Your Independence Begins Now - Diane Marie Ford

You are as independent as the ties which bind you. Your lineage dictates your behaviors and on some level directs your way of thinking. That is until it does not.

You are most likely familiar with the expressions “you are a product of your upbringing”, or “you are a product of your environment”. My theory is you are a product of your ancestors’ mindsets, beliefs and behaviors; the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful. And you will never be totally independent until you take the time to discern which mindsets, beliefs and behaviors belong to you and which belong to your ancestors; parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on.

Pause for a moment if you will and give thought to one of your greatest attributes – a behavior of which you are proud, one which causes you to feel like a million bucks after you have behaved in such a manner. For example, let’s say you are always willing to step up to help a person in need, whether it is to give a ride, lend money, or offer to listen as they share a problem.

Were you always so caring and willing to help? Was that behavior mirrored for you by your parents, or was the opposite behavior your way of life during your younger years?

Now let us think about a mindset, belief or behavior you may demonstrate in response to a situation where, after the situation or moment has passed, you think “why did I have to be so quick to react in that (less than desirable) manner?” And you vow to change that behavior going forward.

Over the decades my research has proven that oftentimes people behave or respond to a situation or challenge without any forethought whatsoever. That is rote behavior. Rather than thinking about taking ownership for your actions, you simply respond and then wish you had not responded in that manner. You then either tell yourself you will never behave like that again, or you at least give thought to how you may choose to respond in the future. Whatever you do – be gentle with yourself.

If you have not given much (if any) thought to why you do the things you do, this may be the time to begin the process of discerning which mindsets, beliefs and behaviors belong to you and which belong to your ancestors. This may be the ideal time to begin to free yourself from that which holds you back, so that you may transform it to propel you forward in your personal and/or professional life.

Through decades of connection, communication and research, partnering with your ancestors in the spirit realm and learning why they did what they did and behaved as they behaved; great insight and hope has been and continues to be revealed.

You can connect and learn more about yourself than you thought possible, through simple and meaningful conversations with your ancestors. More often than not, ‘they’ are at the ready – present, willing and more than able to help you to discern which mindsets, beliefs and behaviors belong to you and which belong to them, so that you may become clear, centered, balanced and focused to go forth to create the lifestyle which reflects who you are.