Manifesting With Our Thoughts

I have long held the belief that we create our reality based on what we believe, that our thoughts and feelings are the things that manifest what shows up in our lives.   Yet, even though I hold this belief, I guess in some ways I didn't think that it applied to everything. :-)

Case in point, one of my clients and I confessed to each other sometime in the last year that the time we feel most "un-zen" is when we are in our cars.  We admitted that no matter how calm and at peace we feel at every other moment of the day, when we are out driving we become irritated with other drivers to the point where we don't like who we become . . . which is very angry.  I never thought about the fact that I could be manifesting this experience through my own thoughts and feelings.

Last weekend I was at her house giving Reiki treatments to her dogs and she asked me if I had seen Louise Hay's newsletter on Driving With Joy.  She said when she read it, she thought of me right away and all the conversations we have had about how irritated we get when we're in the car.  She promised to forward the newsletter to me, which she did a couple of days later.

Here is an excerpt from Louise's newsletter:

It is amazing how many people choose to be angry and upset when they drive. Then they wonder why there are so many poor drivers around them. I learned a long time ago not to get upset because someone else does not know how to drive. That is their problem, not mine.

The rules of the road are the same as the rules of life. What we give out in words or thoughts are exactly what will return to us. If we believe that the world is full of lousy drivers, then that is exactly what we will experience.

If we want to have a pleasant driving experience, then it is up to us to create it. The moment I enter my car, I bless the car with love and affirm that I will have a safe, happy trip, surrounded by good drivers.

I giggled to myself when I read the above portion of the newsletter, realizing that I must hold the belief that the world is full of lousy drivers since that seems to be what I experience on a regular basis.  :-)  I decided it couldn't hurt to try changing my belief so the next day when I got in the car, in my head I said, "I am surrounded by wonderful drivers" and I said it several times throughout my drive.  Much to my amazement, I didn't encounter a single bad driver on my way to the appointment.  

It was such a nice change from what I normally experience!  I tried it again on the drive home and sure enough, another easy drive home.  I tried it again the next day and much to my delight, same result!  I didn't encounter anyone on the road that made me angry or irritated - not one person made me feel like they were jeopardizing my safety.  

On the third day, I had an easy drive on the way to an appointment - I was clearly "surrounded by wonderful drivers."  It wasn't until I was on my way home from the appointment that my new belief was challenged.  As I was exiting the freeway, the gal in the car in front of me was looking at her cellphone and therefore didn't realize she was straddling both the exit lanes.  I started to feel the irritation building and I was on the verge of screaming, "Put your *$^%# phone down and focus on the road" but instead I said, "I am surrounded by wonderful drivers (deep exhale) . . . I am surrounded by wonderful drivers (deep exhale) . . . and just then, she put her phone down and moved into the right lane.  I was able to move into the left lane and miraculously even got through the intersection while the light was still green.  

It has inspired me to look more closely at the less pleasant experiences I have and see what beliefs I hold that could be creating them.  Thinking back to my recent challenging experiences with the phone company, I must hold the belief that no two people at the phone company will give you the same answer, since that was what I kept experiencing. :-)  Next time I need to call them, I am going to try shifting my perspective and see what happens.

So, if you happen to be plagued with irritation at other drivers as well, or irritation with anything else, you might try shifting your belief and see what happens.  The results may pleasantly surprise you!