CHANGE YOUR BELIEFS, CHANGE YOUR LIFE

SOME OF “US,”
THERE IS NO “THEM”           WE ARE ALL ONE
Some of US are peaceful
Some of US are violent
Some of US say potaato and some of US say potahto
Some of US have names like Jackie, John, Shaniqua, Lavon
Some of US speak Ebonics
Some of US have silky blonde hair
Some of US have kinky black hair
Some of US are bald
Some of US live in ghettos
Some of US are homeless
Some of US couldn’t swim in public swimming pools
Some of US started riots in the streets
Some of US shot each other
Some of OUR ancestors were enslaved
Some of OUR ancestors were slave owners
Some of US were denied the right to vote
Some of US feel out of place with people who have different skin tones
Some of US are single mothers
Some of OUR brothers, sons, husbands are stopped by the police because they are driving expensive cars
Some of US are more likely to die of covid-19
Some of US are angry
Some of US are scared
Some of US are sad
Some of US have pale skin
Some of US have dark skin
Some of US have medium toned skin because OUR grandmothers were raped
Some of US are in Portland, Oregon protesting and destroying property
Some of US are abused about OUR skin color, because of the abuser’s beliefs
Some of US believe dark skin color makes US less worthy of respect
Some of US respect ourselves
Some of US respect everybody
Some of US have killed people because of the color of their skin
Some of US are unaware that we are all one
Some of US marched in Selma, Alabama
Some of US get beaten by police
Some of US get sickle cell anemia
Some of US are afraid to walk down a dark street
Some of US believe guns will keep US safe
Some of US earn less money than others
Some of US mourn John Lewis’s death
Some of US are afraid of trouble
Some of US make “Good Trouble”
Some of US love our children
Some of US fear for our children
Some of US are peaceful
Some of US are angry and hateful
Some of US care deeply
All of US want love and peace of mind
All of US are worthy of love and peace of mind
There is no THEM 
                                                                                                                           Jackie McCullough, July 27, 2020
 

​Many of us are living life by a set of beliefs put there by people who are miser-able.  Miserable people usually sell us negative, disempowering beliefs.  These beliefs fuel our unhappy feelings and behaviors. We turn our beliefs into responses (feelings and actions) so quickly that they seem like instincts when, in fact, those deduced or acquired beliefs generate our actions.
 
Some disempowering, anxiety producing, unhappiness producing beliefs we have bought or deduced for ourselves might be:

• I’m not good enough, smart enough, rich enough, pretty enough.
• I make others unhappy.  Others make me unhappy.
• If I didn’t feel guilty, I’d do it again.
• If you loved me you would do what I want you to do.
• If I didn’t get upset, it would mean I don’t care​​

We all hold or have held at least some of these beliefs.
 
What do you suppose would happen if we changed some of our beliefs to more positive, more self-empowering beliefs?  We would have more positive feelings and behaviors too.
 
Some of my favorite self-empowering, happiness producing beliefs are:    

• Nothing is wrong with me.
• Happy people are more powerful than unhappy people in getting what they want.
• My unhappiness is a product of beliefs I hold and can change.
• I am loveable and more than enough
• I do not cause other people’s unhappiness, nor do they cause mine.
• I can be and do anything!  

Now, when I am upset, I ask myself “Why?” “Why am I upset?” “What do I believe the pay off is of being fearful, angry, etc?” Or maybe, “What do I think would happen if I weren’t upset about this?”
​
When we change our beliefs, we change our lives!