Project Re-write: a self-compassion exercise
re·write (rēˈrīt/)
verb
to write (something) again so as to alter or improve it.
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Lately I have had people ask me how to literally manifest. They ask all sorts of questions like what astrology has to do with it, why and how energy creates our reality and so forth. Today, I’d like to share with you a personal approach I took to making manifestation a little bit more fun. It all began when I acknowledged my dependency on astrology.
The power of suggestion
Cognitive psychology teaches that the power of suggestion can have a very significant influence in a person’s behavior and recollection of memories. When we read our monthly horoscopes, for example, the power of its suggestion sinks into our schema influencing our thought and action. I know for a fact that I am guilty of this. At the start of each new month, I scramble to find my astrology readings by Susan Miller, and take note of dates and times that will “affect” my life. It’s become such a habit that I’ve found myself subconsciously creating my life around it. My schema, so to speak, has been primed so well by her astrology that it has shifted my beliefs and has limited my ability to manifest.
Changing our stars
A very Freudian view of the human person would claim that an individual is a result of his impulses and an energy that he cannot control. The individual therefore is a prisoner of his own subconscious, passively taking information and acting on autopilot. Modern thought, however, would argue that the human person is capable of shaping his own reality. Existential psychologist, Rollo May, would define anxiety as the subjective awareness of an individual that his existence can be destroyed, therefore forcing us to take action and to make sense of the journey.
Manifestation is very much humanistic in theory. The whole idea being that we can take control of our life’s direction if we just put our minds to it.
Self-Compassion
The secret to manifestation? Compassion. After looking into case studies of women with weight issues, I realized that success could only really be achieved with self-compassion. In the same manner, manifesting our dreams can only be achieved if we are compassionate enough to believe that we deserve it.
Reflecting on the concept of self-compassion, I decided to begin an exercise that involved re-writing my horoscopes. I figured that by writing myself compassionate letters and cheering myself into my own future would help re-program my own schema. If the secret to success lies in our ability to give ourselves love and care, then re-writing my story would be a good place to start.
Project re-write became a personal exercise that encouraged me to express my deepest desires in a way that I did not feel embarrassed or shamed for wanting all these things. It also helped me prioritize my wants and needs in line with my life’s purpose.
Re-write your story
I would encourage you to try this for yourself and see how it works out. Is there something you would like to manifest in the next few months? Re-write your own story and re-program your subconscious. Here’s how:
1) Make a list. Begin with the end in mind, and create a list of the things you would like to accomplish or attract
2) Be realistic. You can tell yourself you’re going to win a million dollars, sure, but do you really need it? Be realistic when you manifest and ask yourself what you could attract to enhance your life’s purpose
3) Be candid and fun. If you’re going to write a horoscope for yourself, it may as well be something you will love to read when you “receive” it again. Think “yahoo!” horoscopes or glamour magazine. They take a tone that is so candid, its almost as if you were listening to your best friend. That brings me to my next point
4) Be your friend. When you sit down to write to yourself, speak to yourself as if you would a really good friend. Tell yourself where to take caution, how to move fast, and what opportunities to grab - just like a magazine write-up.
5) Repeat before the start of every month
You’ll be surprised how effective this can actually be. Again, I would encourage you to really reflect on the things that you desire and to keep things realistic. Our subconscious has a way of taking care of us, therefore writing it all down, allows the subconscious to really absorb this and lead our thought-action repertoires.
Sending you unconditional love,
G