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Utilisation - using what you have to attain whatever you want!

With utilisation you use whatever is available to attain your goals. Utilisation is the stuff of genius!

When we think and feel that we can't do something, this is something we are doing - not a negative. We are actually doing an inability. For example, if you forget something, you have actually done something. You have forgotten and you have succeeded in doing this.

For instance, you want to be self confident in a given situation but you can't do it. You can lack confidence. You can do that, but you can't be self-confident.

Let's utilise this. You have the ability to lack self-confidence, and you have the ability to 'not be self-confident.' That is you can think, do and feel non-self-confident things. You are actually doing this. You are not merely lacking self confidence, you possessing the skills of lacking confidence. Be sure to understand that we are not here talking about negatives but actual things that are said and done. For example, you might think, 'I want to give my opinion', then feel anxious, and think 'I'll just make a fool of myself.' You are doing things! You are succeeding in making yourself lack confidence. Utilisation requires us to recognise that we have skills and abilities to not-do what we'd like. It doesn't merely concentrate on what we wish we could do. We recognise and acknowledge what we can do, even if it doesn't lead to our goal!

Now, utilising what we have, what would it be like if you used your ability 'not to be self-confident' to lack the ability to be not-self-confident? Now this isn't merely words. You can think of the situation and think 'I can't be self-confident.' Supposing you use these real feeling and thoughts and apply them to you 'lack of self-confidence' and you think about yourself lacking self confidence and think, 'I can't do that!' If you couldn't lack self-confidence, you would be self-confident wouldn't you?

1. Note the skills and abilities that you have in a given situation. The actual results of the skills might not be what you want, the skills themselves are useful. Note and acknowledge the skills you are using.
2. How can you use these skills to get what you want? For example, suppose you prevent yourself from being relaxed in a situation by feeling anxious. You can feel anxious. You can create feelings, in this case you are creating anxiety, but the same skill can be used to create any skill. You also have the belief that you can't feel relaxed. You can't help feeling anxious.
3. Utilise the skills and abilities which you have. For example, thinking I can't be anxious about feeling anxious.
4. Imagine yourself in that situation, thinking I can't be anxious. Just as you thought you didn't have the ability to relax, and you succeeded in not relaxing, what will happen now when you use this skill. Can you see yourself thinking and feeling I can't get anxious and as much as you try, you just can't do it. So are you relaxed?
5. Remember, this is not mere words. You must utilise the actual thoughts and actual feelings that you use.

This short article is written by Ken Ward.

Ken Ward and Peter Shepherd are co-authors of The New Life Course.

Most recent revision 11 November 1999
Copyright © 1998,1999 Ken Ward,
All Rights Reserved.

For more information please visit: The New Life Course