The Myth of Emotions

An updated version of this article can be found here.


Emotions do not create our energy level.

In this post I talked about the most common myth people buy into regarding the law of attraction; that thoughts create our reality.  A close second is the false belief that emotions create our reality.

Before we can really get into why this is such a common and difficult myth to overcome, I think we need to first understand where emotions originate.  It helps to realize that our emotions are not a reflection of our environment or a reaction to what is happening around us.  So many people feel like our emotions are a direct reactions to the things people say or do, or experiences we have.  This is clearly not true.
I once had a conversation with one student that went something like "of course I feel happy when my husband surprises me with flowers, or my best friend calls with good news.  Of course I feel terrible when my boss/teacher tells me I'm stupid or when cause a traffic accident!"
Seems reasonable.  This interpretation feels real.  It seems like all the evidence of a lifetime supports this conclusion.  It might be difficult to believe, but our emotions are not created by our environment.  Our emotions are actually the result of our interpretation of what is happening, and our subconscious evaluation of the goodness or badness of our interpretation of the event.  Note that our interpretation does not have to be correct in order to elicit an emotional response.  We could be completely misinterpreting what is happening, but our emotions will only reflect our interpretation . This explains why two people standing side by side can witness the exact same event, and one of them come away feeling excited and joyful, while the other comes away feeling scared, uneasy, or upset.  It is not the event itself that creates our emotions, but our interpretation of the event, and our beliefs about that interpretation.  Perhaps the best way to explain this is through an example.
How would you feel if one of your good friends told you you are going to be a failure?  Think about it for a minute.  Does anything change if a stranger said the same thing to you?  What if a teacher, or boss, or parent was the origin of the statement?
Before you read on, honestly think about and write down your reactions.

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If you came into this blog post believing, without any doubt, that you are already extremely successful, and that over time you just continue to become more and more successful... If there is no doubt in your heart or mind that you are and always will be a success....  If those are your beliefs coming into this blog, then your energy will be at a vibration that vibrates well above the word "failure."  Like two tuning forks of completely different tones, ringing the lower vibration will not resonate in any way with the higher vibration.  Because your energy is so far above the shame or fear or failure, you could not possibly be emotionally charged by that statement.  In fact, your emotional reaction would be probably be one of curiosity, "I wonder how he/she arrived at that kind of conclusion?" or perhaps compassion "what is it about this person's energy that is so low that they feel like they need to pull others down to feel better about themselves?" or "I wonder what this person must be struggling with that they feel like they need to try to manipulate me?"  "how can I help this person."
Now let's switch gears for a minute to anticipate what would happen if you came into the same conversation with a belief that no matter what you did, you always seem to fall short of your goals.  What if you felt bad because you constantly try to impress others and make them think that you are successful, even though you know deep down that secretly you are not.  You know that you try to give that impression because you feel bad that you are not as successful as you present yourself to be, and you probably never will be.
What type of emotions are going to be triggered when you are told that you're going to fail?  Now you have further evidence that what you believed all along was true.  You immediately, without questioning, file this experience away in your subconscious to add to tall the other preponderance of evidence that already exists that you are, and always will be, a failure.  Because inside you your energy also vibrates at this frequency, the statement and the sensitive idea of failure strikes a chord with you and you react with emotions that may range from anger to shame, or fear to anxiety, or any number of other negative emotions.
Contrary to popular belief, the person telling you that you will be a failure did not create your emotions of fear or anger any more than they could cause you to feel empathy or compassion.
I don't know what the motivation was that caused this person to say that you would be a failure.  It is entirely possible that he/she had very positive, constructive, and uplifting intentions.  No, I don't know very much about the person by the words that they said to you.  But I know a lot about where your energy level is when you tell me the emotions you feel as a result of what was said.
Sometimes parents, teachers, friends, bosses, or just total strangers can say or do things that really get on your nerves.  The fact that you get upset says little about the other person, but says a lot about your beliefs and energy.  Spouses and children also act as energy mirrors to help us know where our energy is vibrating.
After my last few entries about the law of attraction I've received several requests for specific, actionable ideas that people can use to elevate energy levels and enjoy life more.  I promise that I will write some articles with those action steps.  I feel like it is important to lay the foundation first, so that the action steps make sense in the correct context.  Stay tuned!