Tag Archives: visualization

Life

How To Create A Plan

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Success comes with a subjective definition. Each person defines it for themselves, and the array of different thoughts and ideas on what it looks like is as diverse as the people who think these thoughts.  There are only two options when it comes to creating and accomplishing things. One is to follow a plan guiding your thoughts and action. The second is pure and unadulterated luck, or fate pulling you in the right direction and providing the right opportunity.

Either you take control and dictate what happens, or you allow the future to be decided by the Universe making choices for you. This decision, just like all the others in your life, is totally and completely yours.

There are many roadmaps to success, and I think if the desired result is to follow a plan that provides sensation, share a simple practice to assist in moving your thoughts and actions toward achieving your goals and creating the things you want to see in your life regardless of the specifics of the adventure. To make good things happen in your life, following all of these steps will give you the best chance of achievement and accomplishment. I believe in these four steps that can help you create positive experiences in your life.

 Practice Positive Self Talk

There is a constant dialogue in your mind. The conversation topics are usually repeats of things we have thoughts we have had a thousand times before. 99% of people never consider how they speak to themselves. The problem with this negligence is that we have been conditioned to think negatively about our abilities and the prospects of us achieving our goals. Allowing this conversation is destroying your chances to succeed, and it can be changed.

Change starts with noticing the words you are speaking to yourself. If they change THEM more negatively about your abilities or the prospects of a goal, the Changgoic mind is the over-analyzer and finds problems where none exist. Listening will stop you from following even the best of your ideas and achieving goals meant for you.

If you can’t be positive and supportive of yourself, it doesn’t matter what everyone else does. It all begins and ends with the method and manner with which you address yourself and your actions. Most of the time, we don’t pay attention to how we speak to ourselves in our heads, but that encouragement is the first kind we must have. By changing your words and how you talk to yourself, the world can open up to you.

Instead of thinking, “Nothing works out for me.” or “I am always broke.” or “I am not strong.” or any other limiting thoughts we allow our minds to tell us. These limiting beliefs have been pushed on us by our experience and conditioning. It is up to each individual to determine where our limits lie and how easily we can reach them. It begins with the voices we speak in our heads. Creating positive self-talk will help you override the negative programming of your past. Develop the habit of being kind to yourself in your mind, which will be the first step in achievement.

Set Goals and Write Them Down

Know where you are going. There needs to be a destination in mind. Set your goals and make them permanent by writing them down. Once you write them down, a transformation occurs between thought and making it a reality. Be clear in your focus and what you want. Please write it down in detail so you know what destination you are shooting to find. Be specific and create a target you are hunting for, and w; while doing so, develop your thoughts and emotions about this accomplishment.

Taking something from the realm of thought into reality is the paramount experience that separates human beings from the rest of the world’s creatures. Artists do it constantly, creating an idea and bringing it into reality for the rest of the world to enjoy. Each goal you have is the same thing, the first thought in your head. Writing it down becomes a reality in a small way and can become a reality in a big way. Take the time to think about what you want and to write down your goals. The foundation of accomplishment will occur at this moment.

Learn to Use Visualization

Another great gift all humans have is the capacity to practice using our imagination. There is the magic we experience when we take the time to picture ourselves accomplishing or experiencing our goals as finished products. Some would call this daydreaming, but there is a purpose. To see yourself doing something, building something, or experiencing the success you are striving for is a positive that will help bring that thing into reality. The key is to attach a positive emotion to your thoughts and situations.

Emotion provides the momentum to keep going when things get rough and punctuates the sentence of your accomplishment. If you imagine being a famous singer and feel the rush of action and joy of performing, you can understand why you want to reach this goal, and you will pursue it all the way there. Take a moment before you fall asleep at night or just as you wake in the morning. Picture your goals coming into your reality and what it will feel like when that happens.

Take Action, Evaluate, and Try Again

The rubber eventually has to meet the road. No accomplishment will be created in mind alone. All of the previous steps are useless without the courage of action. It takes a brave person to take action because you will get an answer. The results may be good or bad, but they will exist. It is at that point an honest evaluation has to take place. Often the results will be less than you hope for, but there will always be lessons. The wise person uses the experiences and doesn’t take the failure personally.

It doesn’t matter that things don’t work out the first time you try something. There will be an opportunity to learn, evaluate what went wrong, adjust your tactics, and of course. It is the trying still part most people find challenging. Once you experience failure, it can be daunting to put yourself out there. Remember, it isn’t personal and doesn’t define you if you learn from it and try again. Each effort given will provide you with new information about the process you are involved in and yourself. Use it and develop your skills and confidence. Don’t let the fixed mindset of never allowing a mistake stop you. If you do, you will not accomplish much in your life. All new things have a learning curve. Embrace it. Try, evaluate, and try again until you reach your goals.

Final Thoughts on the Process

Start today, deciding what you want the canvass of your life to look like. Is it going to be a picture someone else dictates you draw? Or will it be a unique masterpiece of your inner desire to express yourself? The choice is yours, and you can get them by following the process. Practice positive self-talk, set your goals, write them down, visualize your success, take action, and evaluate your strategy. In the end, your accomplishments are going to be won or lost because of the choices you make. Make choices that honor your inner strength and understanding. Follow your process to its conclusion of success. In the world of accomplishment, the journey defines us and is often the part we look back on with reverence and a smile.

“If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.” —Thomas J. Watson.

“Champions keep playing until they get it right.”— Billie Jean King.

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” — Henry David Thoreau.

“Potential is not an endpoint but a capacity to grow and learn.”

 

 

 

 

Life Lessons

Exercises for Positive Thinking

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Positive thinking exercises are activities that can help individuals cultivate a positive mindset. Positive thinking has been linked to better mental and physical health, improved relationships, and increased success in various areas of life. Here are some positive thinking exercises that can help individuals train their minds to think positively:

  1. Gratitude journaling: Writing down three things you are grateful for daily can help shift your focus to the positive aspects of your life. This exercise can help you appreciate the good things in your life and develop a more optimistic outlook. Take time to recount all you have to be grateful for and reflect on it with your emotions. This daily gratitude will build a more positive outlook.
  2. Positive affirmations: Repeating positive affirmations to yourself can help you develop a more positive self-image and increase your confidence. Examples of positive affirmations include “I am worthy of love and respect” or “I am capable of achieving my goals.” Continually repeating these in a powerful way to yourself will make you more positive about your life and experiences. And some would say experiences like the affirmations you use will appear in your life.
  3. Visualizing success: Visualization is a powerful tool for achieving success. By picturing yourself succeeding in a particular task or achieving a goal, you can train your mind to believe that you can succeed. This exercise can help you stay motivated and focused on your goals. Picture all things you want to accomplish in your mind’s eye first, then watch them appear in your life.  All things are created twice, once in thought and then in reality.
  4. Mindfulness Practices: Regular mindfulness can help improve mood and reduce stress. Mindfulness exercises, such as meditation or deep breathing, can also help you stay present and focused on the positive aspects of your life. There is only one moment any of us can control: the present. Conscious breathing can keep your mind in the present moment and not wander into the past or future.
  5. Reframing negative thoughts: When you experience a negative thought or emotion, try to reframe it positively. For example, instead of thinking, “I can’t do this,” try thinking, “I am capable of figuring this out.” This exercise can help you develop a more positive and solution-focused mindset.
  6. Surround Yourself with Positive: Surrounding yourself with positive people, uplifting media, and inspiring quotes or images can help you maintain a positive outlook. This exercise can also help you stay motivated and focused on your goals. Too many people allow themselves to be dragged down by negative people, programs, or even their own negative thinking.

In conclusion, positive thinking exercises can help individuals develop a more positive mindset, leading to better mental and physical health, improved relationships, and increased success in various areas of life. By practicing gratitude, positive affirmations, visualization, exercise and mindfulness, reframing negative thoughts, and surrounding yourself with positivity, you can train your mind to think positively and cultivate a more optimistic outlook on life.

21

Thoughts I Choose

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Thought is a constant companion in your life. From the moment you wake up in the morning, the mind is spewing a continuous stream of ideas from the spigot of dialogue.  I have heard it estimates the human brain can produce 60-70 thousand thoughts per day. Most of our thoughts, around 95%, are repeats from the day before and the day before that. Left working on an unconscious level, you will think and experience the same thing you did the day before and the week before, and possibly the year before that. It will be hard to change your life if new thoughts aren’t being cultivated and chosen continuously.  The great news is that you ultimately have control over the ideas which have value to you. What thoughts are you choosing this day?

Old Programming Power

Our minds are not working against us, we have a valuable tool to use, and most of us are just not aware we have the power to control it.  Our experiences in life have programmed our subconscious mind to perform in a certain way. How to talk, walk, ride a bike, shuffle cards, we store in our subconscious mind.  It wouldn’t be very efficient if we had to relearn how to chew food before every meal.  The valuable information stored here is also stored beliefs we have gathered about how life works, how we fit in it, and our value as human beings.  We build most of these opinions in the concrete setting of your mind by the time you are 7-10 years old.

So many of the beliefs about yourself are the beliefs of a seven-year-old. Most of us let these beliefs dictate our ability to do something and the value we bring to life. For example, if you had an experience in early life where you tried a new math problem and failed, all it takes is for someone to say something that hooks your mind, and a belief is born. ” You are just not good at math.”  That belief will live unchecked in your mind and will only grow as your mind will seek examples to support and define the perceived truth.  What you believe has then become a reality. Often we have long forgotten the initial instance the belief took hold, but the result of the thought has taken on a life of its own.

Change is Possible

Look at yourself honestly and what you see yourself being able to accomplish.  What is limiting you? It is often the thoughts we accept as accurate about life and our place in it based on the ideas of the people fate put in our lives as children.  Their fears, shortcomings, and lousy programming became a part of our experience without our consent or acceptance.  There is no sinister plot here, just people doing the best they can, but reading this at this moment, now it is up to you to continue to accept these beliefs or not.  Change is simple, but it isn’t easy.  A belief system or paradigm has allowed us to survive and navigate a sometimes harsh world.  There is a part of your mind loving these beliefs because there is a known factor to these limiting thoughts. That part of your mind is the ego.

The ego exists as a survival mechanism. It is the voice in your head that is often on the opposing side. Get a great idea you want to try, wait five minutes, and your ego will weigh in with all the limiting thoughts it can create. “What will people think?” “That will never work.” “You are not creative like that.” “Nobody will like anything you do.” “You will never make money at that.” “You will be poor forever.”   On and on, they will go if you let them. It is easy to paint the Ego as the villain in your life, but it is just a mechanism in your mind that you allow to stop you.  Don’t listen and see what happens.

Changing a Belief

The most challenging thing about changing a belief is to identify the limiting thought in the first place. Next, pay attention to the thoughts and feelings you get when you are pursuing something you want to do. Then you have to apply a process of change to it.  There are many different theories on the best methods to change a belief because most of them have profound roots. But don’t give up because changing your paradigm and the landscape of your life will allow you to grow into the person you are capable of being.

I have heard affirmations or short positive statements to change a belief, but the declaration alone is not enough to change a long-standing idea. You need to combine a positive comment using your imagination to visualize what you want along with powerful positive emotion, and your subconscious will start to accept your new belief. So, 1. create a positive statement about what you want to see in your life.  2. visualize this thing happening. How will it look? Imagine all aspects of it?   3. Attach positive feelings to the images you create.  Then do this consistently.

The Choice is Yours

Either you will look at your life and evaluate where you are and where you want to go, or you will accept things in the status quo.  The choice is up to you and only you. We are all responsible for the results of our lives and how we are living them.  The most significant part of the human condition is that we can change everything with a simple thought. We can become what we want to become.  Our mind is a valuable tool, but it is only as helpful as choosing to make it.  Otherwise, it is just a machine running our lives with no meaning.

Choose today to start the pursuit of where you want to go.  Practice a visualization. I dare you.  See what ideas will come to you. Taking action will reveal answers to you. The path will unfold the only way it can. Then have the courage to nurture those ideas, take those actions, and follow those paths. Our true selves are found when we use our courage.

“You begin to fly when you let go of self-limiting beliefs and allow your mind and aspirations to rise to greater heights.” ―Brian Tracy.

“Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” ―Mary Kay Ash.

“Do the uncomfortable. Become comfortable with these acts. Prove to yourself that your limiting beliefs die a quick death if you will do what you feel uncomfortable doing.” ―Darren Rowse.

“If you accept a limiting belief, then it will become a truth for you.” ―Louise Hay.

Chances are you can do whatever it is you dream of………..you have to believe you can do it.

 

21

Creating

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Most accomplishments in life revolve around the programming we receive in life. Your subconscious mind develops because of it.  From the moment we are born, we are trying to figure out the world, find a place we can feel safe, be with people we love, and where our value lies in ourselves and others.  Some lessons come directly from the words of others, and more often, we take the context clues of how someone behaves in their lives and toward us to create beliefs.  Our subconscious mind takes these experiences and creates our paradigm or model of how to live our lives. But we often made mistakes, misinterpreting things, adding significant meaning to things we shouldn’t. Negative messages can form limiting beliefs that will continue to exist until we change them. Stuff we heard, “You are no good at that.” or “You are not very graceful.” or  “You are not a very good student.” or “You’re not as pretty as others.”  or a million other things someone might have said in passing which for whatever reason you chose to accept as real.  The good news is that you can change any of these beliefs that limit you, and it can start today.

Real Affirmations

Affirmations are short positive statements that state the desired result you want to experience in life. Writing these messages down is the first step to creating something you want to see in your life.  Affirmations alone will do very little, but combined with visualization and intense emotion, it can provide a powerful effect.  Create a statement choosing clear and positive words.  You can bring almost anything into your life.  Change is a tricky thing, even in the best of circumstances. There is a real, volatile reaction to any change, even positive change. However, we successfully exist as we are, so any change is a threat to the all-important status quo.

But change is constant and continual in life, and if you make an effort to, you can guide how evolution works in your life. Remember, things will change one way or another, give change a path, and follow. It starts with a positive statement or affirmation to get things moving in that direction. Most people are afraid to write down what they want because they are afraid of what others will think. Feeling deep down, we don’t deserve to receive our dreams. Or they are worried if they try to get what they want and fall short, then what? All of these fears are just your mind fighting against change. Who cares what someone else thinks? You deserve to achieve things and have things. Fear of not getting what you want is a powerful one because we are afraid of disappointment, but trying is the only way to do anything.  The attachment we create to one particular result is the biggest weakness we have. So let things unfold as they should, and trust it will be a good thing for you.  Learning lessons will happen, accomplishments will pile up, and you will grow.  Only fear stops this.

Seeing It in Your Mind

Our minds are great machines. They create all kinds of images, and learning how to imagine the things we want and visualize our affirmations is the next step. Not only do you write and read them, but you envision them as being a part of your life.  Each day you read the affirmation about your life, then take a moment, close your eyes, and let the scenario of the affirmation play out in your mind.  In your vision, you can control what happens.  Use your wonderful imagination to create the things you want to see in your life.

As powerful as they are, our minds do not know the difference between something happening in the world and something happening in our imaginations. To the brain, it is all the same. If you inject powerful positive images about the things you want, your subconscious will start looking for more scenarios to bring into your life like that.  Many things I have read have stopped here, and this is not the place to stay and create anything. You are on the way, but there is more.

Emotion is the Thing

How does your mind know if something is desirable or not? By the feelings we attach to the experiences we have about the things we focus our thoughts on. You create your positive affirmation, take the time to visualize what it will be like, and then attach real powerful emotions to it.  What will it feel like to have that relationship, freedom, power, joy, or whatever you seek to make yourself happy today?  You will notice I didn’t say money. We all want more money because of what it represents, not for its own sake.  We want money for the freedom, power, or things it will allow us to experience.  It is better to focus on those things and enable them to come to you in the best way possible. Money is just energy.

Emotions are potent connectors between the mind, body, and spirit and tell the subconscious mind what is important to us. Develop your mental connection between thoughts and feelings, and your focus will drive your experience. Thus, helping you bring things you are focusing on into reality.

It Is, and It Isn’t

Some think this is like magic. Well, it is, and it isn’t. At some point, you are going to have to take action toward your dreams. If your goal is to be a musician, you need to learn an instrument, develop your voice, or develop some other skill. The creation process will drive you and bring things into your reality to help, but the real magic is your ability to develop and learn anything you want to experience.  Take your action toward what you state, visualize, and feel.  Taking steps in that direction will bring the reality you desire.

Many will tell you this is not true that creating your reality is impossible. Listening to that message is a choice, but remember, you have been manifesting your reality your entire life. The words you have chosen to believe have shaped everything about you. From the relationships you have or don’t have, the jobs you have held, and the talents you have shared. Your beliefs have brought these things into your life.  It is up to you to create what you want or accept the things society or someone else tells you to take. This choice is always and entirely up to you.

Recap:

  1. Write affirmations and positive words.
  2. Visualize these things as a part of your life clearly and in detail.
  3. Create corresponding powerful feelings about the vision

These will create a swirl of energy around the idea you want to develop and provides a fertile garden to create what you desire.

“The life you want is a manifestation of self-realization.”     Bryant McGill

“When you have done your part, it’s time to release your work into the universe and let it do its part.”   Maria Erving

“Fully inhale your dream and completely exhale manifestation of it.”     T.F. Hodge

“You are the author of your life. If you don’t like how it goes, write it differently.”     Iva Kenaz