Viewing Problems Differently

Are you below the line because you have problems, or do you have problems because you’re below the line? That’s an interesting question.

Below the line is when we blame others for where we are at in life. We don’t take responsibility for our own life. Where we are today is because of other people and what they have said or done to us. We know that most of us have problems in our life, they just vary, but they are still problems.

There are people who operate below the line because they have problems in their life and there are others who look at it differently. They are aware that part of the pain or misery related to their problems comes because they are visiting below the line. They know that the best solutions to their problems are found above the line. 

The greatest benefit of this is that those people who operate above the line most of the time understand that when they are below the line that they still have power. They are aware and acknowledge that they may not be able to control this situation, improve the conditions, what they have control over is their attitude.

When they realise and understand that they can control their attitude, what happens and what they experience is that the conditions of their life changes and improves with their improved attitude. 

All people experience bad things in life. It is part of the journey we go through. However, those that take responsibility for their life and operate above the line are able to be graceful in their suffering. As they stop blaming and take more responsibility for their life, they visit below the line less often; they don’t stay under very long, and bounce back quicker. 

"It’s up to you to decide.
You can let sadness be your magnet,
Or hope be your masterpiece"
-Lowan and Navarro's song, “What I Make Myself Believe” 

When you are above the line you are:

• Hopeful
• Positive beliefs
• Positive attitudes
• Energetic mood and emotions
• Optimistic

You understand and believe that you, and you alone, have the power to control your life. That gives you responsibility for your thoughts, moods and feelings. You understand if things are going to change, to improve then you have to take action to make that happen.

Congratulations on choosing to be above the line and create the life of your dreams.

“Be an inspiration to yourself and
you will be an inspiration to others.”

Life Looks Different From Above or Below The Line

If you are not aware of this concept of ‘Above and Below the Line’ thinking, it means that to you it looks and feels like it is the event that is the source of whatever you are feeling or experiencing. At those times you need to realize that although this may be the truth, there is something better than the truth and that’s the whole truth. 

What I mean is that the “event” is 10% of the source of your experience. The much bigger source of your experience (90%) is your inside reality. This comes from your interpretation of the event and your interpretation of the event is different whether you are operating “above or below the line.”

This means that when an event occurs, you have thoughts about the event and these thoughts dictate your outcome or your interpretation of whether the event was good or bad. 

Event + Thought = Outcome

An example, you are selected to be one of 20 possible people to win a brand new house that is worth $400,000.00. The event is the possibility of winning the house. Your thoughts about this will dictate your enjoyment of the event. 

You have no control over whether you will win or lose the house. What you have control over is whether you enjoy the experience or not.

Another example, you race into the shopping centre at 5:00 pm on a Wednesday evening (Event). You are in a hurry because you have to pick up your daughter from her piano lessons (Event). The shops are very busy at 5:00 pm on a Wednesday evening and you have to line up in a long queue. Whilst in this queue you think, “This is ridiculous. Doesn’t anyone know how much of a hurry I am in?” (Thought). This then equals your outcome which could be, “That was horrible - all those disorganised people. 

The same event you race into the shopping centre at 5:00 pm on a Wednesday evening (Event). You are in a hurry because you have to pick up your daughter from her piano lessons (Event). The shops are very busy at 5:00 pm on a Wednesday evening and you have to line up in a long queue. With a different thought. “All those people are in a hurry like me wanting to pick up their children or get home for dinner. We are all on a last minute rush at the busiest time, how funny are we?” (Thought). This then equals your outcome which is “lesson to be learnt, never race into a shop in a hurry at 5:00 pm at night because everyone else is racing in a hurry as well."

If you were operating below the line you would blame everyone else for their actions and behaviour. When you are operating above the line you would realise that it is your actions and behaviour that have an impact on the event. 

When you take responsibility for your life (operate above the line), this awareness allows you to maintain the power you have to lead, direct and create your own life. With awareness, you can make things better; without awareness, you can’t. It is easier to change your state of mind than it is to change your outside life and when you change your state of mind you will change the experience you have in life.

Reclaim Your Power 

You have the power to live more frequently Above the Line and to only make brief visits Below the Line. 

It can be tough acting “Above The Line”. That’s why the majority don’t do it most of the time. That is why people selling “Magic Bullet” products do so well. You know, the products that promise you will make a heap of money without doing any work? Of course it takes effort and persistence to succeed but that is nowhere as sexy on a sales letter. That’s why so many people get disappointed because they thought they were buying a solution but what they were really buying was hope. They thought by handing over money they could transfer the responsibility for their success to someone else.

Don’t give your power to others. Reclaim your power and accept that if you are to succeed, it is YOUR responsibility. It is up to YOU to implement the programs you are studying. Up to YOU to ask questions of your mentors if you have trouble implementing. Up to YOU to challenge yourself to not act like a victim and look at what you DO have the power to do. 

Can I change?

Can I make dramatic changes in the way I live? Is it possible to change self-defeating thoughts and behaviours that have been my constant companion for as long as I can remember? Can I really do a U-turn and deprogram myself when I’ve never known any other way to think and act? I’ve been depressed (or stubborn, overweight, scared, clumsy, unlucky, or any other descriptor you choose to insert here) my entire life. Is it even feasible or practical for me to contemplate removing these old and familiar ways of being and open myself up to a brand-new me? 

Your beliefs, all of those formless energy patterns that you’ve adopted as your self-image, have the ability to change dramatically and give you the power to conquer unwanted traits, or what you unhappily presume to be your fate.

“Be an inspiration to yourself and
you will be an inspiration to others.”

Be Careful Of The Labels You Use

Beware of labels that can limit your experience. My son has been diagnosed with Irlen Syndrome. It is a label I have spent time talking to him that it isn’t a disability, it is just what they call he has. You see he can’t read black writing on white paper. If he wears glasses with coloured lenses where the white paper now is a different colour then he can read perfectly. 

So you see what I mean, it isn’t a disability. It is just his eyes don’t like white paper. The trouble is this took a while to figure out and he was frustrated that he couldn’t read like the other kids. Once we got the coloured lenses, he could read just as well as all the other kids.

I was at the Irlen Centre last week when the lady who runs the centre was telling me about a young boy she treated that within twelve months of having his coloured lenses won academic awards. The boy told her “I thought I was dumb, but I’m not. I’m really clever.” 

You can imagine how that one change in words has radically transformed his perception of himself and how much of his ability he now taps. What are the words you want to be known by? What characteristic word or phrase do you want others to identify you with?

There is a story of two teachers who were new to a school and participated in an experiment. Teacher A was told her students were gifted; however, they were actually students who struggled with school. Teacher B was told her students were struggling; however, they were actually gifted. Measurements were taken at the start of the year and mid way through to year to measure the students’ progress. Naturally, this story has a lot of detail and many elements to it, but the core message is the outcomes of the students at the end of the day.

The students in Teacher A’s class excelled. The results they got were amazing. The students in Teacher B’s class didn’t progress much at all for the period of the experiment. What does this mean? Well one of the elements that was noted was how if the students have a teacher that believes in their abilities is constantly telling them that they are clever they will understand. If the words she is using are constantly encouraging then perhaps, just perhaps, their results will improve better than ever before.

If the students are not given reassurance in their abilities, encourage to continue to work it out, that they are clever then perhaps, just perhaps, they won’t do as well. 

The words that are spoken to us, the labels that are given to us can and may have a profound impact on our outcomes.

We’ve got to be very careful of accepting other people’s labels because once we put a label on something, we create a corresponding emotion. Nowhere is this truer than with diseases. 

In the field of psychoneuroimmunology, they are reinforcing the concept that the words we use produce powerful biochemical effects.

In an interview Tony Robbins conducted with Norman Cousins, he told him of the work he’d done in the last 12 years with over 2,000 patients. Time and again, he noticed that the moment a patient was diagnosed, i.e. had a label to attach to his symptoms, he became worse. Labels like “cancer”, “multiple sclerosis,” and “heart disease” tended to produce panic in the patients, leading to helplessness and depression that actually impaired the effectiveness of the body’s immune system. 

Conversely, studies proved that if patients could be freed of the depression produced by certain labels, a corresponding boost was automatically produced in their immune systems.

I had this experience personally. My husband, 11 years ago, was diagnosed with skin cancer. My husband and I talked about it and were okay with the whole concept. Even the day he had his operation, rather than sit around, I went to the University and called by the hospital on my way home. 

His mother on the other hand saw it as a death sentence. She was upset, cried, nervous, praying, horrified at our reaction of the whole event. To her, it was all about the “C” word. Her son had cancer. That was it. Fatal as far as she was concerned.

It was the same event with two very different reactions and two very different labels. 

“Words can produce illness; words can kill,” Cousins said. “Therefore, wise physicians are very careful about the way they communicate. Doctors are being taught how to enhance their emotional sensitivity to enable them to contribute more. If you’re in a profession where you work with people, it’s imperative that you understand the power of words to impact those around you.

Similarly, you can try lowering your emotional intensity in areas you may not have thought of. For instance, instead of using the phrase, “I’m starving to death,” what if instead you said, “I feel a little hungry?” By using that, you’ll discover as I have that you can literally lower the intensity of your appetite in a matter of moments. Sometimes people overeat simply out of a habitual pattern of whipping themselves into an emotional frenzy. Part of it starts with the language they use consistently. 

Now is your chance. Take control. Notice the words you habitually use, and replace them with ones that empower you, raising or lowering the emotional intensity as appropriate. Start today. Set this in motion. Write down your words, make your commitment, follow through, and know what the power of this simple tool in and of itself will accomplish without using anything else.

  

“Be an inspiration to yourself and
you will be an inspiration to others.”