” When you make the connection between your choices and your experiences, you don’t have to create the same experience again.” – Gary Zukav

 
I love this quote. It has empowered me. Using it guides my personal growth. Through my experience I have learned that knowing something, like the above quote, is not the same as incorporating it into my life. Sometimes I can feel the moment a concept becomes a part of me. It feels like a tiny, little “download” which then leads to a small feeling of excitement, for which I am thankful.

For me this quote meant I no longer had to create pain for myself by telling myself I was a big fat failure at weight-loss, or that life wasn’t worth living because I had a severely autistic son. I was the one who (unconsciously) created those thoughts that caused me great pain. For most of my life I didn’t know I could change my thoughts. When I learned I could change them, I started to experiment with improving my thoughts. It took time, kindness and gentleness directed at myself, but eventually my life flipped. It became full of love.

I offer my experience only to say, that if you are experiencing emotional pain in any part of your life, you can change it. Put words to any thoughts that are causing you pain and ask yourself, “what other choices do I have?” Give one of those choices a try and see how you like it. If it still doesn’t feel quite right, try again. Keep going until one of your choices makes you feel better. Then, when the old thought comes, and it will, replace it with your new thought/choice, the one that feels better. You do deserve to feel good. Did you know that your feelings matter? I didn’t, but I do now, and that little thought changed everything.

With love, Jackie

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