Welcome to Your Newsletter

- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

In the United States, we are celebrating Independence Day today (commonly known as the Fourth of July). It commemorates the adaption of The Declaration of Independence, which declared our independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain back in 1776. The word, “Liberty” is often used in conjunction with the Fourth of July. I thought that it would be fun to discuss “Liberty”, as it relates to self-talk (or our inner dialogue).

Liberty is defined as: liberation from slavery and/or compulsion. Most of us don’t realize that we are trapped in a form of mental slavery called self-talk. Self-talk is the internal dialogue that goes on in our minds that assesses situations, categorizes experiences, and suggests and justifies certain behavior. The VAST majority of the time, self-talk is judgmental, demeaning and inaccurate. It is based on our conditioning, mental programming, belief system, and life experiences. It frequently suggests that it is important to act a certain way to either avoid imminent pain or gain some sort of pleasure (physical, mental or emotional).

Remember when you were a child and you thought that anything was possible? Do you remember how vibrant life was and how energetic and enthusiastic you were? Do you remember living in the moment and not worrying about tomorrow, or feeling guilty about yesterday? When we were children, our self-talk was relatively quiet and infrequent. As we grew older, we began to identify with our self-talk.

Identifying with it means believing that it is true, and following through on the suggestion of these thoughts. These thoughts are very hypnotic. They put you in a trance-like state where you mechanically react to any suggestion of gaining pleasure or escaping pain. To be “mechanical” is to unconsciously react to stimuli. Think of it like a machine. If you push the power button, it mechanically reacts. It does not think about it, it just does what it is programmed to do. When someone “pushes our buttons” (makes us angry, upset, etc.), we act mechanical.

Somewhere in our mental programming we believe that we should act a certain way when we experience these emotions. We never consider for a minute that this behavior is to our disadvantage, and that there is possibly another way we can act that IS to our advantage. We just go on reacting like a machine. When a human being is mechanical, it is a perversion to their true nature. It is like being a slave. Slavery is the opposite of our true nature of freedom.

Identifying with this inner dialogue keeps you in a state of inner-conflict. It keeps your attention occupied with lies, problems and vengeance. This is mental slavery. The louder the self-talk, the more it is identified with, and the more stressful life becomes.

There is a way out! This is where the word “Liberty” comes into play. If you compare the positive outlook of your childhood to the frequently mundane or fearful outlook of your adult life, you can quickly see that “something happened” that is not to your advantage. That “something” is your identification to your inner dialogue.

The first step out is recognizing that this phenomenon exists. You can’t do anything about it if you don’t know that it’s there. To quote a dear teacher of mine:

“When one realizes that one is programmed and that one is manipulated by whatever fits that programming, one has discovered something. When one realizes that one is used merely as a machine, and that from that machine comes all manner of things that are destructive to the entire organism--to the temple of the living being--then one has discovered something to be very thankful for. One is true. One has set out on a chore. One has set out on a task that takes some length of time. It is a meaningful task. The task has value to it. One has found the path that leads to the ending of misery and disintegration. One can enter through the narrow gate and start on the way that will begin to bring liberty and freedom and life.”

So, if you are interested in being liberated from inner conflict and mental slavery, you can start on your path to freedom today. There is probably no better day to declare your independence than today, The 4th of July. You can start by paying attention to the inner dialogue. Notice if the thoughts are fear-based and degrading. If they are, just ignore them. You do not need to react to them.

Think of these thoughts like traffic on the highway, and you are standing on the side of the road. If you just observe them, and let them go by…they will. If you want to attach to them, you will get run over. Stand on the side of the road and watch the mental traffic go by. We cannot control circumstances or how other people treat us. We can choose our responses. This is freedom.

After doing this for a while, you will begin to see just how conniving and destructive these thoughts are. The more you ignore these thoughts, the more liberated you become. You will start to experience a more peaceful and harmonious existence. But just like the quote at the top of the newsletter, the price for this peace and harmony is eternal vigilance. It’s vigilance to the act of observing your thoughts and not identifying with them. It is a process that never ends. It just gets a lot easier with time and practice…just like everything else worth doing.

Read more on self-talk on our website at: True-Motivation.com/self-talk In the next newsletter, I will discuss more about self-talk and its origin - the ego.

We do hope that you enjoy your Independence Day! Thank you for joining our newsletter. Our aim is to deliver valuable information to you that will assist you with self motivation and personal growth.

We are in the process of updating our website! Visit us to see our new look and feel. As you know, we add several new articles every week. We are adding a Forum very shortly where you can connect with like-minded people to discuss topics on Motivation, Life and Living. We are also adding a Multi-Media section where you can access FREE Motivational and Inspirational Videos, Audio and More! We will let you know as soon as it is up and fully functional.

Please tell your friends about us by forwarding this newsletter to them. They can join our newsletter by clicking here to recieve insights on motivation, life and living.

Join us on Facebook to recieve a daily Motivational Message on Message on Life, Living, and Personal Growth. Facebook.com/True-Motivation