Most of consciously would love more good in our lives. But some people unconsciously restrict it, based on fear of offending others. Here are a couple of reasons why you might avoid accepting good, and some new attitude possibilities to resolve them.
Copyright 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
Remember how you were always told to count your blessings? It was to get you to focus on what positive things were in your life, rather that dwell on the negative.
Listing three or more things that you’re grateful for each day is one of the best ways to begin to become more positive and optimistic. It doesn’t make the difficulties go away, but by focusing your attention on better things, you feel better and are able to deal with challenges easier.
Studies are now finding that using this simple technique for just three weeks actually still affects a person positively six months later. The mind has been trained to look for good in the world. Not only does this increase happiness, but it also can help those with depression.
When things look darkest, look for some good in your life. Use it in your personal and professional life. Practice it when you feel down, stressed or pressured. You’ll be training your brain to work at more positive outcomes.
The original source for this article was Want to Boost Your Office Optimism? Try the Tetris Effect at Psychology Today.
by Linda-Ann Stewart
Many years ago, I participated in an exercise at a workshop to show us how at ease we were with allowing good into our lives. As I imagined a little extra good flowing in, I was fine. But when I visualized a lot more good, I started to get anxious, even scared.
The exercise continued, expanding the amount of good I would let in. When I got past that first barrier, I was once again comfortable with the concept of letting more good into my life. It was an interesting exercise for me, showing, that for some reason, I was fearful of allowing more Universal good flow into me.
Why would anyone be afraid of more good? Imagine heaven smiling down upon you, living in grace, everything falling into place in your life. Why would that create anxiety? Isn’t that exactly what you want?
Since the time of the exercise, I’ve discovered that many people share the fear I experienced. It comes in various shapes and forms, and from multiple causes. And it’s one reason you unconsciously block your desires. Because of past experiences, you don’t know what catastrophe will happen if you actually achieve what you say you want in life.
Over the years, I’ve identified a few reasons for that concern:
Fear of a backlash. If you receive more good, you fear that somehow it will be taken away. It’s almost a superstition that one hand will give the good, and another hand will take it away. Sometimes, this comes from childhood. You might have received something you really wanted, but then had a cherished toy taken from you because your parent decided that you’d outgrown it.
Have to give it away. I’ve known several people who deliberately kept their income at a low level so they wouldn’t have to give their extra money to indigent relatives. They couldn’t say “No” to the relatives, and save the extra for a rainy day in their own life. From a young age, they were trained that they had to give all their extra toys and cherished possessions to their siblings or cousins. They were the “Cinderella” of the family, and haven’t realized that things can be different now.
Fear of punishment. Somehow, you fear that more good will bring some punishment upon you. Some force will come down and make you pay for having something great happen. You’re receiving more good than you deserve and should be flogged for it. The only thing that punishes you is your old programming. You deserve all the good you receive.
This is one of the issues I discovered I had. I once had a childhood friend who would put me down whenever I had something nice happen in my life. She once told me that she wanted to make sure I didn’t exaggerate my importance. So I stopped telling her of any positives that occurred.
To begin to overcome this irrational fear that more good is scary, examine what happened when you were a child. When you got some toy or reward that others didn’t get, how did you feel? What happened? Did you get beat up, was it taken away, were you emotionally abandoned, resented or attacked? Maybe you always had to share, and when you got the toy back, it was damaged or destroyed.
Whatever happened to you, it set up a pattern in your subconscious to expect this type of reaction every time you received something good in your life. And it probably continues to this day. To begin to combat that programming, remind yourself that you’re the grownup now, and you have the power to say “Yes” or “No” or “Take a hike.” And that you have the strength, ability, knowledge and resources to take care of your own inner self and worth.
I still practice the workshop exercise occasionally. It gives me feedback as to where I might be blocking myself, and to expand my acceptance of more good. When I feel the fear, I talk to it, letting it know that it doesn’t have to protect me anymore. You can do the same thing, and allow yourself to open your mind to receive more good every day.
Copyright 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
Many years ago, I was depressed from a relationship breakup. I knew that exercise would help my mood, so I forced myself to go for a walk. After 30 minutes, on the last quarter-mile to my house, I checked in on my mood and found it had improved by 80%.
In the years since, many studies have validated my experience. Exercise is considered almost magic in what it can do for depression and anxiety disorders. I know it felt like magic for me.
Yet another study has come out verifying how amazing exercise can be for these mental conditions. Exercise reduces depression, anxiety, and stress, increased energy, and re-establishes positive behaviors.
Until my walk, I hadn’t been able to plan or work on a project that needed my attention. Afterwards, I had the energy and ability to focus on what I needed to do.
Drugs and medications take weeks, if not months, to start working and give people a light at the end of the tunnel. Exercise is effective within 25 minutes. Imagine taking a pill, and a half-hour later feeling significantly better.
Yes, it’s hard to drag yourself out to do it, but keep the end result in mind. In a half-hour, you could feel better if you exercise, or you could feel the same as you do now because you sat on the couch. Which do you prefer?
To read more about this current study, visit Sports Are 80 Percent Mental: Is Exercise The Cure For Depression?
Are you ready to break through your old programming and start making your goals a reality?
Are you?
· Stuck, stalled or immobilized in your life or career
· Sabotaging yourself to fail
· Resisting moving forward towards your desired goals
· Procrastinating
· Struggling
You may be so entrenched in your problem that you can’t see any way out. You may even be using the Law of Attraction in a way that’s bringing the things you don’t want.
Linda-Ann Stewart, hypnotherapist, life coach and speaker is offering “Break the Dam Holding Back the Flow of Universal Good” Coaching Group Program, beginning Tuesday, February 8, 2011 to help you make breakthroughs and achieve your goals. Some people call this type of program a Mastermind group. Only 7 spots are available.
Each week for 12 weeks, we’ll meet by teleconference and begin chipping away at your internal barriers. In the 90-minute call, each person will have 10 minutes of personal “laser” coaching.
You’ll start identifying and eliminating the old ideas and programming that have kept you stuck, so you can break free. You’ll also learn how to use the Law of Attraction in a positive way, to draw your desires to you and make them a part of your life.
“I know what it’s like to have internal obstacles,” Ms. Stewart says. “I’ve overcome my own blocks, and helped clients deal with their barriers for over twenty years. I want to share what I’ve learned and help others move forward.”
This program is designed for those who are committed to their own well being and creating change in their life. Linda-Ann will also share affirmations, assignments, techniques and strategies that will help you move forward.
Why should you wait another minute to have the life you want? Space is limited to a very few people. For more information, visit or register at Break the Dam Holding Back the Flow of Universal Good Coaching Group Program.
Question: While I am in hypnosis, can I use one or more affirmations?
Answer: You can use more than one affirmation in a session, as long as the affirmation still focuses on one particular subject. If you try to deal with too many areas of change at one time, it overwhelms the subconscious and you won’t get anywhere.
In my newsletter, each article I write has an accompanying affirmation that is several sentences long. As long as the phrase isn’t so long that you forget what is says, or don’t understand it, it’s great to use an affirmation with more than a single sentence. This helps to build up expectation and address other areas within that one main topic that you want to change.
Copyright 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
by Linda-Ann Stewart
When you set an intention, you’re focusing your energy to create a new behavior, attitude, or experience in your world. You’re saying to yourself, and the Universe, “This is what I want.” The Universe always says, “Yes,” to your goal, for It supports all of your endeavors.
However, your subconscious mind needs to be convinced. It knows your intention, but it will always act on your prevailing thought. Which may not agree with your current desire. It will follow the idea with the most energy behind it, the strongest emotion, and the one that is habitual. To get its cooperation for your change of direction, you have to be completely committed to your desire.
Here are some strategies that can increase your success and make it easier to achieve your goal.
Make a plan and work the plan. You must be focused mentally on your goal, and take steps towards it. Break the goal down into stages, then smaller steps, and each day make one tiny advance in the direction of your dream.
Be specific about what you want. The Universe and your subconscious work best with a clear idea of what you want as your goal. If you want a new car, decide what make, model, and what color. The Universe always pours good in the form of substance into your life. And your subconscious forms that substance into reality. Your subconscious creates a pattern of that idea, then seeks the way to bring it about.
Use affirmations to support your change of belief and attitude. In this way, you begin to empower your intention and increase its influence in your subconscious. You’re not changing the Universe’s mind with affirmations. Affirmations help to reprogram and expand your subconscious to accept more Universal good. Repeat affirmations for 15 minutes at least once a day that underscore your belief that your goal is possible, that you deserve it, and that doors are now opening for you. State that you now have this goal in your life. This gives your subconscious the model to follow.
Change your thinking and position towards the issue. You may have a deep seated belief that you can’t accomplish it, or that you don’t know what to do. The problem is that you’re entrenched in your old patterns, and can’t see any way out. If all you do is change your attitude to believing the change possible, that will alter the dynamics. You have to break the stalemate that has kept you mired down. Evaluate what you believe about the issue, and find a way to open up the door to a better way of thinking about it.
Take some action. Any positive action. This shifts the energy and breaks the status quo. It gains the attention of the subconscious, which will then realize that you’re serious about changing. It could simply be exploring classes and sending for information in your interest zone. Or you could go out and start networking. Just create some channel for the good to start flowing to you.
Visualize the end result. You don’t have to figure out “how” it’s going to come to you. That would actually short-circuit the energy. This is different from being specific about what you want, and establishing the steps you’re going to follow. You don’t know how you’ll find the right car, even when you go out and start looking. Although you know what kind of job you want, you can’t know where it’s going to be. Just mentally rehearse how you’ll feel when you achieve and what you’ll be doing. Use all of your senses and imagine it as if it already has happened. And make sure you’re in the visualization, not an observer.
Ask the Universe to establish order. Since you may not know what to do or how to accomplish your goal, ask the Universe to create it in Divine Order. Sometimes, what is best for you isn’t what you think it is. Let go of the concern over the outcome. You don’t have to worry about it. You’ve done your job by focusing on what you want, opening your mind to a greater experience of it, visualizing and taking action. The rest is up to your subconscious and the Universe. The Law of Attraction will take over and do what’s necessary.
These strategies activate all levels of your being: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual, and focuses them on your goal. This increases the power of your intention because all aspects of you are now involved. Every hour, check in and quickly reinforce your commitment to your intention by thinking of the end result. When you successfully follow these steps when you’re setting and following through on an intention, you may be surprised at how quickly it will manifest.
Copyright 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
self improvement, 
self help, 
personal growth, 
personal development
Setting an intention is a powerful way to make changes in your life. And it’s actually a promise to yourself. But if you tend to break promises to yourself, your subconscious will not believe that you’re willing to do what’s necessary to achieve your goal. If you’ve had a habit of falling short of your goals, you’ll have to gain its trust again. Learn one way to begin gaining its cooperation when you really want to make a change.
Copyright 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
self improvement, self help, personal growth, personal development, 
motivation
ScienceDaily (2011-01-13) — Students can combat test anxiety and improve performance by writing about their worries immediately before the exam begins, according to a new study. Researchers found that students who were prone to test anxiety improved their high-stakes test scores by nearly one grade point after they were given 10 minutes to write about what was causing them fear.
Apparently, unloading their anxieties before the test freed up mental energy needed to recall and perform better. Worry, stress or pressure ties up working memory, like too many programs on a computer ties up RAM. This can cause the mind to freeze up, just as a computer can freeze when too much is required of it.
Studies have found that expressive writing, journaling or freewriting, can help cleanse the working memory and help people process information better. So, write about your worries a few minutes before a test, a meeting with your boss, or beginning a project. If it works in one area, it works in others, as well.
For the full article, visit Writing about worries eases anxiety.
This study found that meditation can improve concentration and learning. And the mind can show these changes after only 4 days of meditation.
ScienceDaily (2010-04-19) — Psychologists studying the effects of a meditation technique known as “mindfulness” found that meditation-trained participants showed a significant improvement in their critical cognitive skills — and performed significantly better in cognitive tests than a control group — after only four days of training for only 20 minutes each day. The results resembled previously studied cognitive improvements connected to far more extensive training in meditation.
Read more about this study at Science Daily.