admitting the truth that freaks you out. When you can face the consequence, you gain the power to move from fear into love, which is exactly the result you are after.

Step 5: Make a new choice

Using your power of self-awareness, address each of the areas you’ve tended not to be honest in. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What has been the result — the cost — of this lack of self-honesty and self-awareness?
• What reality would I like to create instead?
• What is one action I can take to create the reality I want this week?

Then commit to taking this action by actually writing down, on each of the four sections of your paper, what you will do and by when.
Note: Just like regular checkups at the dentist, this self-love practice can be scheduled with yourself twice a year. Or do it whenever you feel something in your heart and soul aching or irritating you.

Be honest with yourself.....as always...keep looking up.  : )  AJ

(www.lifeatgaiam.com)