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By Gregg Sanderson
“Here is a test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: If you’re alive, it isn’t.”—Richard Bach
“You have cancer,” the doctor said, as casually as if she had said, “Hello Mother.” Right away I got to put to the test everything I’ve believed for 40 years or so.
Immediately, that Elegant, Glorious Obfuscation (EGO) kicked in. I can handle this. After all, I’ve been at this stuff for umpteen years, and I can just shrug it off. I don’t need to reprogram anything. However, my ego would say, “I don’t need to put my money where my mouth is.”
Besides, I have a lot of errands to run. I can always do it later. I can just know, “It’s OK if I have cancer. I’m OK, even if I have cancer.”
Yeah, sure.
One way to tell if Bummer BS is operating is to notice the time you spend thinking about the situation. It never left my mind for a minute, so I knew I had work to do. So much for my Ego’s attempt to “protect” me.
After a fitful night’s non-sleep, I woke up feeling worry/fear/terror. To call it panic would not be inaccurate. I know the best reprogramming force available is strong emotion. It was running full bore.
The part of me that still had a grip on rationality knew this was a great opportunity. I couldn’t let all that power go to waste. I woke up my favorite counselor, and we got to work finding and cleaning up the BS.
I discovered a fear I would let people down if I were in the hospital or dead. My word has always been an obsession with me. In fact, my consulting firm’s motto was “Never miss a deadline.”
I even broke up with a talented business partner and good friend because just once he didn’t do what he said he would.
When I upgraded the BS (It’s OK if I let people down…I’m OK even if I let people down) I noticed an immediate difference.
The important thing to know is that once I change the BS, nothing in the rest of the world has to change for me to be happy. The trip is always easier without fear in the driver’s seat. I still had cancer, but was no longer falling apart.
Remember, the BS is unconscious, and unrelated to the physical world. I still keep my word, I just don’t worry about it. If I have to cancel some appointments because I’m dead, that’s the way it is. No stress.
I look and act much younger than my years, and attribute much of it to better BS. I often notice how folks much younger appear so old and sick.
I attribute most of this to the happiness work I’ve done over the years. I live virtually stress-free, and we all know that’s a major factor in health and aging. I’ll be 86 on my next birthday. It’s a mental fountain of youth!
There are a couple of important takeaways from this experience I’m happy to pass on to you. … uh … let’s delete the phrase “pass on.”
- When you aren’t happy, don’t believe your ego when it tells you you’ll be fine and everything’s OK. You won’t, and it isn’t. Once you break through the ego barrier and upgrade your BS, THEN you’ll feel better.
- Recognize your bad feelings entirely as a result of bummer BS, no matter what’s going on in your life. You CAN feel good, and find less stress, more options, and a greater acceptance of “what is.” You can even make macabre jokes about it
- See every upset as an opportunity to upgrade. Be willing to change that hidden BS and dive right in. The more emotion you have, the more powerful your reprogramming.
Assuming you’re now willing to make the changes you need to be happy, all that’s left is to do it. Don’t miss next month’s thrilling issue of Transformation Coaching for the first instruction.
Gregg Sanderson is author of Spirit With A Smile, The World According To BOB. He is a licensed practitioner in the Centers for Spiritual Living, and a Certified Trainer for Infinite Possibilities. His earlier books were, What Ever Happened To Happily Ever Aft er? and Split Happens—Easing The Pain Of Divorce. His latest project is the New Thought Global Network, where subscribers can enjoy the best in New Thought presentations from anywhere at any ti me. You can see it at http://www.newthoughtglobal.org.