Don't Try to Fix Yourself

　 

Chances are, since you’re reading this, you’ve been on a path of self-improvement. Chances are, too, that you’ve felt great frustration, and judged, blamed, and mentally whipped yourself for not doing better.

Well, there’s good news! You can stop trying to fix yourself. Chapter 18, Section VII, of A Course in Miracles is titled “I Need Do Nothing.” It’s my absolutely favorite section. We are handed the simple ticket to freedom: recognize that you’re not a body/personality/ego that has to improve anything. Know that you are Spirit. Turn your awareness over to the Higher Mind, the Holy Spirit, your Self, to guide you in every single decision.

That’s it. That’s all. In fact, it states that you will gain far more by truly accepting the idea that “I need do nothing,” than would be accomplished with hundreds of years of meditation.

Thank God! I’ve always been lousy at meditation. I used to read Hindu teachers and texts that said we need to meditate for thousands of years to finally gain enlightenment. I felt like totally giving up.

Why do we need do nothing? Because this world is a dream. It was over long ago and we’re just reviewing a journey that’s already done (W-158). This does not mean we literally sit on our behinds, just that we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit on every decision rather than trying to figure it out ourselves. When we’re analyzing or stressing about decisions, we can be sure we’re in ego.

When I was working as a psychotherapist I used hundreds of techniques to fix myself. I tried so hard to fix Lorri and always felt like I was back at square one. Then I started living with my partner Rod, and watched him simply set an intention and trust that it will be done. And it was. What? I was astounded! You mean he didn’t have to do inner child work, or cry and examine his every thought and feeling ad nauseum? He didn’t have to journal or go to workshops?

I decided that non-action could work for me, too, especially since the Course was telling me to go that route. Since I’ve been saying “I need do nothing,” it’s easier to simply watch Lorri being angry, irrational, or moody without judging her. It’s easier to recognize that ego Lorri is not Who I am, and I don’t need to do anything to let my true Self be revealed.

This is not to stay you should stop whatever methods you’re using to heal. But as you’re doing them, recognize that it’s not you, your small self, the ego, that is making the changes. All change is ultimately made through remembering Who we really are, the capital “S” Self, Who needs do nothing.

What problem have you been struggling with? What if you started saying, “I need do nothing except give this problem to the Holy Spirit to heal?”

I’d love to hear of the miracles that happen when you do this. Love and Blessings, Lorri Coburn