CREATE A New Paradigm

Create a new paradigm. Do you even know what a paradigm is? If so, have you ever stopped to think what yours is and how it could be holding you back from living your best life and achieving your goals and dreams? Basically put, a paradigm is an accepted way of thinking – your truths so to speak. Your paradigms affect how you see the world and how you act in the world. Many of your paradigms were not even decided upon by you. Rather, they were already in place in the environment into which you were born, and you naturally grew up to accept them as truth. Many people live their whole lives never considering, much less questioning their paradigms. Yet it is precisely those paradigms that determine what you will do and how far you will go in this life. Sean Covey said,

Paradigms are like glasses. When you have incomplete paradigms about yourself or life in general, it’s like wearing glasses with the wrong prescription. That lens affects how you see everything else.”

We all grew up dreaming dreams, but at some point, many of us gave up on those dreams because of things others told us or we told ourselves about why we couldn’t achieve those dreams. Perhaps you have a goal of losing weight, buying a home, having a better relationship, landing a better job or even starting your own business. What kinds of thoughts are you having that are holding you back? Begin today to ask yourself if the thoughts you are having about your life situation are really true. If you are telling yourself that you CAN’T do something, for whatever reason, know that paradigm needs to be shattered and a new one put in it’s place. If you can dream it, you can do it. You and your way of thinking is the only thing holding you back – not your spouse, not your neighbor, not your boss. Begin telling yourself today that you can do anything.

You don’t have to know exactly how you will do something. You just have to have faith that you will and be willing to work on your goal every day. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said,

Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

Just do it. Life is not a dress rehearsal. You’ve got to make every day count because you don’t get to do that day again. Don’t worry about how big or how difficult your dreams are. Remember the old saying, “How do you eat and elephant? One bite at a time!” Start eating that elephant.

I would suggest before you begin that meal, that you pray for faith and for your mind to be opened to see what you’re unable to see now that is holding you back. In the New Testament in Mark chapter 9, a man brought his son to Christ to be healed. In verse 23, Christ said to the man,

If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” The man answered and said, “I believe. Help thou mine unbelief.”

We don’t know what we don’t know. Pray for help with your unbelief. Pray to have your eyes opened to what you don’t know, thoughts that are part of your paradigm that you’ve accepted as true, but they actually are not. Pray to see those falsehoods that are holding you back.

Stephen R. Covey said,

If you want small changes in your life, work on your attitude. If you want big and primary changes, work on your paradigm.”

I know there is nothing I can’t do, and I know the same is true for each and every one of you. Psalm 139:14 says,

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

That is a verse that you would do well to adopt as part of your new paradigm. Now dust off those dreams and get to living!