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What False Ideas Do You Believe?”

What False Ideas Do You Believe?”

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by Linda-Ann Stewart

Thoughts

A client came to me with very low self-esteem. In our consultation, she stated that her parents had told her that she was “worthless,” she’d “never amount to anything,” and they “wished she’d never been born.” She wondered why she’d sabotaged her professional career, tried to avoid attention that could further her career, and had trouble with relationships. The trouble was that her subconscious had accepted her parents’ edicts as fact, and was following its programming.

No matter what she tried to accomplish, her subconscious was acting on false information about her as if it were true. It viewed everything about her through the incorrect lens of those ideas. If she began to succeed, it said, “No, you can’t. If you do, you’ll violate the beliefs of worthlessness that your parents taught you.”

When she tried to assert herself, her subconscious held her back with fear, because she’d disagree with what she’d been told about herself. She attracted friends and lovers who echoed her parents’ ideas, putting her down and belittling her. All of this was her subconscious mind manifesting her belief, or lack thereof, of her self-worth, and making sure that she stayed within the boundaries of its information.

Ideas Your Subconscious Mind Accepts

The subconscious mind will act on an inaccurate concept as if it were true. If you’ve accepted an idea that you can’t lose weight (stop smoking, make money, succeed, can’t paint or anything else), then your subconscious will make sure that the belief gets justified. These may be attitudes that were handed to you by parents, teachers, friends, family, or society and because of the emotional impact, you soaked them up like a sponge. From then on, the subconscious will view everything in your life through these attitudes and make sure that they’re confirmed. It’ll attract situations that will verify your beliefs.

Even if there’s an experience that could change your mind, because of the programming, your subconscious will only accept the information that would validate your preconceived notions. For example, Jo might receive a compliment from the boss on her work. But because she doesn’t believe she’s that capable, she’ll ignore it, telling herself that the boss just said that to make her feel good.

Your Beliefs Can Change

The good news is that these false concepts can be changed. It takes persistence and consistency, but by using affirmations or self-hypnosis, you can change the incorrect facts. The first step is to recognize what erroneous ideas you’re acting on in the present.  Where are they holding you back? Without identifying the problem, you can’t move to the solution.

Examine the thoughts that come into your mind when you’re about to succeed at whatever goal you have. If they’re negative thoughts about you or your goal, those are the incorrect assumptions you’ve been acting on. Then create a positive statement that counters the negative one. This is your affirmation that you use whenever you think of your goal. You can also use it in self-hypnosis when your subconscious is more receptive.

My client and I worked to improve her self-esteem, convincing her subconscious that her parents were incorrect in their assessment of her. They’d done the best they could with their background, but that they were wrong when they’d said those things to her. She began to do things that were more self-affirming, and soon had a promotion at work. It took some time, because the programming had been there a long while, but soon she attracted new friends who appreciated her. And as her opinion of herself improved, so did her entire life.

Affirmation:

Any thoughts that have restricted my good are false ideas that my subconscious has accepted. They are counter to what the Universe wants for me. I accepted those false concepts before I knew any better. My subconscious mind knows that I no longer need or want them. I release them and now create new ideas that are more in alignment with the good that the Universe holds for me.

As a focus mentor, hypnotherapist, and writer, Linda-Ann Stewart motivates women entrepreneurs and small business owners to focus and transform their business through deliberate actions that break through distraction and overwhelm to greater success, wellbeing and prosperity.To boost productivity and reduce overwhelm, register for her FREE guide, Design Your Best Day, at https://www.Linda-AnnStewart.com/guide.html

Personal Development Tools for Success

Personal Development Tools for Success

Personal development is crucial for your success, as it enhances your self-confidence, motivation and performance. There are many different ways you can improve your personal growth. This video shares 5 tactics that can help you attract more opportunities for success. Watch Personal Development Tools for Success.

Transcript:

Welcome. Did you know that personal development was crucial for your success? Jim Rohn, entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker said, “Your level of success will seldom exceed your level of personal development, because success is something you attract by the person you become.” “… something you attract by the person you become.” That’s something to think about, isn’t it?

Personal development enhances self-confidence, motivation, and performance. This allows you to attract more success. In this video, I’d like to share some of the simple ways you can use to foster your personal growth.

I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a focus mentor, writer and hypnotherapist. These videos are dedicated to empower you to focus and align your heart with your vision so you can achieve your goals.

Now, there are many, many ways to improve your personal growth. The following five ways are the simplest I know, and you probably know of them, too. They’re ones that will give you the greatest traction.

  1. Affirmations or self-talk or auto-suggestion. These are all very similar. I have used and taught them all to clients. Each of these techniques are ways to program your subconscious mind with the beliefs and motivation that will further your success in life.
  2. Visualization. This is another way to program your subconscious mind with your goals and aspirations.
  3. Read self-improvement books and articles, and watch self-help videos. But don’t just passively consume them, apply what they teach to your life.
  4. Keep a journal. This could be by journaling, which is a stream of consciousness writing for insight and inspiration. Or you could keep a gratitude or acknowledgement journal that celebrates your progress and accomplishments.
  5. Practice kindness and compassion. Open the door for someone, smile at the grocery clerk. Simple acts of kindness improve brain health, brain function, mood and satisfaction.

These are just a few of the ways you can grow within. It’s not difficult to find ways to improve yourself, but it does take some effort to apply the techniques. Doing so consistently will raise your self-esteem and well being, and you’ll attract more people and opportunities for success.

Thank you for watching. If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up. And if you’d like to be notified when I release more videos on mindset, motivation and empowerment, please like my channel and click on the bell. As always, stay focused.

Please read the accompanying article, Personal Growth Opens the Door to Success.

Affirming Self-Love for Greater Self-Esteem and Well Being

Affirming Self-Love for Greater Self-Esteem and Well Being

We all have some negative self-talk that undermines our self-love and well being. If that negative programming isn’t counteracted, it can sabotage your self-esteem, motivation and goals. Fortunately, there are ways to reprogram your mind to support your appreciation of yourself. Learn a simple way to change your self-talk and how to do it most effectively. Watch Affirming Self-Love for Greater Self-Esteem and Well Being.

Transcript:

Welcome. Have you ever noticed the negative things you tell yourself? The demoralizing self-talk that drags you down and keeps you from doing your best? We all have that negative internal dialogue to some extent, and it chips away at your deep appreciation of yourself, which is what self-love is. If negative self-talk isn’t counteracted, it can undermine your motivation, goals and even your health.

One of the ways to counteract negative self-talk is to replace it with positive self-talk, also called affirmations or auto-suggestions. When you substitute positive ideas for the negative ones, it begins a shift within your subconscious mind. You reprogram your subconscious mind to support your love and appreciation of yourself. In this video, you’ll learn some simple positive affirmations you can use, and how to use them to be most effective.  

I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a focus mentor, writer and hypnotherapist. These videos are dedicated to empower you to focus and align your heart with your vision so you can achieve your goals.

When you repeat statements to yourself, whether they’re positive or negative, you’re mentally programming yourself. You then tend to believe your statements and act on them. You know what I mean, right? If you’re criticizing yourself, you feel like a failure and don’t do your best. But if you’re encouraging yourself, you’re motivated to keep going and do better.

The negative programming can be reversed by consistently, and the key word here is consistently, using positive programming. Five of the positive affirmations or auto-suggestions I’ve used with my clients over the years to help improve their sense of self are the following:

  • I deserve love and to love myself.
  • I recognize my true worth.
  • I am worthy of the best that life has to give.
  • Right here and right now, I am enough.
  • I’m becoming the person I was meant to be.

I’ll put these in the description for you. For more affirmations for self-love, you can do internet searches. There are lots of them out there. The secret to being effective with affirmations is to say them out loud several times a day. It takes repetition to counteract the negative messages you’ve been giving yourself.

You can repeat positive statements about yourself while walking, exercising, in the car, getting ready for work, going to sleep or during meditation. Flood your mind with the positive messages, and you’ll notice an improvement in your self-esteem, motivation, and overall well being.  

What affirmation do you want to inspire yourself with today? Thank you for watching. If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up. And if you’d like to be notified when I release more videos on mindset, motivation and empowerment, please like my channel and click on the bell. As always, stay focused.

Read the accompanying article, Cultivate Self-Love to Flourish.

Affirmation for Positive Thoughts Results

Affirmation for Positive Thoughts Results

Question about affirmations

Question: If I say affirmation for positive thoughts 10 times in the morning and at night, will I see results within a week?

Answer: If you say affirmations to be more positive 10 times in the morning and evening for a week, you might see an improvement in a week. However, it would also depend if you’re also monitoring your thoughts during the day.

Affirmations or any such reprogramming techniques work when you’re also addressing the issue during the periods that you’re not saying the, for example: the rest of the day. They’re not magical incantations.

Any reprogramming technique needs the conscious mind to support it and work with it. During the day, when you find yourself in a negative frame of mind, find a way to turn it around to think more positively about the situation, and then say the affirmation to yourself. This reinforces and strengthens the intention of the affirmation.

If you say the affirmation 10 times morning and evening, and during the day consciously choose to think about things differently, as well as using your affirmation at those times, you’ll probably begin to see a slight improvement within a week. If you keep doing it, that improvement will be progressive.

And when you find yourself more positive, you should keep monitoring your thoughts and saying your affirmation occasionally during the day to remind yourself to keep moving in the proper direction.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Improve Your Life As You Sleep

Improve Your Life As You Sleep

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Many years ago, a hypnotherapist told me that she would make a hypnosis tape of her goals to listen to as she went to sleep. When she mentioned this, I remembered that, years before, I’d made myself an affirmation tape to listen to as I drifted off, and the ideas on that tape had made a significant difference in my life. On many occasions since then, I’ve had a tape playing as I go to sleep. As with the affirmations, the goals and concepts on my tape tend to become realities in my life.

Many times, a client would come to me and tell me that the only time that they can listen to the reinforcement tape of their session was as they’re going to sleep. I told them, “That’s fine. As a person goes to sleep, they’re going through the same level of awareness that we use in hypnosis.” I went on to explain that it generally takes longer than thirty minutes to get into the deep level of sleep, and even then the subconscious is still hearing and listening to what’s being said. Have you ever been deeply asleep, and had a strange sound bring you wide-awake? That’s the subconscious mind monitoring your environment and recognizing when there’s something unusual or dangerous, and waking you to deal with it.

Using Affirmations as You Drift Off

But a person doesn’t need an audiotape to utilize this excellent time. Just repeating an affirmation as you go to sleep is a great way to imprint new concepts, goals and ideas. Joseph Murphy, author of many books on the subconscious, suggested repeating the word “Wealth,” rather than “I am wealthy” to avoid any resistance from the subconscious. “I am wealthy” might bring up arguments that “No, I’m not,” “I don’t have a cent to my name,” etc. Simply saying “Wealth” brings up the images and feelings of being well taken care of, which is what impresses the subconscious.

Many people use the time before sleep to think of a problem they have, and then affirm, “I’ll have the answer to it in the morning.” There is now research to support that sleep can be a creative time. If a person believes that their subconscious will be working on a solution, then they will awaken with the answer. A study has found that the person who “Sleeps on it” will be twice as likely to awaken with insights and solutions than the person who stays awake to think and worry about the problem.

Program Your Goals as You Sleep

One of my colleagues calls the time before sleep “My time.” When he has a particular goal, he uses his imagination to make it real for him. He visualizes how it would feel to have accomplished it, and lets his subconscious figure out the way to make it happen. By doing this, he went from having barely enough to live on to owning a beautiful house, investments, and retiring at an early age.

Decide on one area of your life that you want to improve. Then find a short affirmation or word that embodies your desire. Use your imagination to visualize your goal as if it were already accomplished. To reduce weight, imagine yourself at your perfect weight, exercising and enjoying the activity, leaving food on your plate, feeling slim and energetic. To stop smoking, imagine yourself saying, “No thank you” to a cigarette, being free of urges, and being able to breathe better. For prosperity, imagine your bank account at a particular amount by a certain date. If you want more appreciation at work, imagine being congratulated on a job well done, being promoted, feeling satisfied.

When I wake up in the middle of the night, I usually repeat the phrase “I open my mind to receive more Good” as I drift back off to sleep. It’s short and simple enough that I don’t have to work to remember it. Drifting off to sleep is one of the best times to impress new information into the subconscious mind. If you consistently use this time to program your mind with what you want, you’ll find that your life improves drastically in a very short time.

Affirmation:

As I drift off to sleep, I program my mind with the goal that is most important to me. I open my mind to receive more of the Good that Life wants to give me. I know that my subconscious mind is very creative, and has all the knowledge and resources it needs to find the solution. I am guided in the direction I need to go to make real my desire. Everything I need for the accomplishment of my goal is provided. I trust my subconscious mind to figure out how to bring about my desire.

As a focus mentor, hypnotherapist, and writer, Linda-Ann Stewart motivates women entrepreneurs and small business owners to focus and transform their business through deliberate actions that break through distraction and overwhelm to greater success, wellbeing and prosperity.To boost productivity and reduce overwhelm, register for her FREE guide, Design Your Best Day, at Linda-AnnStewart.com/guide.html

Stop Worrying And Be Happy

Stop Worrying And Be Happy

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Stress and Overwhelm

When I was a child, my mother called me a “worrywart.” I was concerned about everything, from the well being of my friends, my parents dying (a normal childhood fear) to whether we were going to have a nuclear war (not normal for someone aged   seven). There was very little I could change about these situations, but that didn’t stop me from trying to figure out what I might do. Worry gave me the illusion of having some control over these circumstances.

From childhood, we’re taught to worry about our lives, the people around us, the state of the world. Mom would say, “Of course I’m worried about you, I care about you.” We then patterned ourselves on that model of caring. As children, if we worried about our grades, or about doing something wrong, then the adults considered that we were more mature. Our society perceives people who worry to be more earnest, responsible, or concerned about conditions. If we don’t show our apprehension about a serious situation, people sometimes perceive us as being flighty, a dreamer, not connected with reality, or worst of all (to them) – “an optimist.”

Worry Is Wasteful

But worry is a useless waste of energy. Most of what we worry about can’t be impacted by our being anxious about it. So far, we haven’t had a nuclear war, so I wasted all those hours reading the Civil Defense pamphlets on how to “duck and cover” and how to make a fallout shelter. Taking realistic actions (if there are any) to prepare for a future event is one thing, obsessing over it after we’ve done what we can or over what we can’t change is another. And because the subconscious follows the conscious mind’s lead, it figures if we’re worrying, we must want more to be apprehensive about.

When we worry, we’re simply living in fear. And FEAR stands for “False Evidence Appearing Real.” Fear of a possibility that may, but generally doesn’t, happen. If there is an outcome that is ordained (such as our getting older or inflation), nothing we can do will change it and we might as well enjoy each moment of life.

Mentally chewing a possibility over and over, and not allowing ourselves to have fun because maybe something bad might happen, is a waste of time and energy. Worry is immobilizing. It actually keeps us from being productive, efficient, and pro-active in the present. Universal energy is diverted to a cycle of anxiety instead of into being more creative and finding solutions.

The Habit of Worry

Worry can become a habit, and gives us an illusion of control over circumstances beyond our influence. We can only change our responses and ourselves. Some chronic worriers, in quiet times of happiness, will actually spoil it with an anxious thought of “What should I be worrying about?” I almost superstitiously felt that if I worried, the feared outcome wouldn’t materialize. Finally, I realized that I could more effectively use positive affirmations to bring out the best.

End the Cycle of Worry

The good news is that this habit can be broken. Remember what The Serenity Prayer teaches. “God grant me the serenity accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” The challenge is to “know the difference.”

Start writing down your concerns. This brings them into a more rational frame of mind, and you can assess their reality. Challenge them with the idea, “How likely is it that this will happen?” If it is a possibility, what’s the worst that can happen, and what would you do? Can you change the situation? If not, every time you begin to chew on it, remind yourself that you will deal with it if it happens. Find an affirmation that helps reinforce something positive happening.

I still occasionally find myself worrying about things, generally when I’m really stressed. But for the most part, I’ve broken the habit. In doing so, I’ve released more positive energy into my life. As the song says, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”

Affirmation:

Most of what I worry about never happens, so I end the wasteful cycle of worry. I recognize what I can change and what I can’t, and release those conditions beyond my control to the Infinite. Universal Mind guides me into making the best decisions about what I can change. Only good comes to me, as Divine Right Action takes place in every area of my life. I allow myself to enjoy happiness.

As a focus mentor, hypnotherapist, and writer, Linda-Ann Stewart motivates women entrepreneurs and small business owners to focus and transform their business through deliberate actions that break through distraction and overwhelm to greater success, wellbeing and prosperity.To boost productivity and reduce overwhelm, register for her FREE guide, Design Your Best Day, at https://www.Linda-AnnStewart.com/guide.html You can contact her at LAS@Linda-AnnStewart.com or 928-600-0452.

Reprogram Your Negative Self-Chatter

Reprogram Your Negative Self-Chatter

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Thoughts in a head

Have you ever monitored what you say to yourself? Listened to the self-talk that chatters away without your being aware of it? Automatic phrases, such as “I can’t do this,” “I’m not worthy,” “I can’t handle this,” “I can’t afford it” and others. You may even find yourself saying them to the people in your life. These are beliefs that have been programmed into you, just like into a computer. Suppose the boss asks you to come into his office. Your first reaction may be “Uh, Oh. I’m in trouble,” even though he may want to praise you.

These ideas come from your past, but  they create a self-fulfilling feedback loop in your subconscious. Without your being aware of it, they provide background noise in your life. Is it any wonder that it’s hard to make any changes? They echo the words of parents, siblings, friends, teachers, anybody whose opinion you ever accepted, whether it was true or not. You were hypnotized into believing them, and you’ve stayed true to the conditioning.

How to Reprogram Negative Thoughts

An affirmation is a statement that confirms what you hold to be true, and though we generally use the term for positive declarations, these statements can be either positive or negative. When you tell yourself over and over that you’re not worthy , it convinces your subconscious that this is what you want, and your subconscious creates this reality.

The first step is to become aware of what you’re telling yourself. Write down these statements. Then formulate a sentence that counters what you’ve been believing all these years. Use it repetitively, because that’s how you were programmed in the first place. By hearing the same or similar things over and over.

Remain conscious of the background noise of your thoughts. And when the negative statement rises up, use your new phrase. Be patient. That original idea has been there a long time. It’ll take time, consistence, and persistence, but eventually you’ll change the thought to one that more truly reflects the Universe’s loving opinion of you.

Affirmation:

I monitor my self-talk and now become aware of what I’m telling myself. I realize that these negative ideas came from the past and have no relation to my present life. I recognize my own worth and the authority of my positive declarations. I am patient, consistent and persistent in reprogramming my mind, for I know that the changes are happening with every constructive affirmation that I state.

As a focus mentor, hypnotherapist, and writer, Linda-Ann Stewart motivates women to focus and transform their business through deliberate actions that break through distraction and overwhelm to greater success, freedom, wellbeing and prosperity. Register for her FREE Design Your Best Day guide and guided meditation video at www.Linda-AnnStewart.com/guide.html. You can contact her at LAS@Linda-AnnStewart.com or 928-600-0452.

Sparks of Insight

Sparks of Insight

Sparks of Insight

“I cast off the bindings of the past. The thoughts, beliefs and attitudes of the past no longer have a hold on me. I now establish a greater way of being a doing that brings me harmony and joy.”

Your past beliefs served a purpose for you. They were created at a time in your life when they were needed. But you’ve outgrown them, and they no longer serve you. Although it may feel threatening, it’s time to let them go and move forward. The only way to do so is to convince your subconscious by choosing different thoughts, words and actions. It may rebel a little, thinking that you’re wading into dangerous waters. But as you persist, it will realize that it’s safe now to change.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Will I be optimistic in 3 weeks?

Will I be optimistic in 3 weeks?

Question about affirmations

Question: If I say an affirmation for three weeks, will I see results and think only positive thoughts by then?

Answer: If you begin saying a positive affirmation, and say it consistently every day for three weeks, you’ll notice an improvement in your attitude. However, you’ll need to catch each negative thought and idea and change it to a positive for the results to be most effective.

And you won’t have a permanent change in your thoughts after just three weeks. You’ll need to keep up with the affirmation, and transforming your negative thoughts even after that. But the negative thoughts will be fewer and you’ll be more positive overall.

This isn’t something you can do for a few days, weeks or months and then stop doing. It’s a focused change of thinking that must continue. You won’t have to be as diligent later on, because you’ll be more aware of your negative thoughts and automatically change them to positives. Affirmations aren’t magic. You have to use them consistently for them to work.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart