Don’t Believe What You Think

Feel It Instead and ask for help.

I love books written by Louise Penny.

Besides being written with a skill that I envy and creating a community of characters that speaks to our deepest desires, Louise Penny offers profound insights into life using the voice of her characters.

The main character, Inspector Gamache, said one of my favorite quotes.

He says, “Don’t believe what you think.”

Ah, so true. So easy to remember. And so effective.

Effective because we all know that what we perceive, feel, and think is reality for us—will be true for us.

It’s not a new-age idea. It is a scientific fact that what we believe determines what we see—not vice versa.

Remembering this is useful in big and small ways.

For example:

I was looking for something and couldn’t find it in a store. Instead of believing what I thought—that what I was looking for wasn’t there anymore—I shifted my perception.

I told myself that what I was looking for was there, and I could see it!

But when I still couldn’t find it, I asked someone who worked there for help, and they found it for me.

I shifted my belief to accept that there was nothing wrong with asking for help.

Don’t believe what you think—feel what you believe instead.

To help shift beliefs, practice noticing how you feel about what you think.

Notice how the intellectual mind works. It tells us things are this way or that, and it’s the only way it will work.

Our intellect tells us we are good at one thing and terrible at another.

It tells us that we will succeed if we have more information, work harder, and do more.

What if we stopped and felt all those beliefs?

> Would we be doing what we are doing?

> Would we say yes to more people and ideas?

> Would we say no to more things that aren’t good for us?

> Would we stop trying to do everything on our own?

> Would we pause more often to notice the oneness of our universe and move towards kindness and compassion?

We won't invent anything if we don’t eliminate our belief in what we think. No feats of endurance will happen, and no creative ideas will thrive.

By not believing what we think, we will discover new ideas, notice what isn’t working, and see solutions.

We need to spend time every day examining what we believe and paying attention to how we feel about it.

This practice will move us all toward harmony — the harmony that exists in nature and the universe.

Only we—who believe what we think—experience disharmony when harmony is the underlying principle of all that exists.

Don’t think about it. Feel what works and what doesn’t.

Practice shifting one belief at a time.

Notice the difference in what you experience when you feel your beliefs.

And ask for help from those who can help.

You can find books, courses, and community on becalewis.com.