attention – Page 8 – Empowering Your Mind

How to reprogram your mind (for positive thinking)

September 17, 2014 Linda-Ann Stewart

Brendon Burchard describes how your mind creates its programming. By giving your attention to negative thoughts, it develops into a habit. To become more aware, you can take control and decide what to think. He explains how to become aware of what you’re thinking about. Then redirect your attention to focus on what’s positive.

Brendon Burchard is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, personal development trainer, thought leader in human motivation and business marketing. Visit http://brendonburchard.com/ for his free eBook and video series on the secrets to changing your life and reaching high performance in all you do.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

What Habits Are You Cultivating?

August 26, 2014 Linda-Ann Stewart

Like everyone, you have habits that make your life run smoother. You don’t have to think about whether you put your right or left shoe on first. Brushing your teeth is part of your morning and evening ritual. When you drive to work, you follow the same route you’ve followed for years. Habits free your mind to attend to more important details, like planning your day, deciding on dinner and formulating that email to an important client.

But not all habits are helpful. These are ones that don’t give you the results you want. They may be physical habits, such as eating too much at a meal which causes you to gain weight. Or they might be mental habits of self-doubt that undermine your success. Some are outdated, formulated to help you when you were younger but no longer serve a purpose. Procrastination, perfectionism and seeking approval fall in this category.

Habits develop by what you pay attention to and repeatedly act on. You make small decisions each day, that compound over time. They create pathways in the brain, and you eventually operate on them automatically.

You can choose what your habits are, by consciously deciding on specific actions and following through on them. Or you can drift, and choose the easiest course. Taking the path of least resistance may be the simplest in the short run, but it will probably detour you from your desired goal. And this, too, may become a habit.

Just as you exercise your body to make it stronger, you have to repeatedly choose constructive actions and thoughts you want to make into habits if you want a better life.

Athletes train their reflexes and to build muscle-memory. This allows them to respond more quickly to specific situations, such as a starter pistol or ball coming at them. They perform in the way they’ve trained to achieve maximum results. They’ve drilled the reaction into their bodies. In a competition, they don’t have to think about how they’re going to respond, they just do it. Each movement was considered and implemented ahead of time to result in a specific outcome.

Are your habits positive or negative, beneficial or self-sabotaging? What routines have you created for yourself? Do they further your success or have they undermined it? What behaviors have you cultivated in your life? If you want to make a change in your life, practice different thoughts and actions. The Law of Attraction will then begin drawing better conditions to you.

Here are some tips to help you create new habits.

Decide on your outcome. Do you want to have a healthier lifestyle, more friends or greater success? What do you have to do to achieve that? Develop a series of steps that will take you in the direction of your goal.

What do you have to let go of? Whenever you invite a new idea into your life, you have to let go of something else. If you want to exercise more and be healthier, you have to leave the comfort of the sofa. To reduce weight, you have to reduce portions and avoid fast food. For greater prosperity, you have to release the belief in lack.

Compare each choice to your goal. Ask yourself, “Does this bring me closer to it or push me farther away?” It may be tempting to ease off if you’re overwhelmed, but you will ultimately pay the cost of a delayed or sabotaged achievement. Persist each day, one decision at a time. Those decisions build up to create the habits you want.

Be careful about what you say to yourself. The statements you make to yourself will either support and encourage you, or undermine your progress. Pay attention to what you’re saying to yourself about your intention, and make it positive. Habits are created by what we focus on, because action follows attention.

Ultimately, to create a new habit, you have to break the old one. Then you have to substitute the new decision in its place. When you’re consistent and persistent in your actions, you’ll develop your new habit within a short time.

It may not be easy, because your subconscious doesn’t like change. But your determination and resolve will persuade your inner mind to support you on your quest. Stay the course and soon you’ll have cultivated a habit that produces the results you’re seeking.

Affirmation
I create habits by what I pay attention to and act on. My decisions now align with the success that I deserve and create the habits that bring the outcomes I desire. I easily make the necessary shifts, knowing that the Universe is on my side. My thoughts, words and deeds now reflect the path I choose to take in creating the life I want.

As a speaker, personal and professional development coach and hypnotherapist, Linda-Ann Stewart empowers business and professional women who are stuck, immobilized or overwhelmed get focused, prioritize and break through so they generate more business and create consistent income. If you’d like some help in reaching your goals, email her at LAS@Linda-AnnStewart.com with “Complimentary Consultation” in the subject line.

Make Self-Talk Your New Best Friend

July 15, 2014 Linda-Ann Stewart

Everyone carries on conversations with themselves. Unfortunately, most of these conversations are carried on just below conscious awareness. You don’t even realize what you’re telling yourself. Learn a secret to using self-talk to coach yourself for encouragement or through a stressful situation.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Linda-Ann Stewart helps business and professional women who are stuck, immobilized and overwhelmed to focus, prioritize and break through so they generate more business and create a consistent income.

“Empower Yourself Through Mindfulness”

April 1, 2010 Linda-Ann Stewart

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Have you ever set the teakettle on to boil, gotten distracted checking your email, and had the kettle boil dry? I have. This is trying to do too many things at once, or multi-tasking. When you multi-task, you’re trying to juggle several balls or situations at one time.

Keeping more than one ball in the air at a time, splits your attention, causes you to miss other details, and wastes energy as you keep them moving. Studies have shown that multi-tasking actually is more stressful and less efficient than staying with one project and seeing it through.

You can really only focus on one thought at a time. The mind darts from one idea to the next so quickly that it only seems to be thinking of several things at once. It’s possible to do one thing which is automatic or has become a habit, while doing or thinking of another. You do this all the time, such as when you wash the dishes and plan the next meal. In this situation, you were only conscious of one thing, your meal planning, and you cleaned the dishes automatically. They didn’t take any of your attention.

Although you can switch from one thought or activity to another, it takes time and extra energy. If you’re talking on the cell phone while driving, there’s a good chance you could run a light because you get caught up in the conversation and your attention drifts from steering the car to the person on the other end of the call.

When you’re multi-tasking, you’re being pushed by inner pressures and outer demands. Rushing from one situation to another creates confusion that then takes mental energy to sort out. You’re actually being reactive, acting over and over in ways you’ve always done, rather than responsive, or consciously choosing how you want to act in the situation.

Mindfulness can relieve the pressure and help you handle your challenges more effectively. Learning to be mindful, or in the moment, has wide-ranging benefits, such as improved mood, better memory, enhanced problem solving, healthier immune system, increased optimism, and a greater sense of well-being.

Learning to be in the now, the present, or in the moment, takes practice. You can start by simply noticing your breath while you’re meditating. If your mind wanders, simply observe the fact without judgement and bring your attention back to your breathing.

Focus totally on a task, whether it’s doing the dishes, answering email, or working on a project. You can bring it to a point of completion, even if it’s not finished, and then go on to the next task. While you’re working, only think of what you’re doing at that time. Whenever you find your mind wandering, remind yourself to “Focus” or “Be in the moment.”

You can work towards a goal, in the future, while being in the present and dealing with what needs to be done now. Focusing on your current project narrows your attention so that you can aim all of your energy into the present activity. This allows you to get it done easier and faster. Being in the moment frees up your mental space to allow your subconscious to better process information, work out solutions and be creative.

Your future is based on your thoughts, feelings and beliefs of the present. When you stay in the present, you aren’t concerned about the future, which is yet to be, or the past, which is over and done with. Being in this moment, you can choose what you want to think, feel and believe and more powerfully create what you want.

Affirmation

I let go of concern about the future and stay focused in the present. When thoughts and feelings arise, I observe them, without judging or reacting to them. I become more and more conscious of when I’m distracted, and gently refocus my attention on the moment. By staying in the moment, I’m able to more fully utilize my power and direct it to create what I want.

A nationally known speaker, life coach, hypnotherapist, and writer, Linda-Ann Stewart helps people rediscover their power and sense of self-worth. Visit Secrets To The Law Of Attraction to download your copy of this free ebook.

“10 Steps to Turbo-Charge Your New Year’s Resolutions”

January 12, 2009 Linda-Ann Stewart

by Linda-Ann Stewart

This is a time of year when many people establish New Year’s resolutions to improve their lives in some way. And generally within weeks, if not days, they give up on their good intentions and go back to their old ways, feeling like nothing can ever change. Most people just don’t know how to set a goal and achieve it. Here are ten steps that you can use to manifest any desire you have.

1. Write down everything you want to change in your life.

I mean everything, from your weight to your mom stopping her nitpicking, increased income to putting up that little picture you got at the flea market. Big and small, write them all down. Take a small note pad with you to catch the ones you think of in the supermarket or at work. Add them to your master list.

2. Prioritize the importance of each one.

First, go through and eliminate the desires that you have no power to change, like your father’s health, or the state of the economy. With what’s left, give each one a number from one to ten to establish its importance, with one being very important, and ten being least important. Take the ones you rated a one or two, and again assign each a number of importance. Whittle them down to a few really strong desires.

3. Pick the most important one to focus on.

Choose one goal to work on. It would be nice if you could stop smoking, lose weight, start exercising, and quit biting your nails all at once, but that’s not realistic. Your subconscious can only handle so much change at once.

4. Write down why you want to achieve that goal.

What are the reasons and motivations you have for the realization of that desire? Why do you want to eat healthier? Is it to feel better, live a longer life, or to continue to be there for someone close to you? Get detailed because this is your driving force, your power for change.

5. Write down the steps you need to take to accomplish your desire.

Under each step, note down micro-steps. For instance, to lose weight, you could write, “Diet.” But what does that mean? Eat more fruits and vegetables, eliminate sweets, reduce calories or carbohydrates or simply eat less at each meal? You could then decide on various meals to prepare or foods to have on hand.

6. Be willing to do whatever is necessary to attain your goal.

That is, within reason, legal and moral. You may have to do things that stretch you out of your comfort zone, or that are difficult in the short term. But keep your attention on why you want it, and your subconscious will take your commitment and make it easier to reach.

7. Read your reasons and goal out loud at least three times a day.

This will help keep you energized and enthusiastic. Reading your goal keeps your subconscious focused on what you want. Visualize that you’ve accomplished it, and affirm that you have achieved it. You may not know how it’s going to come about, but your subconscious knows just what to do.

8. Take some action towards your goal each day.

Even if it’s the same thing you did yesterday, take one of the micro-steps you’ve chosen. This helps to convince your subconscious that you really do want the goal, and aren’t just daydreaming about it. And the action also sends out energy to attract what you may need to manifest your goal.

9. If you reach a dead end, ask the Universe for guidance.

You’re not in this all by yourself. At any point, from setting the goal to its actual manifestation, ask the Universe for direction and be open for any impulses or nudges.

10. Be grateful for the fulfillment of your goal.

You can have what you desire, through the power of your Higher Mind. Even before you see the completion in your life, you have received it. Thanking the Universe for Its help, guidance and success of your desire communicates to your subconscious. The subconscious uses the power of that emotion, and the feeling of conclusion to create your desire.

If you seem to resist doing any of these steps, or the goal isn’t manifesting, ask the Universe if you’re blocking it for some reason. If you are, find a way to deal with that and move forward. You could also be trying to force it, instead of trusting your subconscious to manifest it. That’s why the gratitude step is so important. This encourages you to let go of the worry and doubt, and let the Universe and your subconscious mind handle the details.