Larson Institute of Self-Mastery » Mind

What Are You Focusing On?

Gary N. Larson — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:09:32 +0000

I talked earlier about the concept of Threshold, of reaching a boiling point in your life, of hitting rock bottom and realizing you need to change. But after that, then what? Where do you go from there? Many people have reached that point and they say, “I’m going to make a change, I’m going to turn over a new leaf.” But, you know, they go to bed, they get up the next day, and life goes on and nothing really changes. Well, that’s a good point. Where do you go from there?

Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want

I think many times we focus on the bad habit or behavior that we want to change and that’s where our mind is, that’s where our attention is, that’s where the vision is, the pictures that we have in our mind. Now I’ll go back to the example of the person who overeats. You know they say, “I’ve got to change, I’ve got to go on a diet, I’ve got to quit eating the food.” They put all of their focus on not eating and they are constantly thinking about food, saying things to themselves like; “I can’t eat the chips and salsa. I can’t eat the chocolate cake in the fridge. I’ve got to count calories.” Their whole focus is all on food, and not eating the food.

Dominant thoughts

The problem is, the picture that you have in your mind when you’re in this mode is of food and your mind draws toward what you have pictures of in your head. Let me rephrase that, not your mind, but whatever pictures you have in your mind; that’s what you’re drawn towards. The person who wants to quit swearing for example, if he’s just constantly telling himself, “I’m not going to swear, I’m not going to swear.” The thoughts in his mind are all about swearing.
The focus can’t be on what it is your trying to stop. It’s got to be on the behavior you’re going to replace it with. So for the person who wants to change the way they look, their physical appearance, their health, they shouldn’t be focusing on not eating food. They should be focusing on what they’re going to look like in six months or a year down the road-what kind of lifestyle are they going to have? It’s got to be a lifestyle change.

“See” what you want

They can’t say, “I’m going to stop eating food for the next ten days” or “I’m going to stop eating until I’m down to a certain weight and then resume my regular lifestyle.” That’s not going to work. You’ve got to see in your mind who you’re going to become. And then once you decide what kind of life you’re going to lead, are you going to be a biker, a runner, are you going to get up and do aerobics, kick boxing, whatever it is, you need to see pictures of yourself in good health, pictures of yourself in your mind having the body, the physique that you want, looking the way you want and then move towards that picture.

Suddenly you start to make changes in your life because your current behavior is incompatible with the way you see yourself. You need to start looking, acting, walking, and talking like that person.

Now that is focusing on a small part of your entire self, your physical body. You can bring this up to even a higher level and see yourself as a completely different person, a person you have described and envisioned in every detail, the real “you” deep inside of you. You begin to change every aspect of your life. It all begins with what you are focusing your mind on on a regular basis. So be aware of your thoughts, be aware of the images and pictures you have in your mind because whatever your dominant thought is, that is what you will create in your life.

The Most Useful Mind Control Techniques

Guest — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 08:02:01 +0000

Guest author Steve G. Jones

There are many mind control techniques that can work to manipulate the mind. Sometimes known as the power of persuasion, mind control can give you the ability to transform your thinking so you can accomplish anything your heart desires. Do you aspire to have that dream job, relationship or live in a beautiful part of the world that you have always wanted?

There are ways to control the mind and give in to the power of suggestion, so that whatever you desire can be accomplished. Learn how to influence others or influence yourself with a change of thinking patterns. Have you ever wanted to stop smoking or lose weight but something always prevents you from doing so? Are you attracting the same detrimental partners in your life as you wonder how you will ever get out of these bad patterns? As powerful as our brain is, it tells us what we are worthy of and more importantly, what we aren’t.

You can meditate or use self-hypnosis when using mind control and both are excellent ways to manipulate your environment. They also are ways to help you reprogram yourself into thinking that the way out, is always through. Program yourself to be a positive thinker and relish as you see instant results will improve your life many times over. If you want to look a certain way but need to lose weight and haven’t had success doing it by yourself, you may want to consider self-hypnosis. As an effective strategy that will improve how you feel about yourself, it will send a message out to the universe that you have already achieved your goal.

Mind power techniques work. They work best for people that believe in them, but for anyone that is determined to change their life. You have the ability just based on the power of your mind to control who and what you have in your life, regardless of what your past experiences have taught you. Think about the thoughts that enter your mind on a regular basis. Do they contain mostly positive or negative feelings? Are they full of nurturing energy or self-hate? Whatever messages your subconscious is sending your conscious has everything to do with the outcomes in your life. What does your work life look like? How about your personal life? Is it as exciting and thrilling as you want it to be? Meditation can be a powerful skill when you need to change some things in your life. As a de-stressor, it also contributes to good thoughts which can quickly produce peace of mind and positivity in your life.

Meditation can contribute to many areas of your life, including offering peace of mind to your relationships, improving your health and contributing to an increased amount of wellness and prosperity. If you have ever invested time and energy into meditation, you know that you can see results immediately! Start by taking 10-20 minutes by yourself and make sure that the time you devote to meditation is uninterrupted time. Start by allowing whatever thoughts you have to come in and then out, in and out. Understand that when negative thoughts come into your mind to be aware of them and release them. Begin to replace them with positive thoughts and hold them in your mind for as long as possible. Sometimes meditation can be challenging to do at first and frustrating when you have so many thoughts to enter you head filled with negativity, but the results that follow are worth the time involved.

The power of your mind is all in your head – literally! The things that you want for yourself are within your grasp and much easier to obtain that you may think. If you can rewire your subconscious by powerful positive thinking and proactive subconscious mind control, then you can make anything in your life change or manipulate, simply by changing how you think about it! Whether you want to create more happiness in your surroundings, live more simply or luxuriously or just enjoy your life is a more appreciate way, you can utilize your mind and control your thinking which will ultimately control your environment. You no longer have to look outside of yourself for the answer but work with your mind to develop the life you crave.

It started way back in 1953. While rock and roll was gaining ground and poodle skirts were in style, Jose Silva was preoccupied with his 10 children. Like any awesome parent, he wanted the best for his kids. But he didn’t stop at reading, arithmetic, and writing. He expanded his children’s studies to include hypnosis, mind exercises, and meditation all based upon scientific research.

The results were incredible. Not only did his children become the top students in their respective classes, but they also exhibited powerful intuitive skills far beyond what he expected. Since those humble beginnings, Jose Silva has taken his techniques and exercises to every corner of earth, in a personal mission to help everybody achieve their greatest potential and open up their minds to so much more than conventional thinking and education.

Over the past 5 decades, countless successes and breakthroughs have resulted from the Silva Method. As of 2010, there have been over 6-million Silva graduates in 110 countries who have increased their happiness, wealth, health, personal wellbeing, intuition, and creativity.

http://www.silvalifesystem.com/products

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_G._Jones

5 Steps to Change Habits by Changing Your Brain – Create New Neural Pathways

Guest — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 08:02:24 +0000

Guest author Marilyn B. Gordon

Because of the brain’s ever-changing potentials called neuroplasticity, anything is possible. People who’ve had strokes can retrain their brains to function again by building new pathways. Smokers and overeaters and many others can learn new behaviors and attitudes and can transform their lives.

I used to drive with one foot on the brake and the other on the accelerator, and I wanted to train myself to drive with one foot only. It took some time, as I had a strong neural pathway for two-footed driving. But because I had the will to do it, I built a new pathway, and I rewired or reprogrammed my brain. You can remove a behavior or thought or addictions directly from the brain.

Some Powerful Ways to Retrain the Brain

1. Use aversion therapy.

This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. It’s an optional path. I like to call it “the maggots on the chocolate cake technique.” I used to love candies and sweets, and when I stopped eating them, I still had to pass by them when I walked by the candy store in town. I used aversion to train my brain to walk on by: “That’s junk,” I said to myself. “It’s made in factories, sickeningly sweet, makes me feel bad. The company makes it so sweet just to addict buyers. I don’t want any of that.” So I talk myself out of it. I’ve use it with many clients (only those who say they want it) on smoking, junk food, cocaine and many other behaviors.

2. Create a specific plan and choose what to do instead.

When you get specific, it’s easier to build new neural pathways. You “make it official.” Decide if you want to exercise instead of overeating or if you want to eat fruit instead of candy. Just keep focused on the new choice. You may want to create affirmations and anchors to reinforce your choices. This can be “I’m free or “I’m in control.” Reinforce this with energy therapies like EFT or other techniques.

3. Transform the obstacles.

Look at what’s in the way. Look at secondary gain – what you’ve been getting out of the old habits or pathways. Look at the stress in your life and how you can handle it differently. Get your mind in the place of possibility. Handle the emotions and thoughts and get on a new superhighway in your mind.

4. Connect with your Higher Source for inspiration and support.

Listen to our guidance. Know you have the Force within you, and therefore you have great power. Meditation creates new pathways and brain changes. Actual studies have been done on the brains of monks to show meditation’s effect on neural circuits of the brain.

5. Transform and make the shift.

Know that transformation is always possible and that you can create new brain pathways whenever you’re ready to make the shift. When you keep your mind in the “I can do it!” space, you get a clear sense that you’re done with the old and on a new beam now.

Want to learn more about life transformation, spiritual growth, and healing? You can download our 100 page free ebook, Extraordinary Healing at http://www.lifetransformationsecrets.com. You can also subscribe to our wonderful free monthly newsletter, “The Transformation News.” Marilyn Gordon is a life transformer, board certified hypnotherapist, teacher, speaker, healer, school director, and author with over thirty years of experience. Her latest book is The Wise Mind: The Brilliant Key to Life Transformation and Healing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marilyn_B._Gordon

Daily Motivation: An Ongoing Practice

Guest — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 09:10:08 +0000

Author – Shauna Arthurs

Whether you plan to climb Mount Everest, lose 10 pounds or break a new sales record, your journey to your next goal will contain moments – maybe days – where you lack motivation. Motivation is not the same as inspiration, which is what caused you to create and commit to the goal in the first place. Motivation is the driving force that keeps you going, long after the initial excitement of the decision has passed, and when the pain or monotony of the daily grind of progressing towards accomplishment seems to outweigh the finish line in the distance.

Many a goal has been laid aside by people who lost their sense of commitment when it came to performing the day-to-day tasks involved in reaching the goal. Consistency is not easy; it IS, however, what makes the difference between those who reach their goals and those who don’t. With this in mind, we have put together the following list of suggestions to help build your consistency and commitment muscles, which will keep you motivated to reach your goals and pursue your dreams!

* Change Your Mind: This is another way of saying JUST DO IT. Do whatever it takes to give yourself the perspective you had when you began your quest. Look around you at others who do not have what you want, and remind yourself how you never want to be that way. Ask yourself the tough questions such as ‘what will happen if I carry on this way and NEVER get to this goal?’ ‘What will I think of myself in 10 years if things are basically the same as they are now?’…etc.. Human beings have been shown to act to avoid pain far more often and consistently than to gain pleasure, so if scaring yourself a little is what it takes to stay on track, then DO IT.

* Get a Partner: Two people reaching for the same dream can make for a powerful motivator. If you know your partner is going to show up at the gym each morning and expect you to be there, will it not be easier to drag yourself out of bed on those few mornings when you’d really rather not? Also, having someone to share your ideas, victories and little benchmarks along the way can be really motivating.

* Tell Someone: Better yet, tell everyone! The more people you tell about your goals, the more you will feel like carrying on with them when the going gets a little tough. Many people keep such things quiet, but for some people it is far easier to justify breaking a promise to themselves – sad, but true – than it is to let someone else down who is expecting great things of you.

* Imprint Your Vision: Find some pictures of people accomplishing your goals, or looking as you picture yourself when you’re making it happen. For example, collect pictures of the exact way you want your body to look; a climber at the mountain peak throwing their hands in the air in triumph; a salesperson happily accepting the Number One award. Use these images on a daily basis to train your subconscious mind as to what you want your life to look like. You may create a vision board or just tape the pictures up where you will see them every day – on your bathroom mirror, your fridge, or beside your computer.

* Review and re-commit: Each morning when you wake up and/or every evening, take a few moments to remember what is important to you. You made your goals for a reason, in a moment when you had your ‘bigger picture’ clearly in mind. By re-focusing each day and re-committing to your goals, you will ensure that you spend your daily time working on what is ultimately important to you, rather than getting caught up in the small stuff and finding in a few years’ time that we have wasted our moments.With these tips in mind, you will progress slowly and surely toward that which you dream of. You can enjoy even more motivation and goalsetting tips at Breathing Prosperity (see author bio).

About the Author

Shauna Arthurs is a writer, and founder of a network of websites dedicated to helping people consciously create the lives of their dreams, including the popular Personal Development website BreathingProsperity.com. She also writes about a variety of topics, including Cancun Travel Deals for her sites and those of her website design and content creation clients.

A Dynamic Personality For Great Success in Life

Guest — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 08:25:58 +0000

Author: Wilson Benedict

Whether you are a man or a women, a boy or a girl; all of us want success in life. It can be attaining wealth, achieving strong relationship bonds or by achieving certain dreams and goals.

We all want to lead a happy life, envious to others. Some people craves for a luxurious life, to have a big apartment & drive a sports car, while some are just wanted a simple but meaningful life living in a vineyard . Free from all the troubles and stress in life, the hassle and bustle of the hectic city life.

We all wanted the best in our lives. Success takes itself in many forms. Everyone has their own idea to the picture of success. Of all the success in life to everyone, is there anything or any underlying principle that governs the law of success in life? Is there any key fundamental component in life in which differentiates successful people and non-successful ones?

That is your inner mind. Never underestimate the power of your mind. Do you know that everyone is given the same opportunity to succeed in life from the day they were born? Some people may be lucky to start off in a wealthy family while some were born in poverty-stricken families, whom count each day a blessing when there is food on the table. Nevertheless, whichever situation in life you undergo, everyone has the same potential to succeed. Successful people think differently from the ordinary; and that is why they are successful.

Do you know that everything in life given to you in life can be taken away from you as well? It applies to your wealth, your relationships with your loved ones and even your own life! Similarly, whatever unfortunate situation you are facing, it may not be the same in the future. You may be poor today, but you will not be poor forever!

The best illustration I would like to mention is Oprah Winfrey. I am sure many people have heard of her. She is an American actress, producer etc, and was once the only black billionaire in the world! Do you know that she was born in rural Mississippi to a teenage single mother; was being raped at the age of nine and becoming pregnant at 14? She has overcome great adversities in life and that is why she is so successful today. She could use her life experience to understand and help others who went through such plight.

What makes her so special among others (or probably millions of people out there) undergoing such adversities in life? Well, she got a great positive attitude in life! A great positive attitude ultimately shapes up your personality and creates a strong foundation before you even want to achieve anything in life.

The power of your mind has always been the MOST POWERFUL tool in history; today and will always be tomorrow. Not a single gadget can be smarter than a human brain, after all we are the creator of all tools and gadgets. The only thing that separates humans and every single other living creatures in this world is the power of our mind. Why do you think we can have dominance over all the other animals in this planet? God gave us this wonderful tool – our brain. So, make full use of it.

Never underestimate the power of your brain! So, does a brain itself mean you will be Successful in Life? Absolutely not! The question is; HOW? if everyone can attain success easily in life then there would be : No suicides; no divorces; no bankruptcies; no unhappiness and no resentments.

The secret of success lies in your mind as well. You’ve got to know how to use it. There is only one key principle. It is to have a positive mind. A positive thinking will shape up your personality and ultimately leading to success. You have got to learn how to have them. I will mention it later on.

Positive thinking also means the power of Believing. Such beliefs can create WONDER! Why do you think Germany could rise up so fast and recovered so quickly after World War 1? What gives them the power to rebuild form a war-torn nation and eventually leading to conquering so many nations during World War 2? Did Adolf Hitler simply brain-washed everyone? Well, I’m not trying to praise or condemn Hitler; I just want to show you that Hitler made his people to believe. Believe in him and believing in themselves; to fight for themselves. That is the driving force of the German army!

Why do you think Thomas Edison managed to invent the light bulb? He too has a great positive attitude towards failure. He displayed a great personality! Do check out this link to understand more about having a great personality below

http://www.dynamicpersonalitysuccess.com

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10 000 ways that didn’t work.” ~ Thomas Alva Edison

So, besides displaying a great personality meant that success is guaranteed at its door-step? Not exactly. If your definition of achieving success in life is to have good relationships with your family and friends, then having a great personality itself allows you to develop your character; ultimately leading to the success of having those great relationships. If your definition of success is by amassing wealth, having a good personality creates a strong foundation towards building wealth! The best investment you made is to invest in yourself. So, start now and learn how to achieve a splendid personality… A great personality that leads to success.

This article is subjected to Copyright (c) by Wilson Benedict
Wilson Benedict. Author of E-book: Dynamic Personality for Success.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wilson_Benedict