“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

I suggest, quite seriously, that Ruburt make up a list of his accomplishments; that he make a list of his good points; that he write down a short list of those things he thinks he is doing right (humorously), and the things he enjoys; and you add to these lists. I want him to concentrate upon his accomplishments rather than any failings, and you also. In a determination to do better, he has begun to concentrate upon failings. Your loving endeavors toward him have indeed helped, but until very recently you also fell into the same trap.

(Pause.) The achievements therefore must be kept in mind; not only are they not focused upon, but they are often forgotten. To some extent this also applies to you in your own endeavors. Reminding Ruburt of these achievements, of the things he does right, will put some weight on him. For when he concentrates upon his failings, for whatever reason, he sees himself as a person of no substance.

(“I’m afraid that Jane’s symptoms lead her to concentrate too much upon them. They overshadow her other accomplishments. I also get irritated at them. Then we try different things in an effort to get rid of them, etc.”)

In an attempt to discover the reason for the persistence of the symptoms, he began to concentrate upon those in quotes “negative “ aspects of his personality. The overconcentration continued the symptoms, and the symptoms themselves became exaggerated in his mind. Do you follow me?

It is a matter of concentration.

In the back of your minds, your main point of concentration has been “What is wrong with Ruburt?” Now, I gave you this information a while ago, and I have said it in various ways at different times.

You should concentrate upon creativity and health.

In your efforts both of you often put the concentration upon the things that are wrong. Now I cannot put it more simply. Both of you concentrate more upon those symptoms that remain, forgetting the improvements that he has made. It is a method that is wrong. Your loving attitude has been of great help, and of a creative nature.

Overconcern however is negative. Ruburt has physical symptoms. This is not good. They are not the worst symptoms in the world however, and while there is much room for improvement, they should not be concentrated upon. They are not a stigma.

Now, in your good intentions you told Ruburt lately that he was using only a tenth of his abilities, meaning that most people only used a portion of their capabilities. (I also explained this meaning to Jane at the time.) He took this as an accusation, however, and further concentrated upon his lacks. Neither of you should expect perfect performance in your work, and I say this to you as well as to Ruburt. To some extent there has been a weaving in and out, so that at times Ruburt’s symptoms were personal, and at times they were symbols for both of your attitudes.