Lessons from Abraham

Use your thinking to support action—and stop postponing all your enjoyment.

You can enjoy wanting something before you have it.

Think about a trip you are looking forward to. You are not there yet, but anticipating it can be part of the pleasure. You do not have to spend every day before departure upset that you have not arrived.

That is one of the useful ideas I have taken from the teachings of Abraham, presented by Esther Hicks. Their spiritual framework will not resonate with everyone. Here, I am focusing on the lessons I have used in my own coaching approach.

A belief is a practiced thought

One of the most influential ideas for me is that a belief can be understood as a thought you keep thinking.

A familiar thought starts to feel obvious. You may not even notice you are thinking it. “I could never do that” becomes your default answer.

When you recognize it as a thought, you can examine it. What feeling does it create? What do you do when you believe it? What result follows?

You can also practice a different, believable thought. Familiarity is not the same as an unchangeable truth about your future.

Include action in the process

I do not use these teachings to mean that wishing replaces work.

The connection I teach is thoughts, feelings, actions, and results. Your thinking influences your emotional experience. That feeling affects the actions you take, and those actions contribute to what you create.

If you think an opportunity is worth exploring, you may feel curious and investigate it. If you think it is impossible for someone like you, you may stop before learning anything.

The practical question is what your thinking helps you do.

Notice where your attention goes

You can spend a lot of time rehearsing what you do not want.

You review what went wrong, imagine more problems, and repeat a description of your misery. Notice the feeling that creates and the behavior it supports.

This does not mean ignoring a problem or deleting every uncomfortable thought. Awareness matters. See what is happening, then decide whether continuing to rehearse the same story is useful.

Ask what you want to focus on instead: a solution, an appreciation, or the next action you can take.

Take responsibility for your emotional experience

It is easy to make someone else responsible for how you feel.

You may wait for a partner to make you feel appreciated or a colleague to make you feel respected. If they do not follow the expected script, you feel disappointed.

Examine the thought connecting their behavior to your feeling. Then ask what you want to believe and how you want to respond.

You can make requests and have boundaries. You can also practice appreciation and self-respect without waiting for someone else to provide permission.

Do not wait for a final arrival

You reach one goal and soon become interested in another. That can be part of growth.

But if enjoyment is always postponed until the next achievement, you may keep moving the moment when you are allowed to feel good.

Consider what you already appreciate. What is meaningful about the work itself? What can you enjoy while you continue toward a goal?

Wanting more does not require dismissing what is already here.

Try one lesson in an ordinary situation

Choose a goal or relationship you have been thinking about repeatedly. Write the familiar thought and the feeling it creates.

Then choose a believable thought that supports the way you want to show up. Practice it and take an action from that place.

You do not have to adopt an entire philosophy to examine one useful idea. Notice what the practice changes in your thinking, your feelings, and your actions. That is where the lesson becomes part of your life.