Earlier this week I spent several days trying to figure out whether I needed to file a tax form for a business I had just registered. Because the business is new, I’m still learning which filings apply and which don’t, and with tax there’s always that sense that getting something wrong could cause problems later.
I went through alerts from the agency I’d used to incorporate, looked at accountant websites and forums, and eventually accepted that the filing must be required. Then, as an afterthought, I checked the official government site and saw an exemption list that clearly stated I didn’t need to file. The answer had been available the entire time, but I hadn’t thought to check the primary source.
The whole scenario got me thinking about the energy I was in that led me to miss such an obvious first step.
A Pattern I Noticed
I noticed that I was still caught in a belief system that treated what people in expert positions said as irrefutable fact. It wasn’t that I placed them on a pedestal, but I’m not an accountant or a qualified tax advisor, so I naturally deferred anything related to which legal documents needed to be filed to the people paid to handle those services.
What didn’t occur to me at the time was that they, as a business, might be using marketing tactics in that situation to make me think I needed to file when I didn’t.
The Energy I Was Operating From
When I reflected on it, I realised that I had been acting from the energy of not wanting to mess up. The tax system is generally seen as complicated, so it makes sense that highly qualified accountants exist.
Because of that, it didn’t feel as though I was outsourcing my authority. Accountants are in that position for a reason, so my only focus was making sure I filed on time and to not get into trouble. Not once did it cross my mind to question the information I had been given.
How That Energy Shaped What I Could See
Acting from the energy of not wanting to get things wrong meant that all the information I noticed seemed to confirm my assumption. I didn’t see anything to the contrary because, in effect, I had signalled to my reticular activating system to show me more evidence that I needed to file.
That energy also carried a sense of anxiety. Even though I’ve learned to live more from a place of peace, I could still feel that unease sitting in the background.
Where Else the Pattern Was Showing Up
I also began noticing this pattern in other areas of my life. Instead of my usual laissez-faire attitude, I found myself overthinking things more than usual. I was trying to predict how situations might unfold, often from a place of fear.
When the Pattern Became Obvious
The moment I checked the official government website and saw that I wasn’t required to file, I felt a sense of relief. It was only then that I realised how much stress I had been carrying in my body. I could literally feel my shoulders relax.
What stood out to me afterwards was how the energy of not wanting to mess up had narrowed my thinking. I couldn’t see past it. It hadn’t even crossed my mind to check the primary source’s site until I was several days into the process.
What Becomes Visible When We Pause
Everything becomes possible when we pause long enough to see the energy we are acting from. When I was knee-deep in thoughts of not wanting to mess up, it was as if I had placed a mental stop sign in front of any ideas that might have saved me from wasted time.
I’ve trained myself to act on nudges from my higher consciousness. But the energy I was in was fixed on the idea that the information provided by the experts had to be correct, so I gave myself very little opportunity to see things differently.
Looking back, I can see that something had already started to soften before I checked the official site. I had initially planned to hire a top-end accountant, but then remembered that I could hire someone through a network I’m part of, which would have significantly reduced the fee. That realisation made me feel more relaxed.
Feeling more at ease allowed me to pause for a moment and double-check what I was doing. It was then that I had the idea to visit the official site for something else, and within seconds I came across information confirming that there had never been a problem to solve.