Your Life Is Your Choice

Feb 24, 2011 by Peggy Nolan

When you were a child, you didn’t have a choice about what to believe. The dream of the your parents and their parents before them were passed down to you. Until you knew better, you did as you always did and as your parents taught you. But you are no longer a child. As Don Miguel Ruiz would say, “you are no longer innocent.” You do have a choice. “It’s completely up to you to choose what to believe and what not to believe.”

You have the power to change your programming. Question everything. Keep what’s good and useful. Replace the agreements that are full of fear and anxiety and replace them with emotionally and mentally healthy agreements.

Ruiz gives us three steps on how to begin changing your programming.

Step One: Become AWARE of the fog that is in your mind. When you become aware that you are dreaming all the time you then have the possibility of transforming your dream. When you realize that the drama, chaos, and suffering of your life is made of what you believe and much of what you believe isn’t real or isn’t true or isn’t useful then you can begin to change it by challenging the agreements you’ve made since the day you were born.

Step TWO: Develop AWARENESS of all the self-limiting and fear based beliefs you have. Make a list in your journal and ask yourself:

Does this belief serve me? If it does
- How is it useful? Or
- What purpose does it serve?
- If the belief does not serve you, why are you still hanging on to it?
  - What new limitless and love based belief can you replace it with?

Step THREE: DECIDE to practice The Four Agreements. You can choose to continue to wallow in your suffering or you can DECIDE not to. You life is Your choice.

Agree to practice being impeccable with your word
Agree to practice not taking what others think, say or do personally. It’s not about you.
Agree to practice not making assumptions
- Ask questions when you are unclear
- Ask questions to understand
- Ask questions that show you care
- Agree to practice being your best – no more and no less. Your only job is to just be you. Being you is a lot easier than trying to be the person you think others think you should be (try saying that 10 times fast!!) Accept and embrace your wonderful you.
- When you agree to practice the Four Agreements, you give yourself the opportunity to end your suffering and emotional pain.

Changing fear based agreements into love based agreements is a process. It takes work and daily practice. Tackle each agreement one at a time. Make sure that you replace old agreements that make you suffer with ones that make you happy or with ones that are useful. For example,

“I am fat” becomes “I am healthy.
“I am irresponsible” becomes “I am responsible.”
“I am not good enough” becomes “I am powerful beyond measure.”

The investment you make in yourself and the time and the consistent effort you make with yourself will add years of happiness and joy to your life.

Are you willing to make this investment?

Are you willing to put in the time and the effort to transform your life from all your fears, doubts, self-judgments, self-abuse, and all the suffering?

Are you willing to explore who and what you are?

Are you willing to exchange limited thoughts for limitless possibilities?

Are you willing to excite your dreams and possibilities?

Are you willing to get your groove back?