Are you there?

Yes, we are here.

Today, I would like to talk about the limitations and restrictions that we place on ourselves, seemingly for no reason. Limitations and restrictions to the choices we are making in terms of our behavior, what we should be doing, what we shouldn’t be doing. It’s hard sometimes to understand how these self-imposed restrictions have become so deeply rooted in our lives.

You know very well where these restrictions have come from and how they have taken root in your life. They have come from your teachers. And we are not only talking about your school teachers, although we would certainly place them in this group. We are talking about any individual who has taught you something, especially during your early years of development, which you subsequently incorporated into your belief system. These are individuals, starting with your parents, who have exerted varying degrees of influence on how you perceive yourself in relation to the physical world. What is allowed. What is forbidden. How you should or should not behave. Where your obligation or your duty lies. What is righteous or noble or holy. Or not. You get the idea.

Yes, well, that is a very, very large group of people exerting a great deal of influence.

Indeed. Some of these individuals you chose consciously to be a part of your life, some you drifted towards or were drawn to unconsciously, some were imposed upon you without your knowledge or permission, some you resisted, some you embraced, some you were warned about, some were even random individuals with whom you had very limited contact, but who nonetheless shared with you something vital and important to your development. That is how you were taught about the beauty and wonder of the physical world, but it is also how your self-imposed restrictions and limitations were formed and eventually took hold.

This type of relationship dynamic exists in the life of pretty much every human being on the planet.

Yes. Every human person forges these same types of relationships during their time on the physical plane. And it is up to each individual person as they mature to accept responsibility for what they have allowed into their lives, sort through all that they have been taught, decide what works for them, and then release what does not.

That is a lot harder than it sounds, especially the part about releasing. Here’s a very simple example. Sometimes I really want to do something, and it can be something very simple like going to the movies or spending time in the park or any number of activities I enjoy. And yet sometimes I can’t seem to make up my mind about what to do and so I end up doing nothing because I think there is something else more important that I should be doing. This has been especially true since I stopped working full time, where I feel like I should still be doing something to earn money. In these situations, I usually end up sitting around and thinking to myself, “Why don’t I do something? It’s such a beautiful day! Why don’t I at least go for a walk? Why am I just sitting here? If I’m not going to go out, then I should be doing something constructive, like writing or balancing my checkbook or cooking something for dinner. But I don’t feel like it. Maybe I’ll just watch some TikTok videos for a while and then decide what I want to do.” Rather than choosing an activity I really enjoy, I spend the next two hours engaged in a mindless distraction, ultimately feeling disconnected and drained, and wondering why don’t I feel completely free to choose what I really want to do when I want to do it.

Something inside of you, an internalized belief that is in direct opposition to what you desire, tells you that you should not do what you really want to do. Not that watching TikTok videos is necessarily a bad thing if that is what brings you joy and pleasure. But perhaps you are held back by feelings of guilt. Perhaps you believe that you do not deserve to find joy in your life or that experiencing pleasure is somehow sinful. These kinds of beliefs are widely-held by many human persons. Whatever the reason, it all hinges on who you are and what you believe you should be doing in any given moment, on what you have integrated into your system along the way about what is proper, what is appropriate for you, and how strongly you have incorporated these shoulds and should nots into your consciousness.

Sometimes I wish that I could just take some sort of spiritual crowbar and dislodge all of these limiting beliefs once and for all.

So, do it. Dislodge them. And use your awareness as the crowbar to pry them loose. You know at this stage in your development that if you are feeling restricted or limited in any way with regard to the choices you are making, then you are not in alignment with who you really are. So, stop, take a breath, and allow yourself to become aware of the old, entrenched beliefs that are standing in your way. Look at them. Examine them. Bring them to the surface. That is the only way they can be released. That is the only way that you can feel entirely free.

Let me guess. This is all a part of the process of remembering who I really am and why I have come.

A vital part. The majority of these so-called limitations and restrictions represent who you are not. They are, for the most part, fear-based beliefs that you have been exposed to over the years and that you have chosen to incorporate, consciously or unconsciously, into your daily operating system. Your natural state of being is one of complete and total freedom and it would benefit you greatly to remind yourself of that as often as you can. So, think of these old beliefs that curtail your freedom as opportunities for remembering who you really are. There is no better place to start that process than by examining your old beliefs. Shine your awareness, shine your light, on what you think and what you believe and use your light to release what no longer serves you.

This has all been very helpful. I think we will stop there for today.

Whatever you wish. As always, it has been our pleasure.

Thank you all.

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