The Treasure House Within You

If my dad's favorite chapter of, "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind" is the first, without a shadow of a doubt, the second is MY favorite.

 This is where the book becomes exciting and the ideals start to lift off the page and into your own reality. Clear, outlined instructions on how to change your life are written in a way that is easy to follow.  This chapter does not feel overwhelming but instead uplifting and accessible. Here is where Murphy starts to help you build a toolbox to construct a life you have always wanted to live.

Murphy uses beautiful language throughout the book to describe the power that is within. At the very beginning of this chapter he says, "There is a gold mine within you from which you can extract everything you need to live life gloriously, joyously, and abundantly."  He does not  write that he is merely going to help you learn how to cope with life, or to "manage" everyday stress that just comes with living...no, he specifically chose those words, gloriously, joyously, and abundantly, to describe a life that  I think many of us dream of but never thought was attainable. Who wouldn't want their lives to be filled with all of those wonderful things? Dr. Murphy is here to say that yes, not only is it possible but it will happen if you can just realize the beautiful strength and power that lies within. You do not need to work yourself to death everyday so that you can become rich and famous...finally buying everything you want. (For me, a house in Carmel). The first step of this journey is to become aware, to have a moment of realization that the treasure house is within you. It does not say that it is in the 1% of our population, or those that are most talented, or even those with the highest IQ. No matter who you are, or where you come from, you too have this uncovered treasure that is ready to be unleashed and used. I know you may be thinking, if it is so prevalent within us then why aren't more of us happy and successful? As I continue to go through this book I will touch more and more on that. Overall though, it is not enough to be aware of it (though that is the first step) but it takes practice and constant usage. You have to have not only a life style change, but a change in the way you think and perceive the world around you.

In this chapter, Murphy goes on to say, "A new light can inspire you; and you can generate a new force enabling you to realize your hopes and make all your dreams come true."

When I picked up the Power of Your Subconscious Mind this most recent time, the idea of this blog hit me like a lightning bolt. All of a sudden I had a crisp and clear thought that loudly said, "Paging Dr. Murphy!!" and I knew that I needed to write about my journey as I re-read this book on a level more deeply than ever before. For the first time in months the broken record of anxiety and fear was overshadowed and cast away by inspiration.
You see,  I have always loved to write. As a young student I wrote poetry, rhymes, and always had ideas in my head for stories. Over time this love became pushed aside by other things but deep in the back of my head I have dreamed about turning my writing into something more. Over the course of the past few years I wrote a children's book and started a novel. However, as I began teaching I felt like all of my energy, motivation and creativity was removed from my hands and directed to go no where else except for my classroom. Writing for a living became more of a nice thought rather than a plausible pathway for my life. I no longer knew what to write about, how to write it, or what to do with it once it had been written. It was not until I began this experience that the light and inspiration came flooding back with avengence, stronger than ever before and it carried with it a certainty that I  this blog is going to become something bigger than I can possibly imagine.

I can relate this personal experience to what Murphy describes as the "treasure house within you". We are all born with different wonderful talents and dreams, but sometimes when we get wrapped up in the fabricated laws of society we replace these joys with what we think we are supposed to be doing in order to survive. It is a slippery slope when someone begins working a job that they are not happy with only to make money...and soon that person is hopping on the train of negative thoughts and premises.  This book has allowed me to take the time to stop the wheels of my mind and realize the life and future that I have begun to create. Do not forget what is within. It is miraculous.

One of the most important concepts that Murphy lays out in this chapter, and one that he comes back to time and time again is the idea that thoughts are things. He offers evidence of this from the bible in Mark 11:23 " Whosoever shall say unto this mount, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." 

I believe that Murphy is outlining several things here. One, that you can have whatever you desire, no matter how big or impossible the dream may be. One of my biggest dreams is to buy a house in Carmel, my hometown. Currently the houses average a listing price of 1-2 million dollars. I know that in exactly this moment,  as I boldly speak out my desire without any sliver of doubt, my house is standing and waiting for me. It does not matter what my bank account says or what kind of career I have at the moment, what matters is the directions that I am giving to my subconscious mind.

Another passage that I think is important from this chapter is when Murphy says, "Busy your mind with the concepts of harmony, health, peace, and good will, and wonders will happen in your life."  Again, this is the idea of changing the record that is playing over and over again in your head. Today I continued to meditate on the line, "she confidently trusts the lord to take care of her". Anytime I felt my thoughts going in a negative direction I repeated this is my head over and over again. It is a positive message and one that I am using to 'busy' my brain for the time being. I believe that controlling my thoughts is somewhat like exercising a muscle. The more you use it the easier it becomes and the more you can handle.  It is important that I stop harping on ideas like anxiety and stress. Instead here are three things I have thought of for now that I can focus on:

1) The love of my father who will bring all of the desire's of my heart to pass and fruition.

2) The wonderful love of my family

3) The pure and innocent smiles I see on children every day.


The final piece that I want to reflect on from this chapter is the idea of being a gardener. "You are a gardener, and you are planting seeds (thoughts) in your subconscious mind all day long, based on your habitual thinking". 

The gardener is in control of what gets planted in his or her own garden. Yes, you can think of your thoughts like seeds. Are you going to plant seeds of negativity? Because I am sure those flowers will be ugly and poisonous...or are you going to plant seeds of love and joy? Surely something wonderful will sprout from those.

I think that the idea of the garden is much bigger than just the seeds. Any good gardener knows that there is much more to tending a healthy garden than just the seed. Yes, it is the foundation but what about the other things you need to help the seeds sprout? For example, you need rich nutritious soil, fresh water, and sunlight. Some gardeners may also go as far to buy ladybugs or other creatures like earthworms to help nurture the growing plants. Occasionally some weeds may pop up but the gardener surely has tools to remove them.  While the thoughts are the seeds, perhaps the soil and other items are the additional things you can do to help take care of yourself and make it easier to plant healthy seeds. This may include making sure you get plenty of rest, eating a healthy meal, and receiving love from your friends and family. These things will make it easier to cultivate a healthy seed and make sure that it does not turn into one that will sprout weeds. Joel Osteen talks often about different seasons in your life. There are planting seasons and there are blooming, or growing, seasons. For me right now, I think that I am in a planting season but have already begun to see the bright green sprouts of spring. Already so much good has come from this experience and I only begun this 3 days ago. I know that I will break the cycle and habit of bad and negative thoughts. Instead, I will only plant seeds that cause the most beautiful and sweetly smelling flower to bloom. My garden will be overgrown with gorgeous flowers in all colors imaginable.

You may think that in your darkest times you are getting buried....but you are actually being planted. 


Other excerpts from this chapter: 

"Think quietly and with interest on these qualities and accept them fully in your conscious reasoning mind."

"Remember, it is the world within, namely your thoughts, feelings and imagery that makes your world without."

"To remove discord, confusion, lack, and limitation, you must remove the cause, and the cause is the way you are using your conscious mind."   Note: Do not stand in the way of blessings. Self-Sabotage.

"When your conscious mind (the little me) is full of fear, worry and anxiety, the negative emotions endangered in your subconscious mind (the big me) are released and flood the conscious mind with a sense of panic, foreboding and despair."

"Never finish a negative statement; reverse it immediately and wonders will happen in your life."

When you give your subconscious a suggest, it will take you seriously. For example, if you say, "If I drink coffee past twelve, I always stay awake until midnight". Immediately your subconscious hears. "the boss wants you to stay awake tonight." If we think of our thoughts as instructions rather than ideas, wouldn't it be interesting to see how our lives changed?

"Believe in the power of your subconscious to heal, inspire, strengthen, and prosper you. According to yoru believe it is done unto you."