Psycho-Cybernetics
by Maxwell Maltz

When I was a teenager, my mother tried to get me to read this book. Because I was a bit rebellious, I refused to comply. Some years ago, I finally picked this book up, and read it. I then used it to repeatedly hit myself over the head (gently), saying “I wish I’d read this when I was a teenager.”

This is a great book to explain how the subconscious mind works, and how our success mechanism works. It is a classic that
never gets outdated. The author was a plastic surgeon who used what he called “self-image psychology” with some of his
patients. You may have already read this book. If you have, I encourage you to pick it up again.

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“Words and affirmations simply give shape to thought; they are not creative. Feeling is creative and the more feeling that is put into the word the greater power it will have over conditions. In doing this we think of the condition only as an effect, something that follows what we think. It cannot help following our thought. This is the way that all creation comes into expression.”

From Creative Mind and Success
by Ernest Holmes

I love this quote. It symbolizes the essence of how the mind works. We believe that our words are creative, but it’s the emotion that we put behind them that powers them. And it doesn’t matter if the emotion is a positive or negative one, it’s all energy as far as the subconscious knows.

Affirmations don’t by themselves create, either. They simply focus our thought to give a conduit for Universal energy to flow into and create a condition. Our emotion fills them with the power to impress the subconscious to allow the energy to fill them.

And conditions are nothing but effects of our former thoughts filled with past feelings. Once we realize that we created the conditions, and that they are outdated thought forms, then we can change our mind about them and create something better. For me, this quote is incredibly empowering.

self improvement, self help, personal growth, personal development, inspiration

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by Linda-Ann Stewart

This is a time of year when many people establish New Year’s resolutions to improve their lives in some way. And generally within weeks, if not days, they give up on their good intentions and go back to their old ways, feeling like nothing can ever change. Most people just don’t know how to set a goal and achieve it. Here are ten steps that you can use to manifest any desire you have.

1. Write down everything you want to change in your life.

I mean everything, from your weight to your mom stopping her nitpicking, increased income to putting up that little picture you got at the flea market. Big and small, write them all down. Take a small note pad with you to catch the ones you think of in the supermarket or at work. Add them to your master list.

2. Prioritize the importance of each one.

First, go through and eliminate the desires that you have no power to change, like your father’s health, or the state of the economy. With what’s left, give each one a number from one to ten to establish its importance, with one being very important, and ten being least important. Take the ones you rated a one or two, and again assign each a number of importance. Whittle them down to a few really strong desires.

3. Pick the most important one to focus on.

Choose one goal to work on. It would be nice if you could stop smoking, lose weight, start exercising, and quit biting your nails all at once, but that’s not realistic. Your subconscious can only handle so much change at once.

4. Write down why you want to achieve that goal.

What are the reasons and motivations you have for the realization of that desire? Why do you want to eat healthier? Is it to feel better, live a longer life, or to continue to be there for someone close to you? Get detailed because this is your driving force, your power for change.

5. Write down the steps you need to take to accomplish your desire.

Under each step, note down micro-steps. For instance, to lose weight, you could write, “Diet.” But what does that mean? Eat more fruits and vegetables, eliminate sweets, reduce calories or carbohydrates or simply eat less at each meal? You could then decide on various meals to prepare or foods to have on hand.

6. Be willing to do whatever is necessary to attain your goal.

That is, within reason, legal and moral. You may have to do things that stretch you out of your comfort zone, or that are difficult in the short term. But keep your attention on why you want it, and your subconscious will take your commitment and make it easier to reach.

7. Read your reasons and goal out loud at least three times a day.

This will help keep you energized and enthusiastic. Reading your goal keeps your subconscious focused on what you want. Visualize that you’ve accomplished it, and affirm that you have achieved it. You may not know how it’s going to come about, but your subconscious knows just what to do.

8. Take some action towards your goal each day.

Even if it’s the same thing you did yesterday, take one of the micro-steps you’ve chosen. This helps to convince your subconscious that you really do want the goal, and aren’t just daydreaming about it. And the action also sends out energy to attract what you may need to manifest your goal.

9. If you reach a dead end, ask the Universe for guidance.

You’re not in this all by yourself. At any point, from setting the goal to its actual manifestation, ask the Universe for direction and be open for any impulses or nudges.

10. Be grateful for the fulfillment of your goal.

You can have what you desire, through the power of your Higher Mind. Even before you see the completion in your life, you have received it. Thanking the Universe for Its help, guidance and success of your desire communicates to your subconscious. The subconscious uses the power of that emotion, and the feeling of conclusion to create your desire.

If you seem to resist doing any of these steps, or the goal isn’t manifesting, ask the Universe if you’re blocking it for some reason. If you are, find a way to deal with that and move forward. You could also be trying to force it, instead of trusting your subconscious to manifest it. That’s why the gratitude step is so important. This encourages you to let go of the worry and doubt, and let the Universe and your subconscious mind handle the details.

Affirmation

I can have anything I desire through the power of my Higher Mind. My creative mind knows just what to do and how to do it to accomplish my goal. I’m willing to do whatever is necessary to make this positive change in my life. I keep my mind focused on my goal, and take the steps necessary for the fulfillment of my desire. I trust my creative mind, and the Universe, to take care of the details and bring me whatever I need to realize my desire.

Copyright 2009 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

self improvement, self help, personal growth, personal development, motivation, productivity

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In August, Jeff and I made an offer on a pre-foreclosure, short sale townhome. We waited and waited for the bank to either agree or reject our offer. Finally, at the end of November, the bank accepted our offer. December was filled with inspections, financial and legal concerns, as we made sure all was ready for when the house would be ours. The closing was the middle of the month, and the day we had our first winter storm. That night, the cable television and internet went out, and a window in our office leaked. Welcome to home ownership!

I just returned from a short visit with a dear friend in Tucson, in southern Arizona. While I was there, I developed a cold. Consciousness-wise, colds can signify confusion, but in my life, they indicate that I’m feeling overwhelmed with all that’s going on. And considering the past month, I would have to agree that’s been the case.

inspiration

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Question: When I affirm, I feel like I’m controlling the Universe. What if the Universe doesn’t want me to have what I’m affirming?

Answer: The Universe wants all good for you. You are an individualized expression of the Universe. The Universe cannot keep good from Itself, and since you are a part of Itself, It cannot keep good from you.

The only mind you are changing with an affirmation is yours. You can’t force the Universe to give you what It has already given. You are the one who has kept your good from you. The attitudes and beliefs that you hold have restricted that Divine Energy good. An affirmation is simply creating a new belief, a new groove in your mind to hold more of that good.

You’re not controlling the Universe with an affirmation. You aren’t coercing the Universe to give you something that isn’t
yours by Divine Right. Since you are a part of the All Good, all the good you desire is already yours.

Originally published in “The Cedarfire Newsletter,” August 2000.

Copyright 2000 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

personal growth, personal development, inspiration

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