What Am I Thinking? The Three R’s

This Spiritual Practice is extremely effective when you are experiencing a life situation that is causing you distress, frustration, or any kind of negative emotion. As soon as you become aware that you are feeling upset or out of sync with the Truth of who you really are, immediately try this strategy. We call it The Three R’s:

Reflect:

Reflect on what is going on inside your head! Listen to your inner dialogue, and write down what you hear yourself saying. (Yes — write it down!! This is a critical step in the process, because it increases your awareness of what thoughts you are allowing to control your emotions, and it also moves you into a place of control, where you control the thoughts instead of your thoughts controlling you.)

Review:

Sit back and review the statements you have written. Identify which statements are “relative” and which statements are “Absolute.” (Remember, things at the relative level are changeable.)

Restate:

For every relative statement you were thinking, restate as an affirmation of Truth.

Example: Imagine you are experiencing a difficult time at work, feeling overwhelmed and unappreciated.

Reflect:

You might write down statements such as:

I hate this job. It is beneath my abilities. No one appreciates me here. There is way too much to do, and I don’t have the time or energy or resources to get done everything they expect me to do!

Review: 

As you review the statements above, you recognize that all of them are statements of the relative realm. They are based on your senses, and how you are interpreting the situation.

Restate:

Your restated affirmations might be:

I love what I do and I do it extremely well. I have amazing gifts and talents that I generously share with the world. I live in a world of abundant resources, and I have everything I need to do what is mine to do.

(Important Note: Your statement of Truth may not change anything in the outer world of appearance around you. However, you will notice a huge change occurring within you, as you recognize and claim the incredible power you have to control how you respond in any situation!)

(Second Important Note: This may be difficult to practice, because when you are in the midst of an emotional situation, the last thing you feel like doing is practicing a Truth Principle. We have noticed that when we most need to practice a Truth Principle is when we least feel like doing it!)