In an earlier post, How to feel good even if you have acne, I talked about a simple way to feel better with acne.
This post is going to expand on that.
What if you could stop the suffering and emotional pain acne causes? What if you could feel empowered instead of hopeless? What if all this is as simple as choosing to do so.
You are about to learn how.
I know that’s a mouthful, but give me few minutes and you’ll see it’s true.
So let’s get to it.
Let’s start by looking at why you suffer. And it’s not because of acne.
All suffering starts with attachment. If you didn’t give a damn whether you have acne or not, you wouldn’t suffer at all.
Now hold on there. I know this may sound stupid. But just hold on for a second and this will make sense.
So the emotional pain with acne is rooted to attachment. But there’s other side to this also.
You feel hopeless because you see no way to cure acne. It seems nothing you do works. Nothing you do takes you any closer to clear skin.
Let’s put those two things together and we’ll get this.
Attachment to clear skin + no way of getting there = suffering
I’ll show you how to break your attachment to clear skin and feeling hopeless.
First let’s see why you must do that.
The above equation is evil because it’s self-reinforcing. It creates more hopelessness and suffering.
Your brain is a goal-seeking mechanism. It takes whatever you focus on and brings you more of it.
Let’s say you feel downright miserable and keep thinking you’ll never get over acne. Your brain takes those thoughts and feelings as instructions. It’s almost as it would say:”If that’s what you want, I can make it happen”.
And it can. Trust me.
Your brain doesn’t care whether the thoughts and feelings in your head are positive and negative. It simply takes whatever you focus on and brings you more of it.
This may be hard to believe, but that’s how the human mind works. I explained this in more detail at lesson 5 of Acne 101.
Bill Harris, the Director of Centerpointe Research Institute wrote an excellent article that explains this principle in more detail.
So when you focus on acne and feel miserable, you send a clear message to your brain that you want more of acne and feeling miserable.
This is one of those great paradoxes of life. You are so attached to clear skin and want it so badly it makes you desperate. Wanting and despairing pushes clear skin further and further away from you. It’s like a rainbow. No matter how fast you run, it always eludes you.
This is why it’s important you accept yourself and your skin as they are. With pimples and all.
Of course this is easier said than done. But I believe the doctor has just what you need. These two approaches should help.
First, please understand clear skin is only means to an end. You want to get clear because you believe it stops the suffering and makes you happy.
However those two things are not connected. And you can find a way to be happy even with acne.
Acne doesn’t make you feel bad. Acne merely is. It’s just an event in your life. It’s the meaning you attach to it that leads to suffering.
Ask yourself:
- What does it mean to me that I have acne?
- How does it affect my life?
- What does it mean about me that I have acne?
Some common answers among acne victims are:
- Acne means I’m ugly.
- Nobody ever likes/loves me because I have acne.
- Acne makes me self-conscious.
- I’m embarrassed to go out because people just stare at my skin.
- Because of acne I can’t [insert your reason].
Take the time and write down few answers to those questions. It reveals a lot about you and what you believe about acne. Really, do it.
I mean really. Stop reading this and jot down few answers.
Great. Those answers are the real reason you feel bad. Those are beliefs you hold about yourself and acne. There’s probably more, but they give a hint of the way you think.
Imagine that these beliefs are like colored glasses. As you look at the world through them, they color everything you see.
The good thing is they are just figments of your imagination. And you can change them.
The bad thing is that because you believe them, they seem real to you. As you focus on them your brain either makes them real for you, or makes them seem like real to you. In either case you get to be right about what you believe.
Let me tell you something.
At this very moment there are thousands of people who will love/like/accept you just as you are. With pimples and all. And no matter what you believe acne prevents you from doing, you can find a way to do it even with acne.
You just never notice those people or opportunities. The glasses you wear only allow you to notice people and opportunities that match your beliefs. They make you practically blind to anything else.
This may be hard to believe, but your behavior reflects your beliefs about yourself (the glasses you wear). Often we are blind to this, but other people pick up these subtle clues (the ‘vibes’ you put out).
So if you believe you are worthless it will come out loud and clear, and people will pick it up and treat you accordingly.
I found a great post about this from acne.org forums.
“I used to think I was just hideous. Guys didn’t hit on me or ask me out that much and I assumed it was because of how unattractive I was. Honestly, now I think it was just my whole attitude - I was terribly shy and off-putting to any potential suitors. I gave off a “don’t talk to me” vibe, I kept to myself. And of course I didn’t get too many offers.
These days, I still don’t think I’m a supermodel. I recognize that I’m not what’s traditionally considered “beautiful,” but there are definitely men who think I’m beautiful and have told me so. I’m happy with who I am. I have learned that I don’t have to be a supermodel to be sexy. It’s all about attitude. And there are plenty of guys interested in me - because I’m happy and confident, and people respond to that.”
keltron’s post at acne.org forums
The solution of course is to take away the glasses. Or to replace them with more useful ones. In the earlier post, How to feel good even if you have acne, I explained how to do this.
As you do that, you’ll notice your whole world changes. People start to treat you differently. And doors that were closed suddenly open.
Changing your beliefs is one way to accept yourself. Understanding the law of cause and effect is another.
The power of cause and effect
We live in a world based on cause and effect. And it may be the most powerful law governing our world.
It simply says that for every effect there’s a cause.
This means that nothing in life is random.
Acne is simply the effect of applying certain causes.
It may not be the effect you are looking for, but still it’s a predictable result of certain actions. And when you stop doing those things you stop getting acne.
Similarly clear skin is simply an effect of applying certain causes. Granted, those causes may not always be that easy to find. But they are there.
I believe anyone can get clear. Maybe you just have to look a bit harder for the causes, but when you find and apply them, you’ll get clear. It’s that simple.
Let me give you an example of why it’s absurd to curse acne.
Let’s say you are in Chicago and you want to go to New York. But you don’t know the roads and don’t have a map. So you’ll end in Detroit.
Ending in Detroit is simply the effect of the causes you applied (the road you took).
Now are you going curse Detroit because you ended there? And I’m pretty sure you are not going to think of Detroit as a monster that keeps you captive. And you wouldn’t be sitting in Detroit feeling sorry for yourself.
None of those things make much sense, as I’m sure you agree.
Perhaps you feel little stupid, but then you get over it and try again. You would simple accept the fact that you are in Detroit and use whatever means you have to get to New York. Perhaps pick up a map this time. Or a GPS navigation device. Or ask someone who knows the way.
Use the same approach with acne.
Just recognize the fact that whatever you have done so far caused acne. Then regroup, find something else to try, and just do it.
Wallowing in misery only keeps you stuck. If you do that, you need to give yourself a serious kick on the ass to break out of it.
Then use the law of cause and effect to get clear. Here’s how to do it correctly.
- Decide on the effect you want.
- Do you best to find out the cause that leads to that effect. The best way is to ask someone who already has the effect you are after. But sometimes you just have to guess.
- Act on the cause; apply the information from the previous step.
- Look at the results you get and use the feedback to adjust your actions. Be flexible in your approach. If what you do is not working, try something else.
- Allow the process unfold and let whatever happens be ok. The effects are not under your control, but as you keep adjusting course you’ll get the effect you are looking for.
Finding the cause is often not a big problems. The causes to curing acne are not big secrets. In Clear for Life I explained one way to get clear.
I’m not suggesting Clear for Life is the only way to get clear, but it’s pretty damn good. Anyone with little dedication can get permanently clear.
Other books and other people can show you different ways to cure acne. I’ve noticed the ones that get the best long-term results are based on same or similar principles than Clear for Life.
Let is be ok that there’s a learning curve. Adjusting and fine-tuning to the exactly cause that gets you clear may take a bit of time. The same principles work for everybody, but you may need to tweak them a bit to fit your situation.
Let it be ok. You are learning a skill and it doesn’t happen instantly.
Once you find the cause you need flexibility. And this is where most people fall flat on their face.
Most people want different results without changing the way they think and act. We are all guilty of this. As an example just think of how many years you wasted trying different topical treatments. They are more or less the same thing. Just packaged under different brands and endorsed by different celebrities.
The only way to get different results is to change the way you think and act.
There is no other way.
Unfortunately our beliefs often make us suspicious towards different ideas. Simply because they don’t conform to our beliefs. That’s why I keep saying that changing your beliefs and the way you think about acne and getting clear is more important than what you do.
And that’s one reason I think Acne 101 and Clear for Life are so successful in helping people cure acne. They make so much sense and feel so right it’s almost impossible to ignore the message.
They force you to look at things from a more useful perspective.
That’s why I believe Clear for Life works where other approaches have failed. I’m happy if you choose Clear for Life as the way to go and give me the privilege to work with you on this.
But no matter what you choose, remember the principles you learned here.
The only way you can suffer is if you make acne this invincible monster. This can happen only with your willing submission.
Don’t give acne that power.
Refuse to tell yourself lies that make you a victim. Change your story. Change the way you think about acne, getting clear and yourself. Find out or guess the causes to clear skin. Let whatever happens be ok, and remain flexible and keep adjusting course based on the results you get.
Do that and I guarantee you must get clear.
And if you get stuck, ask for help. You can always find someone who has gone before to guide you.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Thanks for this post. It really shows how attitude is important in everything you do - including acne! It’s a really good reminder that that your mind is just as important as what you are eating and exercise and all that stuff in getting clear
August 15th, 2008 at 10:00 am
[…] That puts your focus on where it serves you. I know it’s not easy, but in earlier post Zen of clear skin I explained why you should do […]
August 25th, 2008 at 1:36 am
wow good advice did u know that all of that information is also in the bible you reap what you sow and you recieve what you believe
August 25th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Tara, yes I’ve heard the Bible says something along those lines. This is also the basis of almost all self-improvement and success books.
November 8th, 2008 at 1:21 am
This is a great piece of advice all around and about all aspects of life. What you believe is what is real.
July 16th, 2009 at 6:10 am
I believe your advice too. Don’t let the monster in your mind to overcome the white light that is waiting for you. I’m still fighting against this very strong monster for the past 17 years, overcome but come back again and again. It’s very depressing and torturing, both mentally and emotionally. Facing all kind of comments from my own children, parents, friends, relatives and strangers. Currently, I’m still struggling moving towards the white light, so wish me good luck to have a clear skin soon.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:01 am
Good luck Cheryl!
July 24th, 2009 at 3:35 am
Hi Seppo,
No doubt, I like the blog you have post. You are a life saver to all of the acne sufferer.
Thanks and best regards.
November 7th, 2009 at 8:17 am
This is the most real advice out there- and also what we should do, not just ‘work on it’…I’m speaking from my own downfalls…
Thanks, Seppo, for your honestly in a maze of profit seeking deceit…
On that note, I thank you so much, because if it weren’t for the $40 spent on Clear for Life, I might have stayed in a rut for years more..
I am going to get clear forever, thanks to your wonderful advice!
January 22nd, 2010 at 12:51 am
Good stuff Seppo!
Absolutely agree with everything you said here, and love the earlier post you did about meditation.
Notice I used my full name this time.
I wanted to go all out and expose my true identity to the world. Because I am not embarrassed to have acne!! Hahahaha!!
Anyhow…
I just wanted to give you props on your post. You really did a fantastic job delivering the message strong. And I wish you great success with your Clear For Life product!
Keep on rockin Seppo!
~Omar
February 20th, 2010 at 6:33 am
Hey Seppo,
Thanks a lot for this tip on the importance of belief to acne cure. All your posts are very beneficial and eye-opening for us people with acne.
Great work!
February 28th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Please tell me - food is very healthy began to wither. How can I upload a healthy weight. Thank you