Designed for Success

An affirmation I learned while I was affiliated with Unity goes, "I am God's enterprise, and God doesn't fail."  It's kind of catchy, but I didn't take it to heart - it required more faith than I had at the time.

As many of my readers (3 or 4, at least) know, I recently took the plunge again (God no, not marriage!) and enrolled in school. I was getting cold feet toward the start of classes. I went to orientation, and one of my instructors explained how the blended options program in which I'm enrolled works.

A few days later, I realized that the program is designed for the student's success - why would a school set students up for failure? And then I realized that my idea of school is much like the old TV series with John Houseman called The Paper Chase. In it, John Houseman played a crusty old law professor (and he played it well), whose aim seemed to be to make it really, really difficult for his students to succeed. That was my belief, that schools make it really hard to do well. Of course, that doesn't make sense, but beliefs that run in our subconscious don't need to make sense.

Back to now. I realized, then, that all I have to do is follow directions, follow the program. I can do that! The only thing stopping me is me! 

When I go on long bike rides, my head often tells me I can't do it. It's too hard. I won't make it. When that happens, I switch to what I call physical mode - I know all that I have to do is keep my legs moving, and so that's all I do - I concentrate on the movement of my legs. And this is the truth - if I didn't have a mind that makes up excuses and runs off of doubt and self-centered fear, I could do a lot more - maybe anything!

So, as I began to think about all I've heard and read and learned, I realized that the human being is designed for success. The reason we don't experience unbridled success is we've created something called doubt and fear. All of the 'what if's' and 'I don't know if I can's' distract us from focusing on success.

When doubt comes about my ability to successfully complete school, I tell myself, all I have to do is follow the plan. What would happen if I used that same psychology or philosophy in every area of my life? That I am designed for success, and any thought that comes along that is contrary to this idea should be discarded immediately.

I might have mentioned this once or twice before in some of my posts, but most of my life I have felt and believed myself to be less-than, to be not good enough, and to be incapable of success. That's just Ken. But who says? I haven't found anybody in recent times that has told me I can't do something, that I'm incapable, that I'm not good enough. So I think it's time to discard the old Ken suit, and put on a new one. According to many faiths, I am the spitting image of my Creator, which means that I automatically have all the attributes of my Creator - just like I cannot deny the fact that I am my father's son, because I look just like him (I used to think I was adopted. No such luck).

One really good way to see the best in myself is to see the best in others. And I am practicing that (note the word practicing). When we uplift and encourage others, we uplift and encourage ourselves. Jesus claimed that to be the Truth when He said, "Seek, and you will find." A better way to understand that in our vernacular might be "Whatever you look for is what you're going to get." If I look for sickness and failure, I'll surely find it. And if I look for courage, strength, health, creativity, success, in others, and myself, I will surely find that as well.

Today I commit to setting aside doubtful, fearful thinking, and replacing it with visions of success in whatever I do. 

Namaste,

Ken