Someone gives you the look. Or slightly rolls their eyes. Or walks by without saying hi.
And suddenly, you see yourself as a pariah. You think you are nothing. Scum of the earth. Wounded, you hang your head, and crawl back inside your little cave.
Life can be hell in high school.
We think we moved on, but in reality we’re often just as miserable today. Because somewhere down inside we still believe those thoughts we had in high school. We believe there’s something wrong with us.
It affects our relationships, our work, our confidence, our ability to get along in many many ways. Sure, we learn to rise above this belief in some areas of our lives, but in other areas, we’re still just as stuck.
Until we question the beliefs we picked up in high school, or even earlier, they hang around and influence us in every way.
It’s a simple way to question what you believe. If you believe the thought, “Something is wrong with me,” question it. The Work of Byron Katie shows you how to question any stressful statement and turn it around. And when you do, you’re free to move on. You’re free to graduate at last.
Below, you’ll find a link to a video of a woman doing The Work with Byron Katie on this crippling belief, “Something is wrong with me.” You’ll find the video on a new page of my website, just added yesterday.
On this page you’ll find some of my most popular articles about The Work, several videos of Bryon Katie doing The Work with people, and a link to the official textbook of The Work, Loving What Is.
I will be adding new items to this page from time to time. And I am most especially interested in recording some new sessions to post on this page. If you have a good Judge-Your-Neighbor Worksheet and would like to volunteer to do a session with me to share on this web page, please let me know.
The video on “Something Is Wrong With Me” is well worth the watch. Notice at the 2:04 minute mark how this woman starts to justify her answer to “How do you react when you think that thought?”
She answers “I hide myself.”
And then adds, “So the good part won’t be injured.”
Watch how Katie catches this slight deviation from The Work. Instead of simply reporting how how she reacts when she thinks that thought, the woman starts to justify why she reacts that way.
As Katie points out, The Work stops working the moment you stop answering the questions.
You can learn from the client’s inquiry, and its similarity to your own situation. And you can learn about how to do The Work.
Take a moment to watch the video on “Something Is Wrong With Me,” and see if any of your old high school beliefs are still alive and kicking after all these years.
Todd Smith is a facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie. Watch Todd’s Favorite videos of The Work in action here, or on the official website for The Work, thework.com.
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