We often talk about how important and wonderful it is to be “connected.” But, not all connections are good for you. Moving from one place to another always requires tossing out “stuff” that you don’t need any more, and this applies to emotional ties well as your moldy old photo albums.
Connections are not tangible items, so tossing them out takes a different approach. Here, we shall use “autosuggestion.”
(If you have read “Think and Grow Rich” you already know of the techniques and process of autosuggestion. It is a form of hypnotizing yourself, i.e., managing your subconscious mind with certain repeated messages. The following imagery is very similar).
To start, get yourself in a quiet relaxed space if you can, like just before or after falling asleep, and envision yourself holding a cutting tool: a big knife, scissors, hedge trimmers, whatever . . And imagine yourself cutting ropes that tie you to people in your past. These people may be alive or dead, doesn’t matter. Just imagine that your emotional ties to them now consist of ropes and strings, and you have the tools, the power, and the permission to hack away at these strings. And just start flailing.
You may have varied reactions to this process. There may be nothing at all. Then there may be a consciousness of a feeling of loneliness, one that maintaining these sub-par relationships was helping you to avoid.
That can be sadness-inducing, but trust me, it is always better to let go of these entanglements and face the fear of loneliness that was once placed in you to make you accept them. The sadness is momentary, as letting go of this old stuff will allow new (and much better) stuff to come to you.
That’s today’s exercise in transcending limitation.
© Justin Locke
