Some silently ache inside not knowing why they ache. They live with a secret longing to believe things and behave in ways others have told them not think, not to feel, or not to do.

People masterfully train and persuade others to hold beliefs and practice behaviors just like their own. As a teacher and writer, I am guilty as charged.

What I’d like to be most known for is behaving and believing as I’ve seen fit for my maximum growth. I press to help others be more fully and authentically themselves by teaching them to use their own experience, knowledge, and imagination to pattern themselves into a mold which fits for them regardless of what others from a race, religion, political party, social class, or even family and friends might say.

If your understanding of a Higher Being gives you a clean conscience, you bring good into the world, and help others then cultivate those beliefs and behaviors.

Below I will cover steps it takes to grow more fully into your own mold.

Courage

To grow more fully into your own mold you’ll need courage. For most of us, we’ve developed a fear of freeing ourselves to believe and behave in ways that work best for us. Our families, friends, communities, social class, on and on it goes puts an obvious and stealthy pressure on us telling us if you believe this or that or behave in this or that way you’ll encounter this or that consequence. They may have good intentions but if their beliefs and/or actions don’t align with yours what should you do? Should you swallow your differences and continue on. That choice has never worked for me and for some of you it’s not working right now.

If you want to hear what God is saying to YOU what your unique beliefs and behaviors are for any given topic, you must decide to shape yourself on as many topics and ideas as you can. You cannot leave that up to any group or person outside of yourself and your Greater Guide.

I’m not saying you can do this alone, nor am I saying to isolate yourself, but I am saying it will take courage to fully embrace and hold to your own beliefs and behaviors especially if they go contrary to any group with whom you’re supposed to identify.

Acknowledgement

You must acknowledge areas of your life you need to grow your beliefs or behaviors into your own mold. This type of reshaping of yourself will not happen unless you see a need for it. Some are tired of living with that ache inside.

Get a pen and pad and list areas your heart and mind long to free themselves to express the truest you. Meditate, pray over it, and write them down. Have courage in this process to challenge even your most sacred beliefs and behaviors. If your most sacred beliefs and behaviors can’t hold up to scrutiny then it might be time to change them or find better reasons why you hold to those beliefs and behaviors.

Envision

Albert Einstein said the following,

Imagination moves us beyond limits while knowledge brings us to limits. Much of our knowledge limits us to hold certain beliefs and behaviors. Some hold the same beliefs and do the same behaviors for decades and never for one moment imagine that things could be any different. In fact the idea of shifting a belief or practice scares them because they worry about what others would say. They cement themselves into one belief and behavior without any alterations.

To pattern yourself after your own mold you must courageously imagine what could be for yourself based upon your own beliefs and behaviors — the beliefs and behaviors you’ve determined to best for you and others around you.

On that same sheet of paper write a ten word or less vision statement for yourself expressing beliefs and behaviors which will help you pattern yourself after your own mold.

My ten words are as follows: Grow limiting beliefs and behaviors well beyond my current limits.

Embody

Finally, to pattern yourself after your own mold, live it out with as much vibrancy as your can muster — embody it. Without reservation show up as yourself shaped by a Force greater than any and consistently live what you’ve fashioned by your hands and God’s.

We have the right and freedom to shape ourselves into a mold which matches who we are. Break the chain others put on you to believe and behave in ways which don’t match you. Put the ointment of Self growth and development on the wounds made by institutions and societies which have beaten us to believe and behave how they see fit rather than how we’ve imagined ourselves to be and worked to become with the help of God and and those few understanding loved ones.

Go and grow yourself beyond your current limits.

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