Toltec author and teacher don Miguel Ruiz has said that 80% of what we believe is not true. Sometimes we have to suspend a belief in order to get to the truth. This is why don Miguel says that truth survives the skepticism. It is possible to be skeptical and open-minded. I did not find this easy to do because I liked my beliefs and I did not want them to be challenged. The problem with this was that I had beliefs that were not true and they were not ones that served me in a beneficial way.
In order to expose the lies in my life I had to apply The Third Agreement: Don’t make assumptions. In my experience, assumptions can pave the road to hell. I am a believer in truth because it is a powerful guide to help me get to where I want to go. I want to evolve past my assumptions and beliefs that hold me back. so I had to become more discerning and still remain open-minded. The lens that we view our world through is focused and colored by our beliefs. This is why we don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
The Toltec’s are artists of the spirit, they teach us that we are dreaming and that the world that we perceive is our responsibility. If we don’t like what we see, we can change what we see and experience by challenging and changing our beliefs.
Don Miguel provided us with a powerful tool when he wrote “ don’t believe me, don’t believe anyone else, and don’t believe yourself.” During the time I was challenging my beliefs, I expanded on his words and wrote:
Don’t believe me; I cannot possibly know everything or know exactly what is right for you.
Don’t believe me; I am as honest as I can be right now, but that does not mean that I can always speak the truth.
Don’t believe me; for my story is only one version of an infinite mystery.
Don’t believe me; for I have my limitations, just like everybody else.
Don’t believe me; for my attachments may cause me to support a lie.
Don’t believe me; for I too am capable of being blinded by my own knowledge.
Don’t believe me; I have more questions than answers.
Don’t believe yourself; because your words may come from your parasite.
Don’t believe yourself; for your view is only a view, not an inviolable truth.
Don’t believe yourself; you may be lying and not even know it.
Don’t believe yourself; especially if you have the need to be right.
Don’t believe yourself; you don’t know everything either.
Don’t believe yourself: you are capable of being deceived and you are capable of deceiving yourself, just like everybody else.
Don’t believe yourself; your assumptions and expectations can pave the road to hell.
Don’t believe yourself; your preferences may cause you to believe lies or distort the truth, just like everybody else.
Don’t believe yourself; there is a storyteller in your mind that makes stuff up all the time.
Don’t believe anyone else; there is more misinformation out there than truth.
Don’t believe anyone else; that which glitters may be fools gold.
Don’t believe anyone else; everyone makes assumptions that may have little or no basis in truth.
Don’t believe anyone else; there is a bit of truth in every lie, and there is a bit of a lie in every truth.
Don’t believe anyone else; anyone can and does say whatever they want, true or not.
Don’t believe anyone else; especially if they have the need to be right.
Don’t believe anyone else; what seems true may have never been true……. ever.
Don’t believe anyone else; we may all be lying and telling the truth in the same breath.
Don’t believe anyone else; all things in creation have emerged out of a mystery that is unknowable to the mind.
Don’t believe anyone else; no one really knows what we are, or why we are here.
Don’t believe anyone else; their words may be coming from their parasite.
Don’t believe anyone else; what works for them may cause problems for you.
Don’t believe anyone else; for their truth is only a story that is true only for them.
Don’t believe anyone else; their words may be designed only to gain your acceptance and approval.
Don’t believe anyone else; they may be masters in the art of misinformation.
Don’t believe anyone else, no one can possibly be aware of every possibility.
Don’t believe anyone else; everyone has believed a lie and passed it on to someone else.
So many things to disbelieve and so many things to believe, just what shall we believe?
Believe in what makes your heart soar, even if it can be proven or not.
Believe in yourself no matter what.
Believe that you have the power to change anything that you need to change.
Believe that love is a powerful, guiding, and trustworthy force.
Believe that love has no limits.
Believe in whatever makes your day better for yourself and others.
Believe whatever it takes to get you past a current limitation.
Believe that your beliefs can affect everything about you.
Believe that your actions affect everything around you.
Believe that what you don’t believe, may turn out to be true.
Believe in the power of your intention.
Believe that what limits you now may give you strength later.
Believe in a higher power whether you can prove it’s existence or not.
Believe that all things can have a purpose, whether you agree with that purpose or not.
Believe in what supports you in a loving way.
Believe that you have always done your best and so has everyone else.
Believe whatever you want as long as you are also willing to not-believe.
Believe that you can be whatever you want to be, but know that you must first believe it in order to achieve it.
Believe in the power of an open mind.
Believe in the power of an open heart.
Believe in the power of arms wide-open to the world, accepting it exactly as it is, with no expectations.
