We are born, we live, we learn. Some of the learnings nurture and support and some of them do not. The learnings become decisions that form strategies of living. Many of these learned decisions were spur of the moment survival decisions made by an uninformed child. Amen, that they have served to allow you to reach this point in life. But, not so amen to the fact that they have diminished your understanding and experience of the glorious big picture. It is the task of the adult to re-educate the child. It is a process of gaining trust and establishing a willingness to release what seems to serve and protect the little one. In the spirit of wonder and learning the child is always open, she just has to be convinced or, at least invited to look at things differently. Basic decisions about how to curvive in the world have to be addressed and updated, even released and replaced. The child will do this when you give her a good enough reason. In this activity we start with a state of the union and move towards systematically replacing the old operating system of non-serving beliefs and behaviors. Let’s do this!
- Start by making an exhaustive list of the beliefs each of you hold, the kind of beliefs that direct behavior, your fall back “knowings” about how things are. For the child self, be honest about the learnings that have contributed to how you both view and experience your world. This is not an interpretive exercise, it is just the facts. There is no judgment here, just updating, re-education, and new neural pathways followed by more life affirming behavior. For the adult, focus on the learnings that serve to elevate you now.
- Now that you have started your list of beliefs that have regulated your moments of living thus far, take some time and look at each one in greater depth. When do you recall deciding that this was the way things were? What were the circumstances of making this decision? How has this belief served you? How has it not? Is it something you want to keep, release, or adjust/update to fit the new you? Do at least three reflections this week.
- Make a list of three things you each want to learn about. Then get started. Maybe the adult can teach the child or vice versa. Maybe you have to go to the Net to find the information. Maybe you can open a big book like an encyclopedia to see what is there to support your learning. Talk about the learnings after you have learned them. Put them into practice somehow in you.
- Go back to 2 and work with some beliefs that do not serve you anymore. Do at least 3 more reflections, more if you can.
- Go back to 2 and work with some beliefs that do not serve you anymore. Do at least 3 more reflections, more if you can.
