Some of these beliefs may be in our best interests. For instance, it is quite common to find that the grandchildren of a couple of vegetarians are themselves vegetarians too. It is also quite common to find that progressive generations of one family have all gone into the same line of work or have got similar personality traits. However some of these beliefs can be very limiting and in some cases very damaging. Through no fault of our own, or even of our parents or their parents before them, we find ourselves living on a daily basis within boundaries that have been set generations ago. It is very common to find that, as we start to make progress, we start to identify our real problems which in turn bring out a strong resistance from within us. This resistance is our unwillingness to instigate change in the ideas and lifestyles to which we have become accustomed. Our resistance to change is very often a tremendous barrier for those of us who want to heal ourselves. That is why it is important to recognise where the resistance is coming from and how relevant it is to our particular position right now. Whether we have consciously placed this barrier here or whether it is the result of a generations-old belief, the important point is to transcend it and move on. Hoping it will go away is pointless as it cannot go away unless we identify it and remove it; giving up and turning back will result in the end of our progress and will put an end to our ability to heal ourselves fully. It will also result in our passing on the same pattern to our children. The only way forward is to overcome it. The problem we are faced with is that, as we become more honest with ourselves and more aware of what makes us happy or unhappy, we also begin to notice that there are things about our lives that suddenly do not seem right. This means we are beginning to become aware of receiving our own internal guidance – the problem being that this guidance seems to be directing us towards conflict. How can conflict be a part of healing? Understandably, our intellectual self wants to retreat from this conflict. We wonder why we should face confrontation when we can avoid it by retreating. The conflict which causes such a fearful response is change. As we mentioned before, we are creatures of habit and change is something that we are almost designed to "resist". We are making progress and yet one part of us wants to "stop the course of" that progress, because all of a sudden it involves making changes and change is not something that we like to do as it is potentially painful. Making the right changes however is what healing is all about. Remember that we do not get any illness without a reason. However difficult this may still be for us to accept, we must do so if we are to progress further. Accepting this gives us the power to look for the reason. Once identified, we can learn from it and make whatever changes are necessary. As we follow the steps described so far we are getting closer all the time to that reason and as we get closer so we will be made aware of things that we need to change if we are to progress. Conquering our resistance to change is a key factor in complete healing. Some people want to give up on self-healing as soon as they meet any resistance. The reason is that they are scared of changing what may be a small or large aspect of their life. Employment is a good example of this. People are often dissatisfied, consciously or unconsciously with their job and working environment. Very often they are under great pressure every day and yet they seem to receive little job satisfaction other than the financial returns. Ask them why they do it and they will invariably say because they need the money. Another, more complex category, contains those people who are in a job for which they believe they are well suited. These jobs are often highly exciting, highly paid and highly stressful. It is not unusual for someone to be unable to see that their moments of personal glory come nowhere near to making up for the many moments of negative pressure and high stress. Whether we fall into either of these categories, or whether our dis-ease stems from something else, when we start asking for help, which we have already done by reading this far in the book, our Higher Self will give us plenty of clues as to where to look. Our recognition of the cause of dis-ease is only hampered when we choose to shut our eyes to certain possibilities. As we progress through this book, as the cumulative effects of meditation start to take effect and as we gather new information from other sources, so we will begin to realise that we have only to keep an open mind to all possibilities to make the changes that may bring about our complete self-healing. In the employment examples listed above, for instance, we may find that we do not need to change jobs so much as to change our approach to the job. We may be resenting our work every day because we have to do it to pay the mortgage. If we question ourselves fully, if we answer ourselves honestly, we will know whether this job is what we really want to be doing. If it is, then we need to change our approach and go to work every day reminding ourselves that this is what we really want to do, not just what we have to do. If however we know deep down that the job itself is wrong for us, delaying facing that decision can only serve to cause us more dis-ease. It is the same with a relationship and it is the same with any activity in life. If we are doing something regularly that is not in harmony with what we really want to be doing, then we must stop doing it if we are to avoid further dis-ease. It is vital that we recognise the need to change and then go on to make the changes. As we have said, we will be given many clues as to what parts of our life, if any, need to change. Quite often we will know, without having to receive any further guidance. For those of us for whom it is that clear it is then a question of deciding what to do about these troubled areas. From within this book we cannot advise on whether it is just a question of changing an attitude to someone or something, or of leaving a whole situation behind. What we can say is that, unless one hundred percent certain, it is worth making small changes to begin with to see what that leads us to. If we are going the right way, we will find that more doors open in front of us and that, in spite possibly of some initial pain when making the first changes, life becomes easier and more joyful. For those however who are not certain about the true causes of dis-ease, who have ideas but are afraid that they may be wrong, a more detailed assessment of our position in life in the present moment is necessary. The following exercise is helpful in enabling us to assess the areas in our lives that may be causing us dis-ease. Remember, our power lies in identifying our problems, because until a problem is identified it is not possible to overcome it. It is best to choose a time when we are not feeling too tired or stressed. Just after meditating would be ideal. The exercise is very simple, it just involves writing down the answers to the four questions given below:- If money were no object, what changes would I make in my life?   List all the areas in your life that you would change (ie give up work, sell the house, buy a new car). If I had complete freedom of choice, what would I change in my relationships?   List all the relationships in your life that you would like to change, or even relationships that you would like to start – or finish. Begin by writing the person's name on one side of a page. Beside the name write how you would like the relationship to change – 'see more', 'see less', 'have less fights with', 'be happier with'.   Some relationships, parent/child or husband/wife for example, may need many changes so write down every aspect that you can think of that you would like to improve in each relationship, however long a list this may produce. If health were no object, what would I do with my life?   List all the things that you would like to do more of but are unable to due to lack of time. These lists are what we call our lists of intention. If we are completely honest with ourselves and if we take our time to compile them, we will not only identify every problem area in our present day lives but we will also come up with a blueprint for a happier, more fulfilling life. Writing down our dreams and our wants makes us more aware of them and that increased awareness brings them closer to us. They now exist in our conscious thought process, the same conscious thought process that has managed to manifest physical illness. After all, if by working against our Higher Self we have managed to create physical illness, imagine what wonders we are capable of producing when we work with our Higher Self. Our ability to focus on what we really want and our willingness to take responsibility to achieve these goals gives us the strength to make the changes that are necessary to bring about physical well-being and personal happiness. In a state of real harmony with nature, where we are focusing on those things that bring us great joy and happiness, ie a life full of ease, dis-ease can have no place. We said earlier that the identification of the problems is a major part of the process of healing. By writing down our wants, we are recognising the areas in our lives that we would like to change. By pinpointing those areas, we are focusing our attention on the very place that we need to in order to progress. Changes in these places, however small and trivial or however large and painful, hold the key to bringing about the most positive results that we could wish for. The four lists of intention are there to make us aware that, whatever our apparent physical, financial and mental limitations, anything is possible. We restrict ourselves through habit and through being told by others that certain things are not possible. The disabled person for instance who has written down yachting as a sport that they would like to have done because of their love of water, could do much to enhance their enjoyment of life by frequent trips to the sea, or by taking up swimming or deep sea diving. The person who loves team sports may find just as much enjoyment from joining a darts team as they would have done from a football team. The person who would love to play golf may find walks in areas of particular beauty equally invigorating. It is not our lack of health, lack of wealth, or lack of harmonious relationships that restrict us from having what we want, it is our thought processes. We will find that, by focusing entirely upon the things that make us happy, the things that make us unhappy seem to dissolve from our lives. If, for instance, we pay attention to making every game with our children as happy for both parties as possible, we will find that those unhappy moments become less and less. If we concentrate on only loving our partner instead of resenting or being jealous of them, we will find that the resentment and jealousy disappears. Yet again we find that the choice is ours - do we choose to avoid changes or make changes?