3 Simple Ways to Adopt a New Frame of Mind

Oprah has her summer reading list. Rotten Tomatoes has its pick of summer movies.

So allow me to present my three favorite Miracle Messages—elegantly simple ways to enter a new space in your own thinking—shared this summer by my A Course in Miracles students.

First, there’s Paula, who drove several hours to a family reunion in another part of the country. She could have used that time on the road to anticipate how awful it was going to be. She was going to see relatives she hadn’t visited in years. Would they judge her? Criticize her? Talk behind her back?

Instead of steeling herself and taking a defensive posture, she did one elegantly simple thing.

She came up with a mantra, and then she repeated it to herself over and over during that day-long drive:

“I am love, and so are you. I am peace, and so are you. I am joy, and so are you.”

The “so are you” part was key, as you can imagine, since it pre-empted any criticism or judgment in HER mind. And the repetition—hours of it—left no room for fear, allowing her to walk into the reunion open and calm.

So how did the reunion go?

No surprise…she ended up having a loving, peaceful and joyful time. And she came up with a tool that any of us can use, making sure our minds are in the right place whenever we enter into a potentially challenging situation.