The Ten Commandments Are Written Backwards. Here’s Why I Rewrote Them So They Actually Work

The brain doesn’t process negation first.

When you say, “Don’t think of a pink elephant,” the brain must first create the image of the pink elephant in order to understand what is being negated.

So the sequence is:

1. Represent the thing you are told not to do.

2. Then try to stop the representation.

This means “don’t” commands actually strengthen the neural pathway connected to the unwanted behavior, image, or impulse.

The nervous system hears: “Focus on the thing you’re trying to avoid.”

In survival-based brains (trauma, hypervigilance, shame conditioning), negation increases stress, rumination, and compulsion, rather than reducing them.

Positive directives, on the other hand, give the brain a target, a replacement behavior, and a clear embodied direction—which is what the nervous system can actually follow.

So here is the 10 Commandments written in the affirmative so the brain can create the neural pathways that create the desired behavior

1. Honor the One Source of All Life.

• Live connected to the Divine Reality that is the ground of your being.

2. Keep your heart aligned with the True Image of God.

• Let your inner worship be free of false identities, projections, or ego-made idols.

3. Speak with reverence, integrity, and presence.

• Use the name, essence, and energy of God in ways that reflect truth and love.

4. Live in a rhythm of rest, renewal, and sacred pause.

• Remember your holiness by honoring cycles of restoration.

5. Cherish your family lineage and honor the story you come from.

• Hold gratitude for those who gave you life, while living in a way that brings honor to your name.

6. Protect and nurture life in all its forms.

• Choose actions that preserve the dignity, sanctity, and flourishing of others.

7. Be faithful in your relationships.

• Keep your agreements with integrity and cultivate deep trust and devotion with your partner.

8. Practice generosity and respect for the possessions and boundaries of others.

• Support a world where everyone has enough and where exchange is rooted in reciprocity.

9. Speak truthfully and compassionately.

• Let your words reflect honesty, clarity, and the desire to uplift rather than distort.

10. Celebrate what you already have and cultivate inner contentment.

• Live from abundance, appreciating your own path without longing for another’s.

*please share this to spread the good news.

Much Love, Hugh