When is it time for self help ? Have you ever been on a path of self destruction with all of the problems in your life? I have. It felt like the walls closing in, like trouble at every turn, like poverty of every kind, like despair no matter what.
I learned a visualization years ago that a friend thought would help. The idea is to envision your problem blowing up. Kind of violent, right? I read another suggestion last week: if someone is giving you trouble, write their name on the sole of your shoe, then walk on them all day. Hmm...
There have been times in my life in which my solutions were just as self destructive as the problems I was looking to erase. Kind of a negative situation, isn't it? Kind of like going to war with yourself to fix a problem. Cutting off your nose to spite your face. In fact, destroying negativity is counter-productive. Imagine that, trying to use a negative action to come to a positive solution! I don't know about you, but I've never fixed a negative problem with more negativity. So, how do we remove a negative problem? Well, my high school math teacher taught me a formula to deal with negativity. It is a simple formula, and once you know it, it is yours for life. To start let's look at what a whole lot of negatives do:
(-5) + (-4) = -9
See? Add two negatives and you get a negative! It is a no-win situation!
So, if I can't use self destruction on my problems, if I can't blow this poverty away, if I can't nuke out this anxiety, if I can't execute my debts and firebomb my depression... what can I do?
Use a simple math formula as a spiritual metaphor, or principle.
To subtract negative numbers, add the opposite.
In math, the answer looks like this:
5 � (-4) = 9
which is the same as
5 + (+4) = 9
Don't worry if you are as math-challenged as I am. The spiritual, or self help formula works the same way in life as it does in the math books.
To remove negative from your life, add the opposite.
The opposite of self destruction? Think of spirituality. Think of self help. There are tools in spirituality and self help that can totally eliminate those problems in your life. And they come in so many different methods and techniques and beliefs! How exciting!
I know a woman who is a recovered alcoholic. She hasn't had a drink in over 20 years. She used to be a very negative person. She didn't want to be around people. She drank alcohol as a solution to her problems (some solution!) She was a loner (and no one wanted to be around her anyway). Using spirituality and self help methods she is a completely different person, and is one of the most delightful people I know now.
She stopped drinking and had a total personality reversal, really a miracle, not by negative methods, not by hating alcohol and swearing off. She tells me she doesn't even think about drinking anymore. She joined Alcoholics Anonymous. She got involved with her own personal spirituality. She added a whole bunch of new friends to her life, and patched up relationships with the old ones.
She wouldn't even think of using self destruction in her life! She knows she cannot hate alcohol or problems or her past. Not when the positive answer works so much better! Now she lives a life of love with her loving husband and wonderful daughter and more friends than she can count!
By using spirituality and self help methods my friend was able to conquer a long-term drinking problem, a very negative and destructive problem.
My friend can be an example to anyone who has problems. Use spirituality and self help, positive methods, to release the negative. And always remember the formula for dealing with negativity. Weapons of mass destruction won't work. To remove negative from your life, add the opposite!
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