One of the students of our online courses wrote recently.

‘When I was younger it was easier to read personal growth books and incorporate the advice. Now I am finding that when I read the information, there is a little voice saying "yeah, nah, that's not real ....”. 

However, I keep wondering why I am also not using the tools I have learned in your courses to my full advantage. They certainly have worked and are ‘real’ to me, but I find I am not doing them. 

Having said that, I still find it difficult to commit to all the other things I know are good for me - regular mindfulness, physical exercise, and positive thinking.

I don't know if it is because, subconsciously, I am scared of the change? …I just know that I am getting to the stage where I know I need to do something because my anxieties are building up, but it is almost as if I have a resistance to change …’*

This student’s problem is common among people who become fascinated by a wealth of information about personal/spiritual change. They become addicted to it, but after a time they discover, not only that they don’t change, but also that they begin to resist committing to the things that do make a difference.

So why?

Here is my reply…

Regarding your first comment about doubting spiritual information, my answer depends on what material you are reading when you hear the little voice. It is possible that your mistrust is an intuitive warning from your higher self that the material is not for you. However, if it is not, here are some questions you can ask yourself to find out if it’s worth persisting.

Number one! When you are looking at personal growth information, do you have a definite goal in mind? Or are you just reading for the sake of finding interesting facts? These days just knowing stuff isn’t enough. It’s time to put knowledge to work. It’s time to let your spiritual self’s gifts and perspectives have tangible effect. Your higher self wants results, and it will lead you towards effective practical solutions. Therefore, it needs you to have clear goals such as being calmer, more self-trusting, more self-empowered, etc.

If you do have a goal in mind, check if an interesting concept is supported by practical methods to make the desired growth happen? That is, if your goal is to be less fearful in a certain situation and someone advises you to be more grounded that advice will likely hold good in principle. (Staying grounded is always helpful when coping with anxiety.)

However, the more next important question is: Does the advisor provide a practical strategy for staying grounded?

Finally, if you have done your best to follow instructions on staying grounded, notice if that strategy did in reality make you less anxious in the situation you are currently facing.

In short, what I am saying is that any self-growth information and/or technique must be monitored in real life and time to assess whether it is effective or not for you as an individual.

Sadly, there is no technique or healing modality that has all the answers all of the time and for all individuals, so it is up to each person to search for what works for them. Fortunately, once you decide you genuinely want an answer, your higher self and spiritual guide will make sure you find it. I suspect your higher self has indeed spoken when you sense that it is fear of change that is the problem.’

*In the case of our student, the questions I posed led to her to conclude that her resistance to using self-growth experiential tools was, as she and I suspected, a fear of change. Fortunately, we have a technique to release fear of change, which moved her forward.

Those who have subscriptions the Reach Potential Silver Membership Library will find the following visualisations, among others, helpful to clear anxiety.

The Jell-O Wall
Negative Ego Fantasy of Doom
Clearing Anxiety Part 1
Boat of Emotional Safety
Calming the Inner and Outer World

Copyright 2023 Siramarti Publishing Pty Ltd
Author: Suzie St George
Image credit: Silviarita