4 Steps to Create a New Self-Image

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Dec 032021
 

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Is your self-image in alignment with who you want to be? Do you want something greater for yourself, but you feel unworthy to seek or achieve it? Or maybe you’ve attempted to change a habit or situation in your life, and it hasn’t worked out. If so, the problem is likely due to how you view yourself. 

Your self-image is a combination of qualities that you identify with: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. They are concepts that you believe define you. For example, you think of yourself as intelligent and friendly or a failure and inept. Your self-image includes abilities, talents, strengths and weaknesses you believe you have. You see yourself through the lens of all these characteristics and they filter out everything that isn’t in alignment with them.

How Your Self-Image Sabotages You

If any of the ideas you hold contradict your goals, then your subconscious mind will sabotage your aspirations in some way. Your subconscious mind keeps you in alignment with how you think of yourself. It will conform your actions and behaviors so they agree with how you view yourself. In this way, your subconscious keeps you congruent with your self-perception.

For instance, if you think of yourself as a disorganized person, then every time you try to keep your space neat, you’ll make some kind of mess. Your beliefs affect your behaviors and your subconscious mind ensures that they align. If they don’t agree, you feel discomfort, unease and even anxiety. By trying to shift beyond your self-image, you’re stepping out of what’s familiar and safe. And your subconscious mind will create distress until you go back to your old ways.

You Can Change Your Self-Image

Your self-image is an accumulation of past childhood ideas and attitudes you’ve established over the years. All of these are simply beliefs, and beliefs can be changed. With some work, you can improve your self-image so it supports you when you take action to achieve new goals and visions.

1. Become aware of the beliefs that construct your self-image. Focus on the areas you have trouble improving. How do you identify yourself in these areas? For instance, to meet deadlines, do you describe yourself as someone who is always late? Before you can change a belief, you have to be aware that it’s a problem and what kind of issue it’s creating.

2. Why do you want to change your belief? To change it, you have to have a strong motivation that will override your natural reluctance to change. Will the shift make you healthier or happier? Write down all the benefits to having a better self-image in this area. Your motivation must be strong enough to convince your subconscious mind that it’s safe for you to pursue the change.

3. What actions do you need to take to change your belief? These could be improving what you tell yourself, making decisions based on your new identity, changing habits or something else. For example, to eat healthier, you’d think about how a healthy person would eat, and make choices from that position. This would allow you to adopt a better lifestyle overall and create new eating habits. Once you decide on these new actions and behaviors, commit yourself to follow through on them.

4. Create a new self-image that represents your aspiration. Imagine yourself a year in the future with all these changes in place. How would you think and feel differently about yourself? Tell yourself that you’re worthy of and deserve the outcome. What other changes would have resulted? What you’re doing is updating your self-image so that it supports you in your goal or vision.

You may feel uncomfortable as you go through this process, but it will be worth it. What you’re doing is changing a fundamental part of yourself to align with what you want and who you want to be. It takes courage and commitment, but it allows you to create the life you want. 

Affirmation:

The Universe perceives me to be a perfect reflection of Itself, having all the loving and good qualities that It contains. It holds the highest and best view of me. That individualized expression of the Universe is the potential of who I am and could be. I now aspire to be that person, and view myself as the Universe sees me.

For more articles on improving your self-image, read 5 Steps to Create a Greater Self-Image, When Self-Image Sabotages Positive Thinking, and Say “Yes” to Your Vision.

Watch the accompanying video, Guided Meditation to Create a New Self-Image.

As a vision strategist, hypnotherapist, and speaker, Linda-Ann Stewart helps women entrepreneurs and small business owners who feel stuck, immobilized and overwhelmed to to get clear, focused and on the fast track to the next level of their business. To achieve a 90-day goal more easily, sign up for her FREE comprehensive Strategic Vision blueprint at www.Linda-AnnStewart.com/setyourcourse.html. You can contact her at LAS@Linda-AnnStewart.com or 928-600-0452.

Book Review: Your Erroneous Zones

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Oct 202021
 

Your Erroneous Zones: Step-by-Step Advice for Escaping the Trap of Negative Thinking and Taking Control of Your Life
By Wayne Dyer

This is the book that propelled Wayne Dyer into his path as a self-improvement and spiritual leader. Although I have trouble with Dyer’s authoritarian tone, this is a must have book if you’re working through self-esteem issues. Not only does it address various false beliefs, “erroneous zones,” that have created a low sense of self-worth, it explores the possible reasons we keep them going.

For every belief we have, positive or negative, there was an original purpose for it. And sometimes the subconscious thinks that the reason still exists, despite evidence to the contrary. We also tend to receive benefits out of even negative attitudes. This book examines and dismantles those reasons and benefits. It brings self-defeating beliefs and attitudes into the light of awareness so that the reader can make a conscious decision to either keep them or change them.

The whole message of this book is to take charge of your life and your emotions. Because, by doing so, you can change your life.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Sparks of Insight

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Dec 142020
 
Sparks of Insight

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson – Making a decision focuses your energy to your goal. Instead of going back and forth, “Should I, shouldn’t I,” that divides your attention, a commitment to an idea or action concentrates your power on that one thing. It kick starts your subconscious to move you in that direction, and funnels opportunities from the Universe to propel you along.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Live in Expectancy of the Best

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Oct 012020
 

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Elation

Whether positive or negative, your attitude impacts your outcome. Your mindset affects how you filter the world around you, and as a result, determines how you respond to situations. When you expect the worst, your behavior makes that belief a self-fulfilling prophecy. Expecting the best can do the same. And isn’t that a better way to live?

If you expect the worst, you’re braced against that possibility. Your mind rehearses how to deal with a crisis, what you’re going to do in the worst case scenario, and how you might avoid it. This means that all your mental resources are tied up with dealing with difficult situations that might never happen. You aren’t left with many mental resources for moving forward. Because you’re focused on the negative, you’re instructing the Law of Attraction to bring it to you.

The Universe wants the best for you. Therefore / However, if you expect the best, then your subconscious mind searches for opportunities to fulfill that belief. Your subconscious mind is a problem solver. When you set your intention to derive the best from a situation, then your subconscious mind seeks opportunities to create that reality for you. You’re creating the mold for your subconscious mind and the Law of Attraction to fill.

How to Create the Best Result

Life brings all sorts of experiences your way, positive and negative. You can always improve your outcomes through altering your perspective. There will be times when you’re working on a goal, or “shift happens” and your results don’t live up to your hopes. When that’s the case, use these tactics to extract the best possible outcome. Your attitude communicates your intention to the Universe, your subconscious mind, and the Law of Attraction, which responds accordingly.

Be aware of the negative, but don’t focus on it. This doesn’t mean that you ignore or deny the possibility for difficulties. You just don’t focus on them, or rehearse them. In “Psycho-Cybernetics,” author Maxwell Maltz uses the analogy of golf to be aware of negatives. A golfer needs to recognize where the sand and water traps are, but not dwell on them. Instead, the golfer puts their attention on where they want the ball to land. Notice the negatives, and make preparations to avoid them. Have a “Plan B,” if necessary. Then shift your attention to what you want to create and put your energy there. This puts you in the flow of the Universe.

Flip your attitude. If something untoward does happen, instead of giving up or getting discouraged, flip it to be more positive. This way you take charge of your response and it gives you more power to deal with the situation. Ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” or, “How can I make something beneficial out of this?” This instructs your subconscious mind to find a way to extract something good from a disappointing circumstance. You open the way for the Universe to develop a new direction for you.  

Don’t take it personally. When someone hurts or offends you, instead of taking it personally, realize it’s probably not about you. They have their own issues that they’re taking out on you. It’s likely they’re defending themselves against a perceived threat, which is probably from their past. It doesn’t mean you excuse their behavior, but you can seek to understand their motives. Ask yourself, “What’s their agenda?” or “What are they trying to achieve?” That can give you valuable information on how to positively respond to the situation.

Achieving a goal. When you’re working on a goal, don’t just focus on the end result. This gives your subconscious mind a direction to follow, which helps you take steps towards it. For an even greater outcome, open your mind to the possibility of something even better happening than what you can currently conceive of. The Universe has greater plans for you than you know. Not only does this give your subconscious mind permission to find other paths to accomplish your goal, but it instructs your inner mind to “achieve this or something better.”

Living in the Possibilities

When you live in the possibility of your best case scenario occurring, you instruct your subconscious mind to put its resources to work to that end. You may not have the information to imagine what the best outcome could be. You can only provide your subconscious mind the image of what you can consciously conceive of at the present time.

There may be a greater outcome than you can imagine. Opening your mind to the possibility of something better means that your subconscious can override outdated, limiting beliefs. And when you choose to live in an attitude of expecting the best from every situation, you create a life of joy, abundance and success.

AFFIRMATION:

The Universe wants the best for me. Therefore, I choose to expect the best out of every situation. If there are challenges, I shift my attention to what benefit can come to me as a result. When I decide on a goal or outcome, I set the intention of, “This or something better.” Only good comes to me from every circumstance.

Watch the accompanying video, How to Achieve Your Goal More Easily.

As a vision strategist, hypnotherapist, and speaker, Linda-Ann Stewart helps women entrepreneurs and small business owners who feel stuck, immobilized and overwhelmed to to get clear, focused and on the fast track to the next level of their business. To achieve a 90-day goal more easily, sign up for her FREE comprehensive Strategic Vision blueprint at www.Linda-AnnStewart.com/setyourcourse.html. You can contact her at LAS@Linda-AnnStewart.com or 928-600-0452.

Sparks of Insight

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Apr 152020
 
Sparks of Insight

“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” – Claude M. Bristol

You learned your “A-B-C’s” by repetition, as well as your arithmetic tables. In the same way, you repeated negative and derogatory statements to yourself until you believed them. You can use that same learning tool to turn things around and cultivate a belief in what it is you want. It takes time to transform it into a conviction, but when it happens, watch for miracles.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Trending Articles of the Week

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Feb 212020
 
Reach Goal

The Power of Your Vision – and Letting It Guide You

Goals aren’t enough to move you forward. They run you in circles, keeping you busy, but not really accomplishing anything. You also need to have a reason for them, a destination you’re aspiring to with them. Use the three steps in this article to make this the year you make a difference in your life.

7 Science-Backed Strategies for Building Powerful Habits

When you set a goal, you’ll probably also need to change a habit to achieve it. But it’s hard to break a habit and create a new one. And if life gets in the way, it’s all too easy to backslide. To develop a habit that lasts, set yourself up for success using the tips in this article.

Two Quick Ways to Feel More Optimistic

Are you a half-empty or half-full type of person? The difference between them is how you think during stressful times. If you are a pessimist (half-empty), then you believe that you don’t have any control over what’s happening. If you’re an optimist (half-full), you focus on what you can do to make it better. If you want, you can start training yourself to be optimistic using the resources in this article.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Be Careful of First Impressions

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Feb 122020
 

Within a few moments, you assess whether someone is authentic or not. But the first impression you get of someone could be misleading, and it’s hard to overcome. It’s human nature to want your assessment to be proved right. But not paying attention to signals that contradict your impression can lead to heartache.

Transcript:

Thank you for joining me. I’m Linda-Ann Stewart and I’d like to share a tip about first impressions and how they can be misleading.

Recently, I listened to a podcast interview of a business coach. From his description and promotional materials, I was already inclined to like him. But as he spoke, I felt there was something off. His actions didn’t line up with what he said his values were. As a result, I didn’t trust him.

Have you ever felt that way about someone? That they weren’t really authentic? You’re able to tell when someone is authentic or inauthentic within a few seconds. Your subconscious mind assesses body language, tonality, verbiage, etc. and decides whether a person is trustworthy or not. It’s good to trust your intuition about people.

But sometimes, your intuition can lead you astray. If you decide you like someone, your mind creates a filter and only recognizes the statements, actions and ideas that confirm your assessment. That’s how first impressions can be misleading, and they can be difficult to change.

Even if that person does things that are in direct opposition to your impression of them, your mind will discard the things that contradict your feelings. This is how you get fooled by people who then take advantage of you. It’s hard to accept, isn’t it? It was for me.

It’s human nature to not want your assessment to be proved wrong. For instance, if that person frequently tells you that they have your back, despite evidence to the contrary, you’ll believe what they say. For awhile. But eventually, the truth will out. You’ll begin to compare their words to their deeds. You’ll recognize that their words and deeds aren’t consistent. It’s challenging your first impression, and you’ll eventually change it.

Emerson said, “What you do speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you say.” The tip today is after your first impression of someone, watch to see if their actions are in alignment with what they say. Don’t just accept your intuition. Look to confirm or contradict it. Doing this helps to fine tune your instincts and your intuition. It will help it be more reliable.

Now, it takes some effort to pay attention, certainly more than just going with your first impression. But the effort is worth it, because it will save you from being taken advantage of at some point. It will save you heartache. I know this from personal experience.

I learned to do this from many, many bad experiences where I was fooled by what a person said. Despite their behaviors that denied what they said, I believed their words. Eventually, I figured out that I needed to evaluate their actions and compare them to what they said. It was a hard lesson.

If I’d gone by first impressions with this business coach, I would have been fooled by him. But because of what I’d learned, I was able to recognize that he wasn’t the person he wanted people to believe he was. How can you start doing this for yourself?

If you’d to achieve a 90-day goal more easily, download my free comprehensive Strategic Vision blueprint at www. Linda-AnnStewart.com/setyourcourse.html. You’ll receive the blueprint, as well as tips and directions to support you in accomplishing your goal. Thank you for watching. My wish for you is to listen to your intuition, while you also pay  attention to what a person does. Take care.

Trending Articles of the Week

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Jul 262019
 

Rainbow

Seven Ways to Feel More in Control of Your Life
Most of us are bombarded for demands for our attention and feel overwhelmed. We bounce from situation to situation, hoping we’re making the best decision. But we don’t take the time to think things through. When you take control over what you place your attention on, you’re able to reduce the mental noise. You reduce your stress, become more effective and are happier.

Finding Your Worth in a Sea of Negative Self-Beliefs
A positive self-image is important to being effective in your life and achieving your goals. Negative views of yourself can unconsciously cause you to act in self-sabotaging ways. But you can break out of those negative patterns and improve your sense of self and well being. Here are 4 ways to improve your self-worth and change your life.

The Truth Behind “You Create Your Own Reality”
Although the Law of Attraction has gained popularity in recent years, most people don’t realize that it’s not just about manifesting “stuff.” It’s more about empowerment and realizing that you choose your thoughts and your actions, which results in your experience. This article goes into a deeper examination of the idea of co-creation and how we can more fully participate in it.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

If you’d like a guide to help you achieve a 90-day goal, download my free comprehensive 90-Day Strategic Vision Worksheet.

Trending Articles of the Week

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Jul 042019
 

Peace

Don’t Like Meditation? Try This Instead
Many studies show that Mindfulness Meditation can improve concentration, creativity and give you a new perspective on finding solutions. But people shy away from meditation, either because they don’t have the time or they’re intimidated by the idea. You don’t have to find a quiet space and empty your mind to have the benefits of meditation. This simple exercise can allow you to get the benefits and fit into your day.

6 Myths and 6 Truths About Perfectionism
Unfortunately, many cultures encourage a toxic view that perfectionism is beneficial. It doesn’t help you to be or do better. You’ll never be able to reach that impossibly high standard. And failing that creates a sense of shame. Stop chasing after perfectionism and understand the uncomfortable truths about it.

119 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Happier
We all strive to be happy, but sometimes we fall short of that goal. It doesn’t mean it’s unreachable. It just means you need to implement some new strategies. This article has investigated research on the subject and brought together tested ways you can incorporate into your life. It covers 9 different areas of your life that you can address.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

As a vision strategist, speaker, coach, and hypnotherapist, Linda-Ann Stewart helps women entrepreneurs and businesswomen who feel stuck to get a clear vision, focus on strategies, and gain control so they’re able to
accelerate to the next level of their business. Sign up for her FREE guide, Take Control of Your Day.

The Decisions That Keep You on Course

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Nov 092018
 

Every day, you make decisions that either keep you on course to your goals, or take you off it. They either support your endeavors or undermine them, and they shape your destiny. Most people have no idea that every single day, they have so much control over the course of their lives. Linda-Ann shares a tip to help you make the right decision in each situation so you reach the success you deserve.



Transcript:

Thank you for joining me. I’m Linda-Ann Stewart. Have you begun to drift a bit off course? You have a goal in mind, but are no longer aiming straight towards it? Maybe you wanted to reduce weight, and went on a diet. But after a while, you had one piece of candy. Then you had a doughnut, then a piece of cake.

You went to a your favorite restaurant, and just couldn’t resist having your favorite meal, which blasted your diet out of the water. And these choices started coming quicker and quicker, until you just gave up. Has that ever happened to you? Maybe on a diet, or with some other goal? Where your decisions started to skew you off course?

Unfortunately, that’s a way that you miss your target. Hundreds of small, minor decisions that you make every day add up and take you off course. Some of these decisions may not even be made consciously. You go to the break room to get coffee, talk to a coworker, and don’t even realize that your hand has snagged a piece of candy from the bowl that’s always there.

The small decisions you make each day keep you on course, or take you off course, to any goal you might have, personal or professional. For instance, one day, I needed to focus on writing an article and I also had to call someone to answer some questions. I knew that if I made the call first, it was going to distract my attention from my article for hours. I just know that about myself. I’d be more concerned with the other person and what they needed and I’d have a hard time pulling my attention back to my article.

So I decided to focus on my article first, and to schedule making that call later in the day. That was a small decision that allowed me to stay on course for the tasks and my goals for the day. What small decisions are you making each day that are making a difference in your goals? That’s what I’d like to cover today, and give you a tip that can keep you on course.

I’m a vision strategist. I work with women service professionals and small business entrepreneurs who are frustrated because they’re spinning their wheels and lost in a forest of details of their business. Using my 30 years of experience as a hypnotherapist, I coach them to develop and focus on the strategies that keep them on course so they bring their vision into reality.

In both my hypnotherapy and coaching businesses, I help people make decisions that will keep them on track to their goals and vision. The same principles hold true whether you want to reduce weight, or build your business. The tiny decisions you make every hour of every day shape your destiny. They can develop into habits that undermine you or support your endeavor.

For instance, do you have too many balls in the air or are involved in too much? That could mean that you don’t prioritize what’s important to you. Or are you multitasking, which actually undermines productivity? If you’re too busy or multitasking, you’re making choices to just deal with what’s immediately in front of you. You’re not taking into account your goals or the ultimate course you want to follow, your intention.

To stay on course, you want to create a habit to ask yourself if your actions are keeping you on course or taking you off it. It will take some conscious effort, because you may have to break old habits that you’ve created. And, as we all know, breaking habits can be challenging, right?

When I decided whether to write the article before I made my call, I asked myself which would be the best thing to do first. I would normally do the call first so I could check that off my list and have time free to concentrate on my article. But I knew this call might need more of my time and attention and actually distract me. So I had to fight against my normal impulse, my habit, and work on the article before I made the call.

Your mindset tip, to stay on course, is a question to ask yourself, such as: “What decision can I make here that will be more likely to keep me on course?” You can do this at the beginning of the day, or at any decision point during the day. Remember, it’s the small decisions that cause you to successful or not.

There will be times when you have to be too involved in other things, or have to multi-task, or give yourself permission to have that bite of cake. But when those decisions become conscious choices and you’ve made sure they won’t take you off course, those decisions serve you, rather then you just acting out of habit. You’ll be taking charge of the course of your life, one decision at a time.

If you’d like some help in getting on course and achieving your goals, apply for a Complimentary Coaching Consultation.

Thank you for watching. I would love to hear how you’re keeping yourself on course. Take care.

Read the accompanying article Are You Living on Autopilot?

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

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