The things you say to yourself can shape the way you perceive reality and how you act when facing it. Dare to discover the script of your life and rewrite it, so you can be yourself and reach your potential.
Have you ever wondered why things seem to go wrong for you? Why you are not happy? Or why it is so hard for you to reach the dream you have for your life? Why, even though you call yourself a Christian, do you find yourself stuck repeating the same unhealthy behaviors you had when you first met the gospel? If you constantly wonder what the difference is between those who achieve what they aspire to and those who do not, this topic will interest you. Sometimes the answer is not found in your thoughts alone: low mood, exhaustion, grief, or hard circumstances can make everything look dark, and they deserve care too.
The reality in Israel’s mind
The people of Israel experienced the same thing we often experience. They left Egypt free by the mighty hand of God. They had God’s presence with them at all times and saw impressive miracles throughout their journey, but despite all that, a whole generation of men, except for Joshua and Caleb, were buried in the desert.
The argument we have been developing in the book “Learning to Love” is that the people of Israel did not grow emotionally. Emotional and spiritual growth must be intentional, and both must go hand in hand. Spiritual growth is hard to sustain if we neglect emotional growth. Human beings have three dimensions: spiritual, physical, and emotional.
All three must be integrated and balanced. If I care about the spiritual and physical dimensions and neglect the emotional dimension, I will not have balance in my life, and it will be harder for me to grow toward maturity.
All this becomes more relevant when we consider the cognitive development process of the human mind. God brought me into existence through my parents’ relationship, and ideally they are our first example of how to interpret the world around us. In other words, parents have the responsibility of being the first teachers in a child’s emotional growth. Parents are imperfect, and many of us received less than we needed; that is a reason for compassion, not for blame.
The reality in our mind
The early years of my life were key in this process because in this period I was forming my life script. In that script, the emotional dynamics of my family were reflected: the commands, orders, and limiting or empowering beliefs that I received from those around me. That is why a script is a life plan that contains the most significant things that are going to happen to a person.
It is not a destiny determined by the gods. It has its origin in the beginnings of life, in childhood, in the early decisions that a child makes to adapt and survive in his or her environment. Those decisions can remain in place as a program that guides the person unconsciously, unless he or she decides to become aware of the beliefs and unconscious decisions that rule them.
That life script operates largely below the surface and influences your life. What you say to yourself shapes how you perceive reality and how you act before it. The limiting beliefs written in our life scripts can keep us from reaching our full potential. Limiting beliefs are a perception of reality that prevents you from progressing, growing, making decisions aligned with yourself, or reaching your potential. In my blog, I will continue developing this concept.
What is one thing you often say to yourself that you would like to examine this week?
Would you like to talk with a professional? Call (407) 559-7093 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern) or find professional help here. For general questions that are not an emergency, write to drduany@zodugroup.com. Please do not send health information by email.
If you are in crisis or thinking about hurting yourself, do not wait. Call or text 988 (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24 hours a day, free and confidential). If there is immediate danger, call 911.
This article is for education only. It does not offer diagnosis or personal advice, does not replace evaluation or treatment by a health professional, and reading it or writing to us through this site does not create a therapeutic or pastoral counseling relationship. This site is not an emergency service and is not monitored continuously: do not send health information through comments or public forms. The author is a licensed psychotherapist and pastor, and is part of ZODU.
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