You may believe that you are responsible for what you do, but not for what you think. The truth is that you are responsible for what you think, because it is only at this level that you can exercise choice. What you do comes from what you think. T2.VI.2:5-7
Many of you would like to change job, make more money, change bosses, change partners, thinking that by changing the form, you will get something better. You go out trying to find “The One” that will satisfy all your criteria of a better job, a better boss and a better partner. Yet, you remain who you are. Blaming, irresponsible, lazy, late for work, taking advantage and shine no light. Wherever you may be, whoever you may end up working with, you will find that, to your disappointment, your situation has remained all the same.
You wonder how that happens? “The truth is that you are responsible for what you think, because it is only at this level that you can exercise choice.” If you are experiencing people taking advantage in your space of work, in your relationship and now you complain about being taken advantage of when you are at work, it’s time to check if your energy has that “Taking Advantage” button. Consider your salary, why is it that the other department gets higher increment than your department? They work lesser hours, more flexibility and yet you are tied down with a lower pay and more hours of work. You look at them and you see unjust. The question to ask of yourself is: “Where have I taken advantage of in a situation, of someone?” You think that by doing, by moving and by rearranging the people in your life, the work condition and environment, your will see change. Now, it is the time to stop doing, breathe and think. It is only this level that you will experience change.
Let me share with you an observation. I was in a hypermarket and they sell lots of fresh produce at warehouse prices. At the place where they sell fresh prawns (shrimps), they are put out on a counter on ice cubes so that customers can pick and choose the prawns. After that, send to the weighing counter to check the weight and the price. There is a notice that said: “Prawns with their heads removed, will be weighed double.” I was astounded. Do customers remove the heads of the prawns so that they could cheat on that little extra weight, with this they would pay less? Let’s think about that, where did the people learn to take advantage of this situation?
Let’s go back to being kids in Malaysia where many of us followed our mums to open markets that sell vegetables and other fresh produce. You get to see lots of people trying to get a good bargain when they bring their purchases for weighing. Have you ever witnessed some people (or your parents) after buying some vegetables and having bargained for a good price, they habitually take a few chilies or a few stalks of spring onion to add on to their purchases? Then they tell the stall owner to give them the chilies for free. Some even think that it is their rights to take something extra, after all, the stall owner has been paid, so let’s take advantage with some extra produce.
If you grow up witnessing this action, wouldn’t you have in your mind that taking from others more than what you have bargained for, is the right thing to do? You will not feel that there was anything wrong, yet in your life, you keep having people taking advantage of you in return.
How would you change that now? Let’s start by changing the way you think. Take time to go through these four steps to creating new thought from my book “Invite Freedom Home” Chapter 10:
What do you believe?
How do you your life with this belief?
How would you do your life without this belief?
Create New Thoughts.
