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Make The Effort To Change, Part 1

Make The Effort To Change, Part 1

by Linda-Ann Stewart

At a meeting, I was talking with a woman and mentioned Joseph Murphy and his best-selling book, “Power of the Subconscious Mind.” She asked, “In his book, did he explain why the subconscious doesn’t work for most people?”

That set me back. The subconscious mind is always working, and it responds according to the nature of your thoughts. But one thing can prevent the subconscious from making the changes a person wants. I responded, “Because they don’t work it.”

“Oh,” she replied. “I guess that’s true. Nothing changes if you aren’t willing to work on it.” I quietly sighed, thinking of all the people I knew who didn’t work on an issue, then complained when change didn’t happen.

Most people resist change and it takes effort to overcome that. Inertia can take over, causing you to drift and stalling your progress. It takes determination to pull out of it and move in a different direction. Change doesn’t happen overnight, nor does it happen without applying shifts in thinking and behaving. Your old ways of doing things are simply habits, and can be changed. But it takes attention to alter your course and initiative to put it into action.

Posting affirmation signs around the house won’t help if you don’t repeat the statement frequently. They work by modifying the things you automatically say to yourself. Passively glancing at them without noticing them won’t make much of an impression on your subconscious. You have to be pro-active in impressing the concepts on your inner mind.

Wanting to be more positive won’t work unless you pay attention and change your attitude when you find your thoughts straying into negative territory. Just as you have to turn the car around when you realize you’re going to the gas station when you meant to go to the store, you have to re-focus your attention when your thoughts go in the wrong direction.

Copyright 2012 Linda-Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Guided Meditation to Expand Your Horizons

Guided Meditation to Expand Your Horizons

When you expand your limiting beliefs, you increase your self-respect. To do this, you have to risk trying something new. Here’s a guided meditation to help you rehearse trying something new and how it changes your attitudes and actions.



Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Think Intentionally To Improve Your Life

Think Intentionally To Improve Your Life

Many people drift through life, hoping and assuming things will get better. With that level of belief they tend to experience the average of their mindset. To get better results, they need to think more intentionally. Learn how intentional thinking can keep improving your life.



Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Do You Passively Assume or Actively Believe? Part 2

Do You Passively Assume or Actively Believe? Part 2

by Linda-Ann Stewart

A belief is like a garden. If you throw some seeds into fertile soil, some will take root, sprout and grow. But they need tending or they’ll wither away. You have to water them with new energy, and pluck out the weeds of negative thoughts and inertia. When you attend to your belief and cultivate it, your subconscious will respond with insight, ideas, and inspired action.

Where are you stuck in a past mindset that’s no longer serving you? What assumptions have you made that aren’t valid anymore? Are you coasting in some areas and not putting energy into your life? Start becoming aware of your passive beliefs. How can you shift them into a positive statement of intention and action?

Instead of continuing to smoke, you could say, “I choose to do what I need to that furthers my health,” and find a way to quit smoking. If you’re in debt, you might decide to cut down on expenses, formulate a budget, and work your plan, committed to get out of debt by a certain date. For increased business, believe that you can be successful by investigating new ways to be visible, market and sell.

Don’t allow the garden of your mind to wilt. Be dynamic and fertilize it with new purpose and action. Treat your belief like a living thing. Plant the seeds and make sure the environment is as favorable as possible to encourage them to grow. Nurture them, give them what they need to thrive. They’ll bloom in your life with all the beauty and success you could want.

Affirmation

The Universe wants the good for me that I want for myself: harmony, abundance, health, and joy. I let go of old assumptions that no longer serve me. Now, I cultivate my belief that all good is mine. Insight, ideas, and inspiration flood into my life. I am guided to take action in the direction of my desire. Whatever I need to have a more satisfying life is now provided.

Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Do You Passively Assume or Actively Believe? Part 1

Do You Passively Assume or Actively Believe? Part 1

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Casey never balanced her checkbook. She just assumed she’d have enough for her rent and monthly expenses each month. Although she never knew how much money she had, that didn’t stop her from going out to lunch every day, buying jewelry and going to the movies with her friends. She went through the month with blinders on, avoiding thinking about how she was going to pay for everything.

At the end of the month, she usually could pay her rent only if she didn’t buy groceries for the week. Her assumption that she had enough money wasn’t a strong enough belief to get her over her financial hump.

There’s a difference between an assumption that the best is coming to you and a conviction that it is. An assumption is passive, and doesn’t have much energy behind it. It’s mainly a hope that what you want will come to pass, without much resolution behind it.

On the other end of the spectrum, a conviction is active, a certain knowledge that what you desire will occur. It’s conscious, intentional, focused and supercharges the thought and will. A belief backed with power inspires. It stirs the subconscious to creatively solve problems and find new ways of getting things done.

Too many people float through life, assuming that everything will be the same. But the one constant in the Universe is change. As our environment and we change, we need to keep our beliefs in line with the present.

At the beginning of this century, many people comfortably believed that they would work for one company for their entire career. Shortly thereafter, many jobs were out-sourced and there was a recession. Suddenly, they faced a completely new set of circumstances, and spiraled into fear.

People who make statements like, “Smoking won’t affect my health,” “I’ll eventually be able to pay down my credit cards,” or “I don’t have to upgrade my supplies or my marketing. Customers will come back into stores soon,” aren’t being positive or optimistic. They’re living in denial, avoiding reality. They choose to stay in their comfort zone, even if it’s destroying them. If they recognized the facts, they’d have to be pro-active and change, which they don’t want to make the effort to do.

Many businesses and associations make a similar mistake. They coast on their past success until they run out of juice. Because they haven’t changed with the times, they don’t alter their strategies to find more business or new members. They’re tied to their old mindset, assuming that what used to work is going to continue to work in the same way. But times change, and they need to update the way they do business.

Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

The One Big Illusion

The One Big Illusion

by Robert Middleton

I talk a lot about “Marketing Mindset” in the More Clients eZine.

It’s because what I notice that stops people from effectively marketing their services is rarely the technical components of marketing, such as networking, speaking and writing.

No, it’s all the thoughts, emotions and attitudes that prevent us from implementing these things.

The greatest illusion is that virtually nobody, including you, dear reader thinks this is the case. Everyone thinks it’s one of the following reasons why they are not good at marketing:

1. I don’t know what to do or how to do it.

2. I am just not the marketing type.

3. Marketing doesn’t work for my kind of business.

4. I don’t have the time to do marketing.

5. Most marketing leads to rejection, anyway.

6. Marketing is an interruption that irritates people.

7. If people need what I have, they’ll call me.

OK, so I’m willing to bet that if you are not having much marketing success, that you believe at least four out of seven of the above statements.

What nobody realizes is that these are not statements of “fact.” Far from it. Every single one of them is a mindset. What I mean by a mindset is an “established and fixed attitude held by someone about something.”

And mindsets literally construct your reality. They shape your thoughts, feelings and behavior. And they appear to be true, so true in fact that they are almost never questioned.

A mindset acts much like a hypnotic auto-suggestion.

You say it, think, it believe it, feel it, and act consistently with it and then have evidence to back it up that it’s true. You are so identified with your mindsets that to you they are not mindsets at all, they are the unvarnished truth.

And if that’s all true, you are in a real pickle, because how can you escape from a mindset that you don’t even think it a mindset? How can you wake up from a dream that you are totally convinced is reality?

Well, first of all, you need to accept that maybe, just maybe, what I’m saying might be true. You just might be stuck in mindsets that are holding you back from marketing yourself successfully and that nothing external whatsoever is holding you back.

Tough to accept, I know.

The next thing to notice is that when you identify with a particular mindset, how does it make you feel? Does it make you feel alive and excited, full of opportunity and promise?

Or not?

I don’t think so. These, what I call “constrictive mindsets” feel stressful in some way. They feel like excuses, they feel like cop-outs, they feel that they are opposing your goals to get the word out and make a difference in the lives and businesses of your clients.

Let’s just take the somewhat benign mindset: “I don’t have time to market my services.”

Not too inspiring, right? You may be able to justify it, but it’s not fulfilling, is it? No, it feels frustrating. It’s a statement of defeat. It certainly isn’t motivating you to get out there; it’s stopping you in your tracks, often before you even start.

So if expressing a mindset feels that way, you know something you didn’t know before: That mindset is a lie. It’s not true. It never was and never will be.

It’s a lie that you don’t have time to market yourself.

And look at what happens when you believe that lie. You make excuses, you avoid doing things, you don’t organize your schedule to fit in marketing. In fact you do everything in your power to justify that mindset, despite the fact that it’s not helping you one iota.

Can you see that?

Well, what if you could no longer identify with that mindset anymore? I mean, what if you couldn’t even think that it was true? Even if you have a lot of other priorities and were very busy, you couldn’t believe it was true anymore.

Then who would you be? How would you react? How would you behave?

Wouldn’t it be completely different from how you’re reacting now? Wouldn’t you find a way to fit some marketing activities into your schedule? Wouldn’t you stop making lame excuses? Wouldn’t you stop looking for “the perfect marketing opportunity” and just do what you could, such as follow up with that prospect you’ve been avoiding?

The first step in all this is to identify those mindsets that are holding you back. What are you always telling yourself about marketing? And how are you feeling about those thoughts? If you’re not feeling great, then they’re probably lies.

So take a little time to look at the consequences of those lies. Are they undermining you, holding you back, making you small, preventing you from getting what you want?

If that’s the case, the good news is that there’s such a thing as expansive mindsets. And in the realm of marketing you may not be so familiar with them.

Expansive mindsets get your creativity flowing, enable you to see opportunities, open up new possibilities and make you take risks that feel fun and exciting.

Let’s turn around that mindset list:

1. I can learn what to do and how to do it.

2. I’m the type who can share the value of my services.

3. I can find a way to market my services appropriately.

4. I can find the time to do marketing.

5. Marketing can lead to people who need my assistance.

6. Marketing can we a welcomed conversation.

7. If people need what I have, I can follow-up with them.

Aren’t these possibly just as true, maybe truer than the original list? One thing is for sure, they feel better, don’t they? Well, then try them out and see where they take you.

Copyright 2012 Robert Middleton
All Rights Reserved

By Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please visit Robert’s web site at www.actionplan.com for additional marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional service businesses.

Discover The Opportunity In The Midst Of Challenge

Discover The Opportunity In The Midst Of Challenge

When you label a situation as “bad,” it tends to live up to your expectations. However, if you can change that attitude to one of looking for the best, it tends to work out for your benefit. Learn a powerful strategy that instructs your mind to seek for the opportunity in your challenges.



Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Rewrite Your Life’s Script

Rewrite Your Life’s Script

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
~ Shakespeare

You are the writer, actor, director and producer of the play of your life. You often react automatically to the situations in your play. These responses are habits that were often formed during childhood. But you ultimately decide whether you’re going to continue in this rut or choose a new path.

Many times, because of your reaction to a situation, other people apply labels to you that you agree with and maintain. Whenever you retain a label that others’ have plastered you with, you let them define who you are and how you’ll act. You give them the power to assign a role for you to play. One that doesn’t reflect the authentic you.

It only takes a single powerful event at a key moment to make an impression that lasts a lifetime. A gifted, young pianist hits a wrong key during a recital, and her father berates her with, “You’re a failure as a musician.” From that moment on, her fingers fumble on the keys when she plays. She accepts the criticism and it becomes her identity.

A label makes sure that you know your lines and your part when the situation calls for it. You know what’s expected of you, and you do what’s expected, whether it’s good for you or not. If you’re really attached to the label, your subconscious will reject any opinion that conflicts with what you believe about yourself.

For instance, a person could believe that they’re not an artist because “I can’t draw a straight line.” But they have a great eye for design and composition. They won’t believe anyone who recognizes their talent because it goes against their long-held belief. They’ll continue to play the role of frustrated artist until they eliminate their label.

What roles have you accepted that are no longer valid or serving you? They may be so engrained, you aren’t even be aware of them. Consider where you feel frustrated, bad about yourself, or when you belittle yourself. These are great areas to start to peel off your labels and rewrite your roles. Decide how you want your play to change and begin producing a new one.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Identify With Your Good

Identify With Your Good

by Linda-Ann Stewart

I once heard someone say, “If you’re not successful, then you’re really working hard at not being successful.” Success, health, happiness, harmonious relationships, creativity are natural states. The Universe always pours all that you need for good into your life.

If you’re not experiencing what you desire, your mind is actively restricting it. The way you feel towards your life, the beliefs based on those feelings, flow forth in statements that limit the expression of your natural resource of good.

“I am a failure,” “I’m sick,” “I can’t do it,” “I don’t belong here.” These are feelings that you have based on past experiences. However, when you identify with these statements, you’re telling the Universe that this is what you continue to want. Whatever you identify with becomes your self-image. Your experience of life has to be consistent with your image of yourself.

A person who wants to be a success, but feels that they can’t do anything right, will sabotage achieving their desires. When you want something better in your life, and it conflicts with your self-image, you undermine your ability to have it.

Whatever you focus on, that’s what you’re telling your Mind that you want. Watch your words. You are literally instructing the Universe what to give you. The silent messages you say to yourself about yourself, the things you say to others, these reinforce the outdated picture you have of yourself.

As a child, you may have been told that you wouldn’t amount to anything. That was a lie. You are an expression of the Universe, and the Universe has all the power within It to create galaxies. The lie was to keep you from remembering that you have the power within you.

One of my clients was a beautiful woman, inside and out. When she was young, her mother convinced her that she was ugly and no one would ever love her. My client changed her self-image when she realized the untruth of that statement, and she began to attract people who valued and appreciated her.

Many times people will fight to hold onto their old self-concept, even when they want something better. Jerry was an artist whose sculptures were critically acclaimed. However, he wasn’t making much money from them, and wanted to be more prosperous. He identified with being a “starving artist,” and was disdainful of those artists who were financially successful.

Because he refused to release his anger at other creatives, and continued to visualize himself as poor, he never realized the wealth that the Universe was urging on him. You can’t have more good without opening the floodgates within, and discharging self-limitations.

What are you identifying with? How do you see yourself? Do you believe that you’re a person who deserves good? What ideas are you acting on that counter what you desire? Notice the “I am” statements you make. They will show you what your self-image is. You can change those declarations by simply stating the opposite every time you catch yourself thinking something negative.

Eventually, the feelings behind the old ideas will transform, because you’re telling them the truth about yourself. Imagine that you have achieved what you want. Now imagine how you’d act, what you’d say to yourself, how you’d dress, what kind of people you’d associate with. What else would be changed in your life?

By aligning your words and ideas with that of a successful person, you can then begin to identify with the good the Universe has been pouring into your life. The floodgates will open, and your life will be overflowing with the goodness that is your natural state.

Copyright 2000, 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

BlogTalkRadio Interview – Reduce Stress By Developing A Positive Mindset

BlogTalkRadio Interview – Reduce Stress By Developing A Positive Mindset

I was honored to be interviewed by my friend and colleague Cathy Severson from Retirement Life Matters for her first BlogTalkRadio Show. We had a great time doing it.

Stress is a fact of life. Some stress is beneficial, but too much can be harmful. Much of the excess stress that people experience isn’t due to a situation, but how they interpret it. Changing what a person tells themselves about the experience to something more positive reduces the stress. When they’re able to develop a more positive outlook about life in general, their health and well being actually improves.

Listen to internet radio with Retirement Life Matters on Blog Talk Radio