More Daily Lifts

Daily Lift #306 - Talking to the Little Child Within

We all have many positive messages stored in our mind since childhood. Counterproductive and limiting messages are stored, too. We may have outgrown many of them. but often, not all of them. Now, in the present, we have the ability to talk to the "little child" within, as it were. You can immerse your childhood self with positive and life-enhancing messages.

Some people find that giving encouraging and empowering messages to their "inner child" helps them do more than just develop new attitudes and mindsets.

What is the main message that is so important for every child to have? It is the awareness that he is a valuable human being. He is lovable; other people will like him and want to be friends with him. He has positive qualities now and he will be able to continue developing these and other positive qualities throughout his life. He is competent and able to do many things, and he will be able to keep learning new things throughout his life.

People who already have these positive attitudes, beliefs, and mind-sets are fortunate. Those who don't yet have them need to make it a high priority to keep developing them. By talking to your "inner child" directly, you can make it easier for your mind to integrate these basic and fundamental attitudes towards yourself and your life.

Think of some positive things that you wished someone would have told you when you were growing up. Now you can say these and similar things to your "inner child." You know better than anyone else what your "inner child" needs to hear. Say it in ways that your "inner child" will understand.

As you keep growing and developing, you become more aware of your true talents, skills, and abilities. When you were younger, wouldn't it have been wonderful if some wise individual had told you all the good things about you? Now you have the ability to tell your "inner child" what it will eventually learn and know and accomplish. Imagine the good feelings that your "little child" will feel when it receives the reassurance that you can now give it.

(from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin's new book: "Conversations With Yourself", pp.276-7) [Artscroll.com]

 

Daily Lift #302 - Worry is Created by Self-Talk

The more you engage in joyful and grateful self-talk, the more your mind will be free from worry.

Some people tell themselves, "It's my nature to worry." But the truth is that no one is born a worrier. A person might have started worrying at a young age and have many early memories of worrying. A person might find it very difficult not to worry. But this isn't someone's basic nature. Worry is essentially self-talk about something negative that you hope won't happen. You feel anxious and distressed about the possibility.

One way out of the worry pattern is to think of potential solutions. Whenever you worry about something, imagine three or more alternate outcomes.

A happy and joyful person has mastered the art of thinking in patterns that create happiness and joy. Let this be your mind.

(from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin's new book: "Conversations With Yourself", pp.258-9) [Artscroll.com]

 

Daily Lift #301 – Get Beyond the Mask

It's easy to be intimidated by mean people. See through their mask. Underneath is an insecure and unhappy person. They are alienated from others because they are alienated from themselves.

Have compassion for them. Not pity, not condemning, not fear, but compassion. Feel for their suffering. Identify with their core humanity. You might be able to influence them for the good. You might not. Either way your compassion frees you from their destructiveness. And if you would like to help them change, compassion gives you a chance to succeed.

(From Rabbi Pliskin's "Happiness",p.179)

 

Daily Lift #245

Setbacks are Part of the Process;

When you try to make peace, either for yourself or between two other people, expect setbacks. They are part of the process.

Many people are happy, even excited, to make peace when they see steady progress. Even if progress is slow, they are patient. But when they are faced with setbacks, they easily give up. When you realize that setbacks are an integral part of making progress, you realize that this is just another step that you have to make. It's like climbing a mountain path. The path doesn't always go straight up. At times it goes around the right and at times it goes around the left but the focus is on eventually getting to the destination. And therefore even if part of the path seems to be descending, it is a descent for the sake of ascent. This, too, is getting you closer to where you want to end up.

(from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin's book: Harmony with Others, p.109, artscroll.com)