Photo courtesy of Enkhtuvshin and Flickr
“A man may imagine things that are false, but he can only understand things that are true, for if the things be false, the apprehension of them is not understanding.”
Isaac Newton
I’ve spent the past few days with my dear friend, colleague and mentor Keith Blevens, PhD. Keith and his partner Valda Monroe were the people who introduced me to the “single paradigm” understanding of the principles behind clarity; a way of thinking about it that has simplified and clarified my work, and increased my impact as a coach, educator and communicator.
This weekend, I had a deeper insight into these principles when Keith said “this is a paradigm of no exceptions”. I reflected on this simple statement. On the one hand, I already “knew” this. But on the other hand I saw something deeper. So let’s start by exploring this simple statement:
what does “a paradigm of no exceptions” mean?
When we discover the foundational laws or principles behind a fact of life, we find that they are constant. Gravity works one way; it doesn’t take days off. The earth always goes round the sun; they never swap. The statement “You’re always living in the feeling of the principle of Thought taking form in the moment” is pointing to a constant; a fact of life. Something you can rely on. This means that we’re always living in the feeling of Thought in the moment. It means we’re never going to feel anything other than Thought in the moment. While it may *seem* as though we could experience something other than Thought, the truth of the matter is that there are no exceptions.
How is a paradigm of no exceptions helpful?
Whenever we discover the foundational truths behind how some aspect of life works, it simplifies and clarifies matters. Here are some examples:
newton’s discovery of Universal Gravitation eliminated numerous anomalies (exceptions) and provided the basis for many of the innovations of the industrial revolution.
semmelweis’ discovery of the link between germs and infection eliminated numerous anomalies and contributed to the extension of the average human lifespan by 30 years
When we don’t understand how an aspect of life already works, we build elaborate explanations based on that misunderstanding. These explanations are like the overly complex machines envisaged by the cartoonist Heath Robinson.
His contraptions for doing simple tasks such as making pancakes or boiling an egg are funny to look at in large part because you already know a much simpler way to accomplish the same thing. Similarly, when we get confused about where our experience is coming from, we build elaborate models based on that misunderstanding. This is the source of many of our problems and most of our suffering.
What can you do about it?
The single most useful question I’ve ever learned is this one: where do I believe my experience is coming from? While the question has no power in and of itself, there is a source of power we can avail ourselves of. When we insightfully realise that we’re experiencing Thought in the moment (and not the things we’re thinking about) we wake up to the truth of the moment; the reality we’re built for. And when you wake up to reality, you discover you have what you need to take the next step. And here’s the thing; you’re always and only experiencing the principle of Thought taking form in the moment. This is a paradigm of no exceptions; it’s the only game in town. And as you realise this more and more deeply for yourself, you’ll discover something wonderful; that you’re more than you think, and have what it takes to live a wonderful life.
If you want to learn more about who you really are and what you’ve got going for you, you can listen to me reading the first two chapters of my Sunday Times Bestselling Book RESULTS: Think Less, Achieve More at https://www.jamiesmart.com/rmp08. It’s free!
To your increasing clarity and results,
Big love
Jamie
P.S. I’ve now got 7 places left for ‘Project Glasswing’ programme starting this weekend. If you’d like to be considered for Glasswing 7 (starting this weekend), I’m looking for 36 very specific people. Here’s what I’m looking for:
– You are a coach, therapist or change-worker (Eg. Sports coach, psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, business coach, bodyworker etc)
– You have at least one year’s experience of working with clients (either paid, pro-bono or both)
– You probably charge by the hour, but want to use a “coaching package” model and increase your income
– You have room to work with at least one longer term contract client, starting in March
– You’re an enthusiastic, friendly people-person
– You have a coachable spirit, and are willing to step out of your comfort zone if necessary, and
– You can keep a secret
If that’s you, then email me at info@jamiesmart.com, and let me know where you’re located and a little about yourself (if you don’t know what to tell me about, look at the list above for inspiration). Change the subject line to “Project Glasswing JST”. Talk to you soon!