You tend to filter current situations through your beliefs. If you tend to believe that nothing good happens for you, you probably overlook opportunities that come your way. This means you don’t take action on them, because you don’t realize there’s any action to take. But you can change those beliefs and filters. Here’s an exercise to practice turning negative beliefs around in your daily life.
Question: Can I listen to a self-hypnosis audio or CD in the car while I’m driving?
Answer: My answer is an unequivocal, absolute “Please, no!” Not even with headphones. Not even if you aren’t driving. Self-hypnosis audios and CDs (whether mine or someone else’s) lead you to focus your attention inwardly, to the extent that everything in your outer world fades away.
When you’re driving, you need to be alert and aware. Even if you fast forward past the beginning part, the induction, the voice on the tape is going to be soothing and gentle. That alone will lull you into a relaxed, more inwardly directed state. Think of how it feels when you’re driving and listening to elevator music or music that bores you.
Once upon a time, I told a client not to listen to her individualized audiotape while driving. I wasn’t specific enough. At one point, her son was driving her to an appointment in a nearby city. She figured, “I’m not driving,” so popped her audiotape into the tape player in the car, and sat back to listen to it.
Soon, she became aware that the tires sounded funny. She opened her eyes and discovered that her son had succumbed to the relaxation on the tape and the car had drifted into the emergency lane. So I’m much more specific now when I warn people not to listen to their hypnosis recording in a moving vehicle.
Copyright 2002, 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
By Stuart Tan
I took a trip to Japan recently and was all the rave about the culture and the people there. I’d been asking myself why there was such a difference between Japanese culture and other parts of the world. I’ve been to Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Australia and the US.
While many of my friends tend to complain about service in most of these countries, I was personally pleasantly surprised by the level of service especially so in Japan. The level of patience and “wow” service was quite amazing. For example, since it was the first time my family and I were in Japan, we had to ask for directions at the train station. For a beginner, the train network was quite confusing, with multiple providers and multiple stations. We had kind of sorted out where to go, when the officer at the station told us there was a faster way, and promptly refunded all our money and pointed us in the right direction.
Yes, these were competing train line providers. Yet, the focus was on the convenience of the visitor. Did this train line (Tokyo subway) lose out to the JR line? Well, not really. They did provide a great impression and also they created a positive for Japan overall.
Let’s draw a lesson from this: sometimes, providing good service helps the overall industry to win, not just the company alone. It would be really sad that an industry is avoided simply because of the bad press of a few companies cutting and slashing at each other.
It boils back down to the leaders within the organizations involved to be able to develop their people to think a little broader, beyond just the immediate term solution. In fact, the main thing is if you are constantly focused on the next 5 minutes, you won’t be able to proceed to create wins in the broader scheme of things.
Interestingly enough, Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, was quoted yesterday as encouraging a middle path amid the looming foreign currency war as part of the G20 Summit in Seoul. This takes into account the fact that economically stronger nations could support weaker economies by strengthening their currencies a little where they could afford. I think this was quite interesting because it not only demonstrates the ability to avoid the black and white thinking approach, but also create wins all around.
We all expect certain things to happen in our mental models of the world. So unless we are taught to take a different approach or a more creative stance, it is highly likely we will fall flat in our pursuit of excellence. In customer service, for example, we expect waiters to attend to us immediately. Brian Tracy goes on a fake tirade during his presentations and says “the reason why we are in the restaurant is because we’re hungry you assholes!”(and of course the audience responded with laughter) I’m certain the restaurant never gets the point because in many circumstances, they are a victim of their own success. The more popular they are, the more customers they get and the lower the quality of their food!
Once again, it points to the idea that we have to constantly upgrade and change in order to become better. Every level of success will present for itself an additional level of challenge.
Back to Japan, I had a surprise also when we walked into a tempura bar. This bar is the kind where they will cook your order when you place it right in front of you, and was quite a novel experience. They got us to hang our jackets (we were experiencing 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night) and take off our shoes, which we placed in a shoe rack before getting to the bar. I’d personally already forgotten that there was a shoe rack in the first place, because I was enjoying my dinner. So when it was time to foot the bill, something strange happened. The shoes had automatically appeared out of nowhere, laid out in front of us at the foot of the place where we had left them. Of course, I processed it and thought ‘shoes don’t move on their own’. It was the attendant who had memorized what shoes we were wearing, and laid it out for us when we were leaving. I’m sure they had a system for remembering or else they wouldn’t have been able to handle the dozens of customers who were in their restaurant that night. Another point scored for Japan.
No matter where you are: a Prime minister in a G20 summit, a train station officer, a restaurant attendant or a public speaker running an event, we all need to strive for surprise – the ability to find a path that is more innovative to engage their audience/customers/suppliers.
Finally, shopping for shoes. My sister-in-law has tiny feet, so it’s impossible to find shoes anywhere in the world for her other than custom-made shoes. The problem for her is that she has had hers made and many of the shoes may look pretty but are not comfortable at all. Lo and behold, we chanced upon a shop that had SS sized shoes – size 20.5 to 22 (cm). These are the kind of shoes that your young teenage daughter might have at the kid’s department store. the only difference was the shoes were comfortable and good looking. Problem – each of them were over $200 a pair, a far cry from the traditional $20 Charles and Keith shopping mall sales. But, she went in to see how well the shoes fit anyway. Pair after pair, the attendant patiently brought suitable selections, in spite of a problem with language. Eventually, after going through almost 40 pairs of shoes, my sister bought five pairs. To be honest, I think we didn’t pay for the shoes, really. 90% of the cost of the shoes would easily have been attributed to the pleasant natured lady who attended to her, and it was worth it. Strangely, this seems to be a culture in Japan. Yet, in Singapore, we’re just scratching the surface of this, praising people who have GEMS programs in their company for ‘going the extra mile’. Wow. And here in Japan, they don’t mind going the extra few hundred miles… with a smile.
I figure this: attitude is something that we can never tell someone to have. I couldn’t go to an employee and say “improve your attitude” and it magically happens. But what can be done is to empower the organizational culture so that such behaviors and attitudes continue to shine. It’s therefore imperative that businesses constantly focus on bringing out the best in their employees through any form of training, coaching and mentoring. After all, one employee in the above case, could spend just under an hour to help the company earn over $1000 in shoe sales. Go ahead and crunch the numbers. Is that not proof of a decent return on investment?
Copyright 2011 Stuart Tan
All Rights Reserved
Stuart Tan is a trainer of personal development and business process excellence. He has trained in various countries all over the world over the last 15 years and continues to impact people through his podcasts and articles. For more information about his training programs, visit him at Facebook.StuartTan.com.
Jeff and I made our annual pilgrimage to the 16th century at the Arizona Renaissance Festival. We spent our time visiting the artisan shoppes, watching shows, and throwing pointy things (axes and stars).
Many years ago, I took lessons in bellydancing. I loved it and love to watch it. Ladies, if you want to tone up your abdomen and lose weight a fun way, take up this energetic activity!
Sigh. It’s the close of the day. Everyone gathers to dance to the beating of the drums, until the cannon fires to signal sunset.
by Linda-Ann Stewart
Recently, a belief surfaced for me that was an aspect of a deeper issue concerning the need to struggle. This specific belief stressed that I could only learn and grow through difficulty. It claimed that it was necessary for me to experience blocks and obstacles, since that was the only way to strengthen me.
It made me realize how pervasive this idea of struggle, suffering and difficulty is in our culture. From religion to business, we’re conditioned to believe that life has to be hard and that we’re born to suffer. Our society has made suffering and struggle a condition to aspire to. Not only is it condoned, it’s expected. Think of the things you’ve heard from childhood.
People actually play a game of one-ups-man-ship about how hard their life is. “I worked more hours than anyone else in the department,” or “My life is harder/worse than anyone else’s.” They get perks from management with the first, and a jolt of power with the second (believe it or not).
If people like this try to draw you in, disregard them. No matter what you do, you can’t please these discontented people. If you engage in their game, they’ll keep upping the ante. When someone says something like that to me, my internal commentary is, “You win. I’d rather have an enjoyable life than a hard one.”
It’s true that suffering sometimes can encourage a person to grow. But more often than not, it just causes them to dig a deeper hole. Struggle may strengthen character, but it’s more likely to cause a person to implode and be self-destructive.
When this belief surfaced for me, I realized that, to a certain extent and in limited amounts, struggle and suffering could be beneficial. It can wake us up and cause us to aspire to something better. Too much of it, though, and it’s counter-productive. In large amounts, it doesn’t build a person up, it breaks them down.
It’s like stress. A little stress helps propel us to develop new ideas, new ways of doing things, and actually creates interest in life. What would life be without a little excitement? To build muscle, we stretch and stress them. But train too hard, and we strain or tear our muscles. Having too much stress for too long harms our health.
We can choose what to believe. Our beliefs create our reality. Since, in the past, I’d successfully transformed a belief to be more constructive, I decided to do the same thing with this one.
I considered how I could turn the idea of struggle around to be more in alignment with the Universe. What if the solution appeared as soon as I hit a snag? What if I could learn lessons while things flowed easily for me?
It may take some time for me to integrate these ideas, but I know that when I do, my life will be enriched. Try it for yourself. You just might be surprised at how wonderful your life can be without believing you need to struggle.
Affirmation
There is no struggle, strife, stress or suffering in the Universal Spirit, which I am a part of. I now erase from my mind the belief that any of these limited ideas are necessary. My life can flow smoothly, while I learn and grow with ease. The answer to any challenge is already apparent as soon as the issue arises. Ideas and internal resources increase as I allow myself to be more open to the flow of the Universe.
Copyright 2011 Linda-Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
Writer, speaker and hypnotherapist, Linda-Ann Stewart, will be offering an exciting free teleclass this month. In the highly educational, free one-hour teleclass, “Self-Esteem Isn’t Earned, It’s Learned.,” Linda-Ann will discuss whether self-esteem is earned by achievements, or a learned trait. She will also cover how people can improve low self-esteem, and develop the confidence to achieve what they want in life.
There are two critical questions you must ask yourself to achieve your life’s goals.
Self-esteem is the all important gauge of how you feel about yourself. It gives you a sense of worthiness and feeling of being competent. High self-esteem allows you to feel appropriate and assured, as a person. It is the foundation inside yourself on which everything else is built. With good self-esteem, there’s nothing you can’t do.
Self-esteem is also necessary to feel a connection to God, Spirit or the Universe. If you don’t feel good enough for the world, or worthy enough for the good Life can offer, why would you feel like you are acceptable to God?
This one-hour conference call at 5:30 p.m. PDT, Thursday, March 24, 2011 will cover a variety of topics, including:
There is no charge for the teleclass, except for normal long distance fees. Registration is limited. For more information, or to register now, visit www.Linda-AnnStewart.com/se-tlcls.html
This life-altering opportunity can open the gates to help people achieve all they want from life. Register today to improve your life.
How to Stay Positive when You Know Your Life Sucks
from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Thinking negative? Here are some strategies for how to start thinking positively and accomplish what you want in life.
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Stay Positive when You Know Your Life Sucks. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.
ScienceDaily (2011-03-01) — A review of more than 160 studies of human and animal subjects has found “clear and compelling evidence” that — all else being equal — happy people tend to live longer and experience better health than their unhappy peers.
Another study has found that being positive, moderately happy and having reduced stress increases health and longevity. They tend to have healthier immune systems and recover faster. This isn’t true for just humans but animals as well.
Pessimism, depression, and anxiety are associated with lower immune system, more disease, and a shorter life span.
One of the study’s authors, Ed Diener said, “…that health and then longevity in turn are influenced by our mood states.”
Since what we think directly affects the way we feel and our mood, here’s just another reason to be optimistic and positive. And optimism is a skill that can be learned. Aren’t the benefits worth it?
To read the entire article, visit Happiness improves health and lengthens life, review finds.
When you have a difficult situation arise in your life, does it cause anxiety, fear or depression? That’s a normal reaction, but not one that allows you the creativity and resources you need to find a solution. But there is a solution that will help you deal with difficult situations and feel empowered.
Linda-Ann Stewart, life coach, hypnotherapist and speaker, is presenting a free teleclass to help deal with life’s challenges with a better attitude, which opens the door for greater opportunities of success. The teleclass will address how you filter new situations through old experiences, which shuts down the possibility of discovering better outcomes. You’ll learn how your thinking can lead you to success or defeat you before you’ve begun.
“I’ll share one simple technique that could transform your life,” Ms. Stewart says. It’s one I’ve used for decades, and have shared with many people.” It’ll shift your attention from the worst case scenario to a more positive possibility. And she’ll explain why it works.
This teleclass will give you insights about transforming your attitude to be more constructive, giving your creative mind more energy to uncover hidden benefits from the challenge you’re facing.
Join Ms. Stewart for the one-hour teleclass, “Create Something Good Out Of Life’s Challenges” on Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 5:30 PST. Space is limited. To learn more and to register, visit Linda-AnnStewart.com/creategoodteleclass.html.
Question: Will the subconscious mind accept negative or false suggestions during hypnosis?
Answer: Your subconscious will accept anything that you tell it and believe to be true. There are many documented cases in which a person with an allergy to a rose, for instance, is hypnotized and told that a plastic flower is a rose. They experience the same allergic symptoms to that plastic flower as they would to a real rose.
However, your subconscious won’t accept suggestions that go against a strong principle or belief for survival. For instance, if you have an imprinted belief that success will harm you in some way, your subconscious will reject any suggestions for success.
In hypnosis, you suggest ideas that currently aren’t so, to create a new reality for yourself. Your subconscious can’t distinguish between what is positive or negative, so be sure to phrase things positively and know what it is you really want.
Copyright 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved