Other voices

How I use other voices to help quiet the old, bringing clarity and hope to the forefront...

Image by: YingnanLu from Pixabay

If you don't like the voices in your head, put other ones in there! - Paul Scheele

All the progress I've made so far in my journey has been possible because of the 'other' voices I've put in my head! I needed those voices to pull me out of the darkness, away from the long-term residents in there! These other voices have changed the trajectory of my life!

I give full credit to my husband for holding out his hand and asking me (with that sweet smile on his face...making me feel absolutely no pressure to say yes) to join him in an online book study he was about to start called 'Think & Grow Rich'. He was excited about it and wanted me to experience it along side him...and that's where my journey began...Napoleon Hill and the two mentors who led us through the study were the first 'other' voices to break down the barriers in my mind and cause an explosion of newfound awareness... and with that came - HOPE!

I remember being drawn in to the new information - the new concepts and ideas of the study and feeling this bright vibrating energy surge through my veins. For the first time in my life, I became aware that I (little ole' me...Jessica Lynn Usher) have unlimited potential, that there are infinite resources within myself to create anything I want to be, do and have. I learned about Thurman Fleet's 'Stickman' concept of the mind, I learned about our six intellectual faculties, about the universal laws....and most importantly, that we as humans are inherently creative beings and we have the right to live our life by 'Design and not Default!'

**MIND BLOWN** :)

Living on the Causative Side

Understanding the seven universal laws is a major mind opener and can be life changing if put into use. One of these laws...the law of Cause & Effect, states that 'for every effect there is a definite cause, just as for every cause, there is a definite effect!' What this means is that our thoughts, beliefs, habits, attitudes, actions create specific effects in our life...and if we are not happy with these effects...guess what....drumroll.....WE CAN CHANGE THEM! We change them by understanding their root cause. Change the cause, you change the effect! You choose what side of that law you want to live on...the effect side (living as if life is happening TO YOU) or the cause side (understanding that life happens THROUGH YOU). Living on the causative side of life has been my mission the second it came into my awareness!

This new information challenged everything I had previously believed...I believed that the darkness was inherently in me and its ceaseless reoccurrence in my life was just something I had to accept and learn to live with. Living with the darkness is not living at all! When it came into my awareness that I can challenge the validity of these long held beliefs and can put in the work to change them....things began to change! This is the essence of letting in the light....The light is the hope that comes with knowledge and growth.

I heard this definition of learning once and it goes something like this:

Learning is becoming a different person as a result of taking in and applying that new information!

So many times we learn something new and interesting but never act on it...acting on it means examining it, dissecting it, marinating in it, then taking action and implementing it. I feel so grateful for all the amazing voices I invited and am still inviting into my mind. It literally just takes one, to change your course forever. But with the availability of so many voices out there to listen to, we must be intentional about who we choose to let in.

Who we learn from matters!

Living life BY DESIGN involves not only changing our belief systems and attitudes, but also creating an environment conducive to our growth. Be intentional about surrounding yourself with people that support your growth. Change is inevitable when we begin to grow, and some people may not be as supportive or understanding when we begin to change. I am very lucky to have a husband who shares the same growth mindset and is excited to grow right along side me. I believe it was Jim Rohn that said

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with! - Jim Rohn

Since my journey began, I've been very intentional about surrounding myself with thought leaders both past and present through the many mediums available in this virtual, interconnected world we live in...and I've chosen voices that inspire and motivate me to keep growing. My mentor dropped this golden nugget in one of his teachings. He said that designing our environment can begin with simply looking at our social media feeds. Many of us are guilty of spending a little too much time on these platforms and if you keep getting frustrated, disgusted, shocked, saddened, angered by certain posts that appear in your feed regularly - you can do something about it! How many of those algorithms work, is if you 'like' or view certain posts one or two times, your feed becomes flooded with the same content. If you have that one 'friend' that continues to flood your feed with their negative energy - 'unfriend' them! You can be the master designer of your feeds! Flood them with positive, uplifting messages that give you joy every time you visit!

Like, I've said in previous posts, this growth journey is not easy...it requires persistent, passionate, intentional action taking! But just having the awareness that you can choose the life you want, is the first step. This awareness blew my mind and opened me to a world of beautiful possibilities....a world with the promise of so much radiant light...so much joy! The voices that live in my mind were not serving me...the new voices I've put in there, have quieted the old and given me a new chance at life! Those old voices are still in there...they will remain there because they are a part of me...but I now know that I can listen to them, challenge them, and choose to not agree or follow them...I've learned to place them in time-out for extended periods, with the ultimate goal of gifting them with early retirement! :)

xoxo

My documented journey through many courses...many other voices!

Photo Credit: Dustan James :)