- Henry Ford

Argue for your limitations

and they are yours

At a retreat some 25 years ago I recall hearing my friend and spiritual big brother Jay Scott Neale say, "Argue for your limitations and they are yours."

Those words have long stuck with me. From that day forward I became a conscious observer of how often people- myself included- do exactly that.

We spend so much of our precious time and energy defending why something in our experience, which is in some way limiting, is logical and acceptable the way it is, rather than creating an opening in mind for a better experience.

Why do we do this? The answer for most of us is that we have developed a serious case of "spiritual lethargy."

Let us be totally honest with ourselves. It is definitely easier to live with our discomforts and challenges than it is to initiate the mindfulness to become the conscious observer of our beliefs and thinking.

Why? Because once we are faced with the awareness that we may be thinking "down" rather than up, we become responsible for changing it!

We know that with the exception of babies, change is something most people avoid like the plague. What are you thinking right now about these ideas?

Take a look at those areas in your life where you might be inclined to argue for your limitations, justifying why things are the way they are, rather than moving to improve it. Look at your health, relationships, finances, career and even your spiritual growth.

If there is a sense of limitation in any of these areas, check to see that you are not arguing in favor of those limitations. The universe is listening . . . and it can't take a joke. The blessing and the curse of the universal law of cause and effect is that it only knows one word: yes!

So, today I invite you to become a conscious observer of your thinking process and your behavior- observe how the two are linked together.

Remember, I said observe, don't analyze. When we analyze we tend to get caught up in the "process," and that simply lets the monkey mind out of its cage to reek more havoc, and the arguments for staying stuck just start to stack up.

To observe means to look at yourself, your thoughts and behavior without judgment. Just observe with detachment.

Listen to your words too; if you catch yourself explaining, affirming and justifying why something in your life is not as good as it "could be," don't beat yourself up.

Just stop, breathe deeply and remember that everything you believe (or argue in favor of) becomes a boomerang. We all know what boomerangs are designed to do, don't we? The universe cannot help but whirl it back around, whacking you upside the head with a resounding affirmation of "Yes . . . I agree!"

What do you think you can or cannot do today? Think again and know that either way, you are right.