Lesson 11 – My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world

Lesson 11 of A Course in Miracles is where we start putting things together and we’re encouraged to acknowledge that the world doesn’t determine what you see, but rather “your thoughts determine the world you see”.

Here’s an example…

Do you know somebody who’s always ranting about how this, that, and everything in their life is going wrong? And have you noticed how actually “bad” things keep happening to this person? It’s like they’re walking around with a big, dark rain cloud over their head!

Why do you think this is?

As you will learn as we work through A Course in Miracles together, is that you create what you think about! So if this person is constantly thinking about what’s wrong, then that is exactly what they will create – and keep creating – until they make the conscious decision to stop!

When you’re stuck in a negative spiral, things can get a little hairy, but you can get yourself out with some commitment and practise.

Here’s what I suggest you do:

1. Awareness is the first step. If you find yourself talking negatively about anything at all, even after the fact, acknowledge that this is where you’re at. There’s no nead to beat yourself up – just be aware that you were doing this.
2. Stop yourself – after you’ve become aware that you tend to talk negatively about certain situations or things, the next step is to stop yourself before those words come out of your mouth. You may think them, but you’re no longer verbalising them. This is progress!
3. Shift your perspective – if you’re really wanting to make the change, this one, while a little more difficult at first to start, will change your life! I have found personally that the best way to shift my perspective about a situation is to complete the Positive Aspects Process, which I’ve written about here.

The beauty of the third step above is that it creates a tangible shift in your energy, because it teaches you to look only for the good in that situation or thing. As this lesson teaches, our thoughts determine the world we see, so if we’re constantly thinking positive thoughts, what do you think we’re creating???

My final thoughts

The steps I’ve outlined above are jumping you forward a little further than the lesson intends (the lesson just wants you to be aware – not necessarly to do anything about it yet!), but I felt it was important to help you to get started now.

The sooner you grasp the meaning of this lesson and apply what I’ve covered above, the sooner you will notice those positive shifts. The key is to be consistant!

And I shall leave you with that!