What’s the first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word faith?
I know that’s probably not the F word you were expecting from me, but I’m also willing to bet that the first thing that came to mind when I said “faith” was religion. I know for most of my life that was true for me. I thought faith was something reserved for the saints and martyrs, something that didn’t pertain to me in any way. Now I understand that faith has nothing to do with religion, that it’s available to every one of us, and essential to cultivate!
In my observation, far more people resonate with doubt than with faith. Our culture conditions us to doubt. We doubt our worthiness. We doubt our capabilities, our decisions, our thought process. We doubt our readiness, our level of education, our physical attractiveness. We doubt our inner voice, and our own ability to change our lives.
Then fear moves in. What if that little voice of doubt is right? If the voice of doubt is right, I might never find my true love, or my purpose in life. How can I possibly ever feel confident or successful? It’s a downward spiral that becomes more powerful the more we feed it with doubt and fear.
Where do doubt and fear come from?
Doubt and fear are emotions.
Emotions only come from one place: our thoughts.
Some might argue that a circumstance or situation can also “cause” fear. We know this can’t be true, because if a circumstance caused the emotion, it would cause the same emotion in everyone without fail. But we can take any situation that most people might face with fear, and we will always find some who face that situation with faith. So it’s not the situation, but the thoughts we choose to think about the situation that create fear or faith. So what’s the magic ingredient that allows someone to choose faith?
Practice.
A practice breaks through default settings that were curated through our conditioning.
~ Amit West, Spiritual Sandbox
We are practicing fear or faith every day. We are choosing to worry, or we are choosing to relax into the knowing that we have handled 100% of our challenges so far, and that we will likely handle 100% moving forward. We can choose to worry, or we can choose to relax into knowing that we don’t need to have all the answers right now, and that when challenges arise, the way through that challenge will also arise. We can choose to worry about money, or we can trust the Universe to always have our backs no matter what.
Most of our culture is thinking thoughts that are fear-based, so it’s super easy to keep a parade of fear-based thoughts moving through our mind.
If currently the fear-based thoughts dominate your vibration, it is only because we have been conditioned to practice fear. To shift from a steady diet of fear-based thoughts to a steady diet of faith-based thoughts simply requires practicing faith.
So how do we build faith through practice? What do we even practice?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. It’s like asking what food plan is exactly right for every person on the planet. There isn’t one! We want to play with several elements to dial in the perfect plan to support each individual.
Cyndi’s Fabulous Fucking Toolbox
If you follow this link to my toolbox, you will find some fabulous fucking tools that have proven useful to many people for connecting to Spirit (Source energy/God). It’s a running list of resources that inspire the crap outta me & my clients so we can build our faith muscle!
It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen with practice.
We may have been practicing negative programming for decades or longer, so we can be gentle with ourselves as we begin to explore this new way of thinking and being. When worry pops up, don’t beat yourself up for returning to familiar patterns, bless the Universe for this great opportunity to practice faith. Then do some deep breathing and pull out the tool box.
Rediscover how fun it is to practice faith, rather than fear!
Grow on!
Click THIS LINK to my Fabulous Fucking Tool Box.
There are LOTS of options, so I invite you to identify the ones that inspire you. As you’re reading the list, which ideas appeal most, or give you a feeling of lightness in your heart? Click a few links and check them out. Play with the tools that you love and leave the rest for someone else. When you find ones that really resonate, use them frequently. Post reminders throughout your home to practice until they become habit.
F is for Faith ~ a poem by Cyndi, inspired by Dr. Seuss
F is for Faith
And I don’t feel a smidgen
When I try to tie Faith
To dogmatic religion.
Faith is not tied
To a God that’s outside me.
Faith is a feeling,
An emotion inside me.
And since I create feelings
With the thoughts that I choose,
Faith is simply a matter
Of curating my views.
I don’t want to think thoughts
That make me feel crappy.
So I’m choosing thoughts
That let me feel happy!
I won’t predict failure.
I won’t fret, or lament.
I will point to my success rate
Of one hundred percent!
I’ve come so far!
Of my triumphs take score!
I am worthy and capable
Of ten thousand times more!
And when doubt creeps in
From time to time,
I’ll relax and release,
And just let my light shine!
The Universe carries me
on the vibe I create,
So I’m turning from fear
to be carried in Faith.
