One of the first things we are asked to do in any personal growth or New Thought teaching is to take our minds off autopilot and start paying attention to the thoughts that run through our minds all day…what we are saying about ourselves, about others, and about the world.   And when we do this…if we’re honest about it…we are often shocked at how much of the time is consumed by egoic thinking, critical, judgmental, fearful, negative thinking.   And how little time we spend actually thinking from our heart.

That egoic, critical fearful voice is the voice of, what I like to call the the false self, or the shadow self. This is the self that feels separate…separate from Source and separate from each other.  It’s the self that sometimes causes us to feel we are a victim, and other times tries to control others and manipulate situations.  It judges others and our self…harshly. And it often sabotages our well-intentioned efforts.

This self is unfortunately the one most people are familiar with because this is the world in which we were raised. We’re raised with the predominate belief in separation…that we’re separate from God, separate from each other and separate from our good.  Our world tells us that our good is outside of us, and we must struggle and compete to get ahead and there’s not enough to go around.  It also tell us that we’re not good enough…unless we buy whatever product they’re selling.  It’s how the world is set up.

There is another self – our Higher Self, or our Authentic Self that speaks a whole different language.  This is our true self and it’s always with us, but its voice has been drowned out for so long it’s not easy to hear it anymore.  but this is the self we start to get familiar with as we step onto a spiritual path…any spiritual path really.  Most religious paths…particularly the more mystical aspect of them…have, as an overall goal, the awakening to our higher self.  Everyone calls it something different, but it’s more of less the same thing.  Whether it’s called our soul, or our compassionate nature, or the spirit within, or the Christ within, the Oversoul, our God-self, or our angelic nature…the point is to call upon it, to connect with it!

The first step in the process of connecting with it is to become very aware of when we’re not.  We want to become really conscious of what voice we’re allowing to “run our program” because most the time it’s unconscious. And if we allow the voice of the false self to run our program for too long it will cause a whole host of problems.  It can rob us of our health and wellbeing, ruin friendships, undermine our self-worth and sabotage the fulfillment of our vision.  In short, causing us a great amount of unhappiness.

So it would behoove us to catch the false self as soon as possible and stop it in its tracks.   And the best way to do that is to become aware…not just your thoughts, but also begin to notice how you feel…and how you behave…when you are “under the influence of your false self.”

So if you notice you are feeling confused, or you are worrying a lot, or are feeling anxious, that might be a clue the false self is running your program.  If you notice you are judging yourself harshly or you are comparing yourself to others or maybe even questioning your own worth, you can be certain your false self is in charge. And if the vision that came from your heart which you were in the process of joyously bringing forth is suddenly brought into question…if you get easily side-tracked, or you hear yourself saying, “What was I thinking, I can’t do that?” you might be under the influence of the false self.

So the more familiar you are with your thoughts, feelings and behaviors when you are being influenced by the false self, the easier it will be to shift your energy and bring yourself back into alignment with your true Authentic Self.

And one of the best ways I know to make this shift into the Authentic Self is to focus on something…anything…for which you are grateful.  Bring to your mind something in your life you consider a blessing. Generate some enthusiasm and excitement for that particular thing or experience and let to vibrate within your being.

Or, perhaps you could focus on the beauty of nature and let the gratitude for that amazing expression of the Divine to sink deep into your heart.

Either way there is no quicker way to completely shift your thinking, your energy and your level of happiness than to implement the proven technique of gratitude.

Our higher Authentic Self is the place of real power within us.  It knows how to bring forth our vision easily and harmoniously.  It is in alignment with the flow of Divine Life Energy.  It is where we are connected with Divine wisdom and guidance and it can guide us in moving us forward on purpose and in the direction of our dreams…where synchronous events are commonplace.   This is the place where we realize we are blessed and we see everyone else the same way.  It is powerfully loving, confident, creative, inspired and inspiring.

The more we consciously align ourselves with this Higher Self the more we live, “with the license of a higher order of beings” as Thoreau wrote about.

For more tips on how to shift into the living from the awareness of our Authentic Self download my complete transformational program, Conscious Co-Creating. Click here to learn more about that.