Are you living the way of the Ouroboros?

A hobby of mine is creating jewelery. I designed and co-created the ring below recently.

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The Ouroboros is an ancient mystical symbol, which depicts a dragon or serpent eating its own tail. It is symbol that has been represented by one or more of the following: self-reflectivity, reincarnation, the Milky Way, cyclicality, mercury, harmony of opposites, dual nature, infinity, and immortality.

To me, the Ouroboros is a symbol of: Continuous Self Improvement. It is a way of living, thinking, and acting. It is choosing to continuously audit your thoughts and actions, to identify and filter that which is enabling and disenabling. It is devoting yourself to lifelong learning. It is auditing and upgrading your circle of influence.

I believe every interaction you have, every second of your life - be it from a friend, stranger, book, something on the tv, or some internal thought, has some measure of influence on you. What that measure is, depends on your thought ‘filters’.  We are highly adapted at filtering information, that which is of value, and that which is not. It is important to continuously evaluate that which you give attention to. Choosing to live the way of the Ouroboros means you are constantly upgrading - the quality of your life, the books you read, the company you keep, the movies you watch. You are the pilot of your character, actions, thoughts, and life choices. You are not a ship lost at sea, being blown in the direction of the prevailing wind.

Audit your thoughts!

We all have thousands of thoughts spinning around in our heads through out the day. We reflect and contemplate on the things we see and hear. We hear other peoples thoughts when they speak. We sometimes accept other people's thoughts as our own. Thoughts that pass from one brain to the next can set up societal beliefs and standards. So at what point does a thought become harmful?

When you audit your thoughts, and you challenge in particular, your negative thoughts with reason and logic. You may find that some of the thoughts that you're having are from outdated or incorrect thought models, or belief systems. You may have accepted a criticism in the past, perhaps when your faculties of reason were poorer. In many ways you're shaping your reality with your thoughts, so it is very important to question your thoughts, and their usefulness. Since you have the power to choose your thoughts, you can replace your negative thoughts with positive ones. Just acknowledging your negative thoughts, will start the process of transforming or eliminating them. What we think about, consciously and unconsciously, structures and implements our belief systems, which soon becomes apart of our character.

I challenge you to continuously question and audit your beliefs and your thoughts. Ask your self: Why did I think that? Is it good for me to think that? Why have I accepted that I'm __________ ?