I read articles that are published in Medium and find them helpful. I appreciate the authenticity that comes through, the different writing styles and so many fresh voices. Voices that feel real, not necessarily polished by a lot of made-up rules and regulations of what writing should look like.

I’ve been wanting to add my voice to the mix but haven’t. I hesitate, despite having pieces already written and lots of ideas.

So I sit with a lot on my mind and nothing on paper.

What’s stopping me?

Insecure thinking. A collection of messages, stories, conclusions…lies…that come together like a big blob of slime. You know the slime parents (and grandparents) hate? It gets all over everything, is gelatinous in form but once it hardens, hard to get out!

Our insecure thinking is like this semi-liquid slime. Thoughts are meant to move because they are made of energy. When we have insecure thoughts we tend to give them too much airtime, because we think they mean something. Then they harden like slime.

Harden into beliefs that aren’t true.

Insecure thoughts are a collection of stories woven at moments in time by a brain trying to keep us safe and comfortable.

Stories of not good enough; not having anything worthwhile to say; not being smart enough; not being accepted; afraid of criticism or rejection; afraid of being seen; afraid of being found out as a fraud; afraid of failing. You know these stories!

They become habitual, so much so that you take them as Truth about yourself. Just like slime, they get all over you and they can be hard to shake. Until…you see them for what they are. Thoughts believed to be true.

I’ve been fortunate, actually graced, to have come across an understanding that has helped me see what’s True and what’s not True. It’s helped me to see the power of thought to create what looks real to me. When I’m captivated by thoughts that look real, I react to them in my feelings and behavior. I play out programming that’s not based in truth. It’s fiction.

Thankfully, I’m getting better at discerning between Truth and fiction. I’m able to sit in the middle of a thought storm and feel the human weather and know I’m okay. I’m okay because I see the nature of these storms. They will pass, they are made of energy in the form of feelings, those feelings can’t hurt me & the stories that create these storms are illusory. That’s all I need to know.

I’m then able to navigate from a more true, authentic, alive place. As I learn to not take my thinking seriously, I’m more present to life. Instead of reacting to habitual thoughts, I respond to nudges from wisdom…the life force running through me that keeps growing me towards the light. That’s Truth.

So here I sit with little on my mind and I write.

Freedom from Lies that overshadow Truth was originally published in Less Stress More Success on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.