focus » Empowering Your Mind

Planning for the Unexpected

Jul 172019

Life doesn’t always flow smoothly. There are always bumps along the way. They can take you off track and make it difficult to get back on track afterwards. But there is something you can do to be proactive and keep yourself on course.

Transcript:

Thank you for watching. I’m Linda-Ann Stewart of Heartvision Consulting. When you set an intention and create a plan to achieve a goal or vision, you think you’re on the road to success, right? And if you follow your plan, you have a really good chance accomplishing it.

But unfortunately, your environment and life may lead you astray. Life Happens, doesn’t it? There are all sorts of distractions that can take you off course. Everything from an unexpected event, like oops, you forgot to put in that paperwork and have to carve out time from your busy schedule to do it. Or you could have a disaster like losing your phone, and with it all your contacts, photos, calendar. Or you could just be fatigued because you’ve worked (or played) so hard.

Things like this can knock you off course and make it hard to get back on track once they’ve been taken care of. They can throw you off your game, sabotage your progress, and make it difficult to get focused again.

But if you plan for them, deciding ahead of time how you’re going to handle unexpected situations, you’ll be able to stay on course. For instance, schedule empty time in your schedule each week for unexpected problems. With your phone, regularly back up everything on it. And figure out what automatic tasks you can perform when you’re tired. Think ahead.

I know you can’t predict all the specific unforeseen issues that can arise. But you can have a plan in place for how you’re going to stay on track during them or after they’re over. You don’t have to know the exact distraction, but you can know what to do when something comes up.

Because, life doesn’t always flow smoothly, does it? There are always going to be bumps and curves, but you can take them into account. You can plan for the expected unexpected circumstances. In this way, you stay in control and on course to whatever your goal or vision might be.

If you’d like some help in getting, and staying on course, and achieving your goals, apply for a complimentary coaching consultation.

Thank you for watching. What’s your plan to deal with the unexpected?

Read the accompanying article Set Yourself Up for Success.

Sparks of Insight

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Jul 152019

There are times when you’re making changes that it seems like everything is conspiring to block you. Believe it or not, this is a signal that you’re actually making progress. When you begin to transform, you move in the opposite direction than you’ve been taking. Attachment to the old path (from your subconscious) is trying to drag you back. If you simply keep going in your new direction, the obstacles will begin to fade away. How long it takes depends on how strong the old path was. But don’t give up hope, just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Set Yourself Up for Success

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Jul 042019

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Susan committed to eating a healthier diet and wanted to make sure she’d follow through on her goal. The first thing she did was go through her pantry and threw away chips and anything with sugar. At the grocery store, she bought fruits, vegetables and healthy proteins. She assembled healthy snacks ahead of time, so she’d grab them instead of looking for something inappropriate.

She used hypnotherapy to imagine staying on her plan, resisting temptation and enjoying her new treats. Through this mental rehearsal, she established a new habit and lifestyle, and easily avoided impulse snacking. Because she took control of her environment and developed strategies ahead of time, she created the conditions for success.

This same process can be used for any habit or situation you want to improve, personally or professionally. There’s an old saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” If you leave the details to fate, hoping that you’ll take the right action in the moment, you probably won’t. Either someone else will decide for you, unexpected situations will get in the way, or inertia will keep you in place. And you’ll just fall back on what’s familiar and automatic.

The Problem with Willpower

Willpower will only take you so far. You need to have strong motivation to be able to get yourself moving in a new direction. Usually, your willpower flags if you get tired, stressed, bored or the results don’t live up to your expectations. Think of the last diet you were on. You probably stayed on it for a while and then began to slack off a little at a time. The slide began with Fettuccine Alfredo at the restaurant with your spouse, then birthday cake at your best friend’s party, and finally you gave up when you went on vacation.

Set Up the Conditions to Succeed

Instead of relying on willpower, set up the conditions ahead of time that will get and keep you on track. Do you want to lose weight, start to exercise or make follow up calls for your business? How can you design the situation to ensure you’ll fulfill your intention? For instance, to permanently lose weight, reframing the concept may help. Rather than thinking of being a diet, consider it a lifestyle change. Decide that you don’t eat certain foods or only a moderate amount of them, not only now, but from now on.

To begin an exercise program, get a buddy or schedule reminders in your phone. Set out your clothes or shoes so you almost trip over them. Start small, with a few minutes a day, and then increase the time as you get into the habit. Design the circumstances so that you know you’ll do it with very little effort.

How can you make sure you make those follow up calls? The night before you could decide on the list of people to call and put it on your computer. And you could reward yourself with something healthy, such as a break with your favorite book, when they’re done. Another solution would be to have an accountability partner that you’d call or email when you’ve completed your task.

Figure out how you can set up the situation so that you’ll behave the way you want. Formulate guard rails to keep yourself from drifting off course. Make as many decisions as you can ahead of time, so when a challenging situation arises, you’re prepared with a solution. The main item you need to develop is commitment to your vision, as Susan did. If you want it badly enough, you can create the conditions so that you’re successful.

AFFIRMATION:

The Universe wants the best for me and supports my quest to improve my life. I’m guided and inspired as to how to create the right conditions for me to thrive. Everything I need is already available from the Infinite. I simply need to look for and recognize it. I willingly accept my greater good.

Watch the accompanying video Planning for the Unexpected.

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. If you'd like some help to reach your goals, apply for her complimentary "Clarify Your Vision" consultation at http://www.Linda-AnnStewart.com/coaching.shtml

Self-hypnosis and distractions

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Jul 022019

Question: How is the best way to do self-hypnosis when I’m concerned about distractions, both internal and external?

Answer: It’s best to do self-hypnosis in a quiet room, with the phone, television, etc. turned off. If you have distracting thoughts, simply recognize that and bring your attention back to the goal of your session. Self-hypnosis is a normal state of mind that you’re in several times during the day, as when you’re daydreaming. It’s simply focusing the mind, and it takes training. As you continue to practice, you’ll get better at being able to focus on the goal of your self-hypnosis. As with anything else, practice makes perfect.

~ 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.

Sparks of Insight

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May 202019

Many people who have seen “The Secret” or have been learning about the Law of Attraction think that all they have to do is to focus on what they want and it will drop into their laps. Sometimes it does just that, but those times are rare, and generally preceded by a lot of work in that direction. Have you heard about someone, writer, actor, musician, becoming an “overnight sensation” after twenty years of being in the business? For the Law of Attraction to really work for you, you need to take actions in accordance with your desire. This convinces your subconscious that you truly mean business and are ready for that change in your life.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Sparks of Insight

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May 132019

“My good is always available to me, no matter how difficult my outward experience might be. I now open my mind to perfect order, right action, harmony, abundance and joy. I realize that all this and more is mine by Divine Right.”

Even when you’re having the greatest challenge, there is a way through it. Instead of resisting it, switch your attention to what is right in your world. The Universe must respond to your feeling that good is happening in your life.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

How to Train Yourself to be More Positive

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May 072019

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Your mind was programmed in the past without your knowledge. If you have negative programming, it was generally in response to fear, anger or safety concerns. Also, you uncritically accepted ideas from your parents, because you were too young to know any better. At that time, you simply didn’t have the experience to reject their ideas. And then you repeated those concepts until their belief became your beliefs.

As you grew up, you acted on those ideas automatically. By not assessing them to see if you wanted to believe that way, you were simply swept along by your thoughts. Because you haven’t challenged them, your subconscious acts on those dominant ideas and thinks they’re what you want. But you have a choice of what to think and believe. You can take control of your life. It all depends on where you put your attention.

What You Focus on Changes Your Brain

What you focus on grows more brain cells in that area of your brain. When you pay attention to the positive and possibilities, your brain grows more cells that support empowerment and action. You literally rewire your brain, which makes it easier to be positive. It’s a cycle that benefits your moods and mindset, and your thoughts inspire your actions.

So how do you choose your thoughts and program your mind? It’s as simple as it sounds, but not necessarily easy.

1. Become aware of what you’re thinking. You have hundreds of thoughts running through your head just below your conscious awareness. The point is to begin noticing what they are. Observe your mood, or if you’re avoiding something or taking some action that isn’t beneficial. Then listen to what you’re telling yourself. Because your self-talk, which are your habitual thoughts, will be underneath your attitude or actions.

2. Break those automatic habitual thoughts. Now that you’ve become aware of what you’re thinking, challenge those thoughts. Determine if they’re helpful or not. Just because they’ve been correct in the past, don’t be deceived. Past experience doesn’t make them true. It may be that they were a self-fulfilling prophecy or that you only filtered information that made them appear to be true. Ask, “In what ways could they be false?”

3. Choose what you’d rather believe. You have the power to change your thinking and your focus. Decide what you want to believe. Some people shift from expecting the worst to expecting the best. What would you choose to think? What idea would better support you and your endeavors? What would be the best outcome that you can imagine? When you consider these questions, you set your subconscious to seek beneficial answers and to find opportunities to make them true.

4. Focus on your new belief. Create a positive statement, mantra, affirmation, image or visualization that fortifies your new belief. At the beginning, you’ll have to use it frequently, because the old ideas will surface to test you. When they do, don’t fight them. They’re not “bad.” They are just from an earlier time and want to make sure it’s safe to make the change. Simply substitute your new ideas for the old ones. Repeat your new belief a thousand times a day if needed.

Keep bringing your thoughts back to the positive. The more you do this, the more brain cells you’ll grow that reflect positivity. This will make it easier and easier to find and focus on the positive. It’ll become a habit for you. When you take charge and master your mind, you condition it to be more positive and improve your outcomes.

Affirmation:
The Universe completely supports my decisions and endeavors. It wants for me what I want for myself. It’s safe for me to make the mental and emotional changes that are necessary for me to experience my desire, goal and vision. The old ideas once served a purpose, but they are now outdated. I now choose and focus on ideas and beliefs that are in line with what I truly want.

Watch the accompanying video, Meditation to Train Yourself to Be Positive.

Sparks of Insight

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Apr 292019

“Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon… must inevitably come to pass!” – Paul J. Meyer

This contains all the instructions you need to be a success. Visualize your goal in detail and feel it happening. Desire it so much that you’ll make whatever changes you need to. Believe that you can have it and that you deserve it. And then take the actions necessary to make it manifest. When you establish these elements in your life, and get in motion, you’ll be Divinely guided to your destination.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Sparks of Insight

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Apr 222019

You can’t be positive 100% of the time. To do so would actually be detrimental to your goal. Just as when you’re walking down a rocky path, you gaze at the beauty around you, but you also scan your surroundings to make sure you don’t trip over a rock. By keeping your attention firmly fixed on your desire, you might miss important information that you need. Be aware of elements that might get in your way, but don’t let them take over your consciousness.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

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