Knowing vs. Believing

To meditate means to go home to yourself. Then you know how to take care of the things that are happening inside you, and you know how to take care of the things that happen around you.

​-Thich Nhat Hanh

There's an interesting thing that happens when you step into the energy of knowing.

A feeling of knowing goes beyond a feeling of belief. Telling yourself I know I will lose ten pounds carries a far more powerful energy than I believe I can lose ten pounds. You can feel it as you read it.

A belief can be proven wrong. It can be questioned, tested, broken and easily forgotten. But a knowing is a part of you. A knowing is concrete, where as a belief is more fragile.

These days, I am playing with the energy of knowing. When you get to that place of knowing you don't have to think about it. You just know it to be true, whatever "it" is. And when you know it to be true you expect it, and when you expect it, it will be. There is no other way. And that is magnificent.

When what you want is as natural and as sure as the sun rising, anything is possible.

Getting beyond believing and into knowing is the key to manifesting anything you want in your life. But how do you turn that corner? What if it feels like you are forever stuck in hoping and believing? I am still figuring it out myself, but I know with everything, the first step is to ask. Keep asking in your mind and heart, How do I turn this belief into a knowing or What step can I take today so that this belief becomes a truth? 

The act of asking carries a lot of power in itself.

I put the little quote photo from Thich Nhat Hanh above because it is associated with one of my own personal favorite moments of knowing. A few years ago, a friend posted on her Facebook page that she had a ticket to Thich Nhat Hanh's speaking show, but she wouldn't be able to go. She was wondering if anyone would like to buy it from her.

When I read it I knew, I felt with a sense of 100% confidence, that ticket was meant for me and I would buy it from her. I emailed her with YES, me, I would love to buy your ticket! I could see the ticket in my hand. I was so sure this would work out. But then she responded with the news that someone else had already snagged it.

Wait, what? That can't be right. I'd felt so sure. I knew I was meant to go. But there was nothing else I could do, so I let it go. 

And then, something even more surprising happened.

The next day, my friend emailed asking if I still wanted the ticket. The original person to respond couldn't go. I responded with a resounding HELL YES. I was so excited, and in truth, not that surprised. I'd felt so surely it was meant to be for me that this felt like the natural turn of events.

Playing with knowing vs. believing is like experimenting with different types of clay. Approach it with curiosity, the same way a child might approach a new game.

Ask yourself as you go through moments today, Is this a knowing or a belief? If you look at it is as a casual observer, you will start to note the difference in how you feel, how you respond, and so on. This will also help you in learning how the different energies work, how you move from one to the other, and which you find easier or more effective to work with.