habit – Page 4 – Empowering Your Mind

How to Train Yourself to be More Positive

May 7, 2019 Linda-Ann Stewart

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.

How Accountability Can Increase Your Success

April 4, 2019 Linda-Ann Stewart

by Linda-Ann Stewart

You want to start exercising to improve your health and fitness. But you can’t ever find the time to get to the gym or outdoors for a run. Life tends to push you, solving problems, dealing with issues, and handling crises. And your goal to exercise becomes a casualty.

Or you wanted to put together a new offer or product for your business by a certain date. But because other situations came up, you missed that self-imposed deadline. Life kept you distracted, and you didn’t focus on your offer or make it a priority.

With your life being so full and driven nowadays, it’s hard to set and reach goals. Goals take you off the beaten path, and set you on a new one. That takes energy, attention and persistence, qualities that are hard to maintain in today’s world. But if you are accountable, you can have a 76% greater likelihood of achieving your goal.

What Is Accountability?

Accountability isn’t handing over your responsibility or authority to someone else. Nor is it about blame, shame, guilt, judgment or punishment if you don’t meet your goal. It’s simply a way to keep yourself on track to your vision by committing to a goal, writing it down or telling someone about your plans.

For a goal of your choosing, you aren’t required to justify your decisions, actions or inactions if you fail. However, excuses aren’t acceptable. By being accountable, you’re taking responsibility for fulfilling whatever intention you’ve deemed to be important. You’re communicating to yourself and the Universe that your goal is a priority for you.

Ways You Can Be Accountable and Increase Your Success

Whether you want to change a habit, improve your life or build a business, accountability will accelerate your progress. There are a lot of ways you can become more accountable and some are more successful than others. Here are 5 ways you can be accountable. Choose the one that gives you the best chance for success.

1. Be self-directed. Think about your goal, how important it is to you, and what level of commitment and motivation you’re willing to have. This has the least likelihood of being successful, because it’s subjective and based on your level of self-discipline. However, I’ve used this tactic to maintain an exercise practice for almost five years because I was highly motivated.

2. Write down your goals and action steps. You’ve heard about how writing your goals down give you a greater chance of success. A Dominican University study found that if you do this, you have a 60% likelihood of achieving your goal. Keep referring to your goals to see if you’re taking the steps you’ve established.

3. Find an accountability partner. Tell or email a trusted friend about your goal, commitment and action plan. Someone now knows about what you want to do and will support and celebrate your efforts. I don’t generally recommend a close loved one for this role. Unfortunately, the loved one often gets too attached to the result and makes misguided efforts to motivate the goal achiever. These efforts often backfire.

4. Join or create a mastermind or accountability group. This takes the accountability partner approach to the next level. Not only do you tell a person or persons about your goal and plan, you also check in with them periodically (weekly), reporting your progress. With a mastermind, you’re also exchanging ideas to help you overcome challenges. This regular progress reports tactic gives you a 76% chance of achieving your goal.

5. Find a coach. Hiring a coach means you’ve invested in your success. People tend to be more productive when they’ve committed to a goal with their hard earned currency. A coach can not only help you gain clarity and work through obstacles, they can also keep you focused, motivated and on track. They’re objective, and can give you a different perspective and make sure you’re sticking to your priorities.

When you are honest and accountable about your progress, or lack of it, you hold yourself to a higher standard. You are being accountable to and for yourself, and to the Universe. This increases your sense of empowerment, self-worth, responsibility and effectiveness. Choose the best accountability method for you and reach for the stars.

Affirmation:
The Universe responds according to my thoughts and desires. It wants the best for me and will support me in my efforts. When I commit to a course of action, the Universe recognizes my intention and provides everything I need for success. I keep my attention on my goal, knowing that it is possible. And I hold myself accountable for taking the steps that I know to take. The Universe does the rest.

Watch the accompanying video, 3 Tips to Handle Obstacles.

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Are You Being Intentional with Your Goals?

January 3, 2019 Linda-Ann Stewart

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Do you take time to think about what you want in life? About 80% of people don’t set goals for themselves. All too often, people don’t really spend time considering what they want. They let the goals choose them by default and simply deal with short term issues. Instead of being proactive, they only react to the most immediate situation. This ensures they dig themselves into a deeper hole than where they started.

What Is Choosing Your Direction?

If you don’t choose what you want in life, someone or something will make the decision for you. It could be an earlier version of you that made a choice that was appropriate at the time. For instance, a younger you needed to to hide your talents to avoid criticism. Do you want those critics to choose your life now?

Or your past thoughts, attitudes or choices set you on a path that you haven’t reassessed. Such as believing that you aren’t worthy of success. If you don’t review and change those outdated ideas regularly, you’ll just fall into your old patterns and drift along. Those outdated remnants will choose your direction for you, without any input from you. They’ll instruct the Law of Attraction to bring you more of what you’ve been experiencing.

Many spiritual people just like to “go with the flow,” but that means that they aren’t being intentional in their lives. They’re simply avoiding making a commitment to what they want. Instead of being deliberate in their choices, they’re taking the path of least resistance. Not making a decision on your direction is a decision in itself. It’s true that, “Life is a journey, not a destination,” but if you let life push you along, you’re just along for the ride. The Law of Attraction will simply act on your former beliefs. If this is the case, then you could end up in a place you don’t want to be.

An Intentional Goal

A goal is an object or result that you are seeking to achieve, usually to improve your life. It’s something that you intend to attain. You have your goal in mind (intention), and then must put effort into accomplishing it. Goals are either set consciously or unconsciously. When you consciously establish a goal, and then take actions towards it, you become intentional.

A goal is a step on the way to a vision, which is the long term destination. Not only do most people not create goals, but only about 10% of the population writes them down. And only 5% of people are intentional enough to keep track of them and read them daily. Most people lose their way as they pay attention to what they need to address on a day to day basis and forget about their goals.

To be intentional with your goals, follow these steps:

1. Consider what it is you want in your life. Don’t accept what you’ve always had, but decide what you want your life to look and feel like, including why you want it. This is your long term destination or vision and gives the Law of Attraction a mold to fill.

2. Establish what your goals are going to be. Make these steps specific and measureable. This allows you to keep track of your progress and determine if you’re on course or need to adjust them. The Law of Attraction needs to know what else you need to be successful.

3. Read your goals every day. Update them as needed. This keeps your attention on your direction, so you stay on course. It also triggers the subconscious and the Law of Attraction to be on alert for anything that might help you along the way.

4. Take some small action every day. The subconscious and the Law of Attraction responds to your commitment to moving forward. As you create a habit of action, your subconscious builds up momentum and makes your way easier. The Law of Attraction draws unexpected opportunities to you.

Each of these steps is intentional and deliberate. You choose your course and then determine to carry out your goals. It doesn’t mean that your goals are set in stone. Being intentional also means you stay aware of when your needs or wants change. Do this and you’ll be living a life of purpose, on purpose. When you do, you are much more connected with the Universe, your life, happiness and a feeling of fulfillment.

Affirmation:
The Universe wants me to have the best that It has to offer. It’s up to me to decide how much of that I’m willing to accept. The best way to do that is to set specific goals and follow through on them. This shows the Universe and the Law of Attraction that I’m willing to accept my goal, or something greater.