Finding & Changing Beliefs, Part I: Mike Dooley

[Deb]

"To master your thoughts and imagination, and therefore your life and destiny, you must first master their captain—your beliefs."

Mike Dooley is an author and lecturer and a fan of Seth and Jane Roberts. His is able to summarize and present Seth's material in a way that's easy for anyone to understand. He's enthusiastic, positive, inspirational while also being the voice of reason. His take on beliefs:

"Let's pretend that beliefs are like tinted sunglasses and that your vision through those glasses represents the thoughts you entertain through the filters of your beliefs. Doesn't everything look different, colorwise, when you put on those glasses? Yet after you have them on awhile, you don't even know you're wearing them. In fact, it's hard to remember what things looked like without them, and the only way to remember is to take them off.

"Continuing this analogy, let's imagine that everyone in the world wears sunglasses and that no two people have exactly the same tint; everyone is wearing something different. Some wear BlueBlocker sunglasses that makes everything look yellow, while some wear red blockers, green blockers, and billions of varieties in between. Now, does the fact that everyone is wearing different sunglasses have any effect on reality, on what people see, or just on how they see it? Isn't it possible that some people will see colors—even "things"—that are impossible for others to see? And isn't it often easier to see the glasses others wear than it is to see our own?"

About discovering your so-called invisible beliefs:

"Much has been said about writing down your beliefs, but that has never really worked for me. I think hunting for beliefs with pad and paper is like watching the pot that never boils. Plus, I feel I could spend my whole life looking for suspect problem beliefs, some of which I'm not ever sure I have, and you know what happens when you start looking for problems—you either find them and thereby reinforce them with new pictures in your mind, or if they hadn't existed in the first place, you start creating them out of thin air so that you can find them. So instead of trying to write down all of my beliefs, which, of course, may work just fine for you, I do one of two things, I either "Observe and Dismantle" or I charge ahead with my dreams in an effort to "Bulldoze and Liquify" any interfering, limiting beliefs."

Observe and Dismantle: He says pay close attention to what we think, say and do because these things reflect what's going on in our minds. For an example, using the phrase, "it must be nice" really means you feel whatever you're commenting on is completely out of reach. Another: mentally groaning when you get a large bill expresses a belief that money is tight or hard to come by. "Of course such beliefs, even when they're accurate reflections of your present circumstances, will only perpetuate those very circumstances." Trying to lose weight? Don't think or tell someone that you "can't lose weight regardless of what you do."

"Whenever you catch yourself expressing an opinion, in thought, word, or deed, realize that you've just nailed a belief that's busy at work building your life around you."

Bulldoze and Liquify: His preferred method, rationalizing all the reasons he should have what he wants, and then acting the part. I guess fake it until you make it. It's not even necessary to identify your self-limiting beliefs, as they will dissolve due to your successes to the contrary.

Mike shares a bit of encouragement: a woman approached him after a talk. She wondered about the successes of some of her friends who were less than spiritual and don't understand such things as "thoughts become things." Mike says these people are "gifts in our lives because they serve as irrefutable proof that there's no one sitting around judging us, deciding whether or not we're worthy to have the things we want.... They prove to us that you do not first have to become some kind of perfect, wonderful, selfless "saint" to make progress, grow and have your dreams come true. You just have to be able to dream and believe in those dreams."

Enjoying your life today, by living your dreams to the degree you presently can, is perhaps one of the most powerful things you can do toward expanding your belief system.

Infinite Possibilities, The Art of Living Your Dreams, Mike Dooley, 2009

[Sena]

Bulldoze and Liquify: His preferred method,

Deb, I am not sure I agree with "Bulldoze and Liquify". That seems heavy-handed. My understanding is that Seth advocates a more subtle approach.

"Left alone, the self acts spontaneously as a unit, but as an ever-changing one. Listening to voices both within and without, the conscious mind is able to form beliefs that are in league with the self's knowledge as received from material and nonmaterial sources. Then examination of beliefs takes its place along with other activities — naturally, easily, without effort. Once the conscious mind has accepted a collection of conflicting beliefs, however, a definite attempt is necessary to sort these out."
—NoPR Chapter 2: Session 615, September 18, 1972

"Many beliefs would automatically fall away quite harmlessly if you were being truly spontaneous."
—NoPR Chapter 2: Session 615, September 18, 1972

http://search.sethtalks.com/q/session:615+changing+your+beliefs/

"There is no need to search endlessly into the past of this life or any other, for the "original" causes for beliefs. Making a change in the present of a certain kind will automatically alter all beliefs "across the board," so to speak."
—Way to Health Chapter 10: June 3, 1984

• "Once the core belief is understood to be a false one, the others will fall away."

• "Now let me give you a brief example of a core belief. It is a blanket belief: human nature is inherently evil."

—NoPR Chapter 3: Session 617, September 25, 1972

I am wary of a belief that my beliefs need to be bulldozed and liquefied.

[Deb]

Well, okay, strong words, Bulldoze and Liquify, and maybe a poor choice at that since it sounds worse than it is. I didn't want to quote the entire passage on his method, but here's a bit (all emphasis is his):

"As silly as the name is, the Bulldoze and Liquify approach works for me. Very simply, I allow myself to become so empowered by my desires and goals that I can automatically and effortlessly Bulldoze and Liquify any limitings beliefs that might be in my way. How? By reasoning and rationalizing all the reasons why I should have—and deserve—whatever it is that I want, and then acting the part.

So... I physically charge ahead toward whatever it is I want, loaded to the teeth with an understanding about what I'm doing, my place in life, and my heritage as an unlimited eternal creator. These ideals, if held with conviction and reinforced with action, will see me through any "attacks" they might encounter from limiting beliefs, invisible or otherwise. And along these lines, I often also think and dwell on the magic of life, the miracles of life, and the grace of my being. By dwelling on all this perfection, it becomes harder and harder to see myself as limited in any way."

Basically, he just doesn't let fears or doubts hold him back. Rather than searching for the source, he acts despite his beliefs and eventually the limiting beliefs are proven unfounded, irrelevant, poof.

Thanks for adding the Seth quotes, I was going to be adding some at a point. I especially like this one:

"There is no need to search endlessly into the past of this life or any other, for the "original" causes for beliefs. Making a change in the present of a certain kind will automatically alter all beliefs "across the board," so to speak."
—Way to Health Chapter 10: June 3, 1984

I'm taking Ten Thousand Whispers with me on this next trip, Lynda also has good information on changing beliefs and I'll get those up here in a bit. Considering how much travel time I have ahead of me, maybe even tomorrow.