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Overcome the Law of Reversed Effort, Part 1

Overcome the Law of Reversed Effort, Part 1

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by Linda-Ann Stewart

“The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed.” Aldous Huxley

“The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed.” Aldous Huxley

Have you ever tried to force yourself to go to sleep? What about willing yourself to relax or meditate? Usually, the harder you try to do any of these the opposite happened. The more tense or more awake you got. This is called “The Law of Reversed Effort,” popularized by Aldous Huxley, or “The Law of Reverse Effect,” first described by Emile Coue.  

Willpower Alone Can Sabotage You

Whenever you try to compel yourself to do some action, you create stress, tension and anxiety. Tension shuts down your creative flow, and the flow of the Universe. Stress sabotages your automatic mental and muscle memory, much like an athlete who thinks too hard about their next move. Stress blocks your progress.

Have you ever tried to change a habit with sheer willpower? It’s like trying to hold water in your fist. There’s no room for the water in your fist, and it slips away. Putting more energy into pressuring yourself to do something stirs up resistance to accomplishing it. And the more effort you put into trying to push through, the more resistance there is.

As a result, you start to think negatively, which just makes things worse, and more difficult. It doesn’t matter if it’s trying to balance your checkbook, complete a project, or change a habit. The more you try to force an outcome, the less success you’ll have.  

How to Make Progress

Instead, you have to lighten up. Open up and relax your fist, and use it as a cup to gather water. Take a step back, and let your subconscious work on a better way of achieving your next step. Often, when I’ve hit a snag with a creative venture, like writing or weaving, I take a break. When I come back to it, the answer is there or the activity flows more smoothly. For instance, to go to sleep you have to allow drowsiness to creep through you.

Other ways to make progress are to take small steps. This results in small successes, which triggers your reward center, and gains the attention of your subconscious mind. You could also focus more on your process, the steps you’re taking, rather than your ultimate goal or vision. This reduces some of the pressure, and is a valuable technique when you’re struggling to get something done.

Next month, you’ll learn about why the Law of Reverse Effect functions the way it does and one powerful way to overcome it.

Affirmation:

Instead of trying to force things to happen, I step back and allow them to take place. I now let go of all stress and tension. I open up to new ways and new ideas of doing things. By doing so, I allow the Universal flow of good to expand in my life. I’m guided by the Divine life within me to make the decisions and take the actions that benefit me the most.

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

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

Complaining Trains You to Be Negative, Part 2

Complaining Trains You to Be Negative, Part 2

by Linda-Ann Stewart

cup says 'choose happy'

In part 1, you learned that complaining harms your brain and body, but you can undo the damage. By taking control of your thoughts and refocusing, you can reprogram your subconscious to be more positive. You free up mental circuits to be more creative and seek solutions.

Reverse the Tendency to Complain

Within a few weeks of not complaining, you’ll notice a difference. You’ll have a more positive outlook, and have grown new neurons that support calm and peace of mind.  The Law of Attraction will respond by bringing you the dominant ideas you’re now focusing on.  

Here are some ways that will help you refrain from complaining and build a stronger, healthier, mindset.

  • As soon as there’s a problem, acknowledge it and how you feel about it. Then, deliberately choose to look for a solution. You may not find one immediately, but your subconscious doesn’t like to leave a question unanswered. It will continue to work on it until it finds an answer. 
  • If a solution doesn’t come quickly, move on to ask yourself, “What can I do to change my perspective on the situation?” It’s said that “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Changing your viewpoint opens you up to ideas and opportunities that would have been invisible to you otherwise.
  • You could ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” As an alternative, you could even ask your subconscious to find some good to come from the situation. Your subconscious is a problem solver, and will seek ways to make lemons into lemonade. Leave it up to the Universe to find the good. This has always been my favorite response for any difficult situation. It’s amazing how effective this tactic has been.

Being mindful takes more effort, but can reverse the tendency to complain and the damage it causes. You’ll build stronger mental connections to be positive, and this ultimately brings you a healthier, happier, more successful, life.

Affirmation:

Whenever I have a problem, I focus on finding a solution. The Universe inspires me with ideas of what I can do to resolve the situation. I keep my mind open to unexpected opportunities as I step back to be objective. I don’t know how, but the Universe finds a way for something good to come to me as a result of this situation.

Watch the accompanying video, Break the Habit of Complaining.

Read Complaining Trains You to Be Negative, Part 1.

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

Complaining Trains You to Be Negative, Part 1

Complaining Trains You to Be Negative, Part 1

by Linda-Ann Stewart

cup says 'choose happy'

Venting about a problem is a normal human reaction. When something goes wrong, you acknowledge it, and express your dissatisfaction and frustration. After you grumble, you generally deal with it, look for a solution and move on.

The Problem with Complaining

But if you begin to dwell on the problem, you make the switch to a complaining mindset. Every time you gripe to someone about the situation, your mind is replaying it in your imagination. And your mind can’t tell the difference between your imagination and reality. To your mind and body, the problem is happening in real time all over again. The repetition affects you as much as the situation did originally.

Chronic complaining stresses and damages your physical and mental health. It affects your mood, encourages helplessness, impacts memory, reduces problem solving, weakens your immune system, raises your blood pressure, and much more. It also closes off your connection to the Universe. You wouldn’t think that complaining would cause so much harm. But it does.

Complaining Trains Your Brain

And complaining doesn’t just affect your physical health. In neuroscience, it’s said that, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” Which means that the more you complain, the more neurons you’re creating to notice problems and feel helpless. You’re training your subconscious to be negative and look for fault everywhere.

And the more negative you are, the easier it is for you to be negative overall. Where your attention goes, energy flows. It’s a cycle that spirals downward. Complaining also directs the Law of Attraction to find more for you to complain about. Even being around other complainers can hurt you and lure you into modeling them.

But there is good news. You can use the same process to rewire your brain to be more positive.

Affirmation:

Complaining doesn’t help the situation, and only makes things worse. I now use my mind and attention in a more productive way. I protect my mental health by minimizing my time and shielding myself around negative people. The Universe guides and directs me to solutions, actions, or in any decisions I need to make. I shift my focus from what’s wrong to looking for what is going well.

Watch the accompanying video, How to Undo a Complaining Mindset.

In Part 2, you’ll learn some tips on how to stop complaining and reverse the damage that it causes. Read Part 2 of Complaining Trains You to Be Negative.

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 Are Your Authority

You Are Your Authority

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Chains breaking
vector silhouette of a girl with raised hands and broken chains

Years ago, I discovered that the critical people in my life, who loved to pick at me and tear me down, were just echoing the condemning voices in my head. I’d spent so much time distracted, defending myself against those outer critics, that I hadn’t addressed the real issue, how I felt about myself. I’d given the past, and the people in it, authority over me.

Most of us have disapproving judgements about ourselves that tell us that we’re not good enough. Maybe you have an inner critic that tells you that you can’t do anything right, that you “should” be perfect, or that making a mistake is worse than death. I know of people who can’t take a day off because they’d feel guilty. And others who refused to hire someone to paint their house because they felt they “ought” to do it. Your internal judge pounds you with its condemnations, both from within, using guilt, and outwardly by reflecting your inner feelings in how the people in your life treat you.

Life Reflects Your Inner Struggle

Many people who have rebelled against authority figures in the past tend to have problems now with bosses, police, the IRS, etc. They defy internalized critical messages from their childhood environment, and don’t accept responsibility for their actions. Therefore, the energy that they have resisted and disowned increases and echoes back to them from the world.

Whatever you feel victimized by will mirror in your life. Just as my environment had been reflecting back to me what was already in my consciousness. I had to change my attitude from defending myself to addressing the internal messages from a position of strength. As I took responsibility for my own well being, the critics began to fade out of my life. I’m not saying it was easy. It wasn’t. But once I convinced myself that no one had the right to put me down, including my internal critic, my life began to improve.

How to Counter Your Critical Judgements

When you listen to the critical things that you say to yourself, you can begin to deal with them. As with everything in the subconscious, they once had a reason and a purpose to protect you. Although they’ve been trying to help you, they’ve been doing it in a way that you have outgrown. Those messages were patterned on the authority figures in your childhood so that you could fit into the conditions at that time. But they are no longer necessary, and won’t realize it until you tell them so. Believe it or not, they’re waiting for you to assert your power over them and reclaim your authority.

If the old ideas are telling you that you don’t deserve good, or that you’re not worthy, realize that the Universe has much more authority than the people who implanted those beliefs in you. And the Infinite knows that you deserve all the good that Life has to offer. Spirit is stronger than any outdated attitude. A Divine truth is that the Universe wants you to accept and express the wholeness of your being.

You Have the Right to Be Free

You have the right to re-examine the standards by which you have lived your life. Those condemning internal messages have been trying to keep you living within the bounds of someone else’s values. With all the knowledge you now have, you can change the attitudes that no longer serve you. Using affirmations and Divine guidance, you can transform the outdated values into ones that are in alignment with love, harmony, joy, abundance, and all the good there is.

Affirmations I used during this period were, “I am the authority in my life” and “I own my authority.” I had to review all the standards I’d grown up with, reassess them and release the ones that no longer served me. When I began to do this, it was scary. The first few times that I stood up for myself, I felt the sky might fall. It didn’t. Instead, the Universe rushed in to support me and my world expanded. The same will be true for you.

Affirmation:

I know that the Universe supports me in the good that I desire. The only one that keeps my good from me is my own thoughts about it. I now release any old concepts that might have restricted my acceptance of all the good I desire. As I place my desire in my mind, knowing that I deserve it, then the All of the Universe rushes in to fulfill it in a perfect way.

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

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

What You Wish For Others, YOU May Get

What You Wish For Others, YOU May Get

by Linda-Ann Stewart

moon and stars

Have you ever wished that something bad would happen to someone who’d wronged you? Not just that they’d learn not to do it again, but they’d be hurt as badly as you were? It could be a partner cheating on you, a coworker undermining you, or even someone cutting you off on the road. It’s natural to have the impulse that they should pay. Even as you become more spiritual, it’s hard to stay positive and objective in these difficult situations. But there’s a practical reason to avoid descending to the level of wanting retaliation and staying there.

Whatever you wish for someone else, you’re also wishing for yourself, whether it’s positive or negative. A friend of mine would unconsciously hurt himself whenever he got angry. He’d accidentally slam his hand in a drawer, kick the desk, or fall over the trash can. His anger, a strong emotion, connected with the image of retribution he wanted for the person who’d harmed him. This deeply impressed his subconscious, which didn’t recognize that the picture was for someone else.

How the Subconscious Functions

All the subconscious knows is that there’s a lot of energy attached to an idea, and it performs its role to fulfill the mold you give it. If you dwell on the desire for revenge, and you think about it frequently, the subconscious will figure that’s what you want for yourself. It will make sure you get what it thinks you want. This same principle is true if you’re jealous or envious of someone and hope they fail.

If you have a fleeting desire for payback, but dismiss it fairly quickly and move on with your life, the subconscious won’t act on it. It’s only when a person consistently and constantly wishes for vengeance that the subconscious takes notice.

The subconscious uses whatever you’re focused on for its model. When your predominant thinking is concentrated on retribution, the subconscious thinks you want the condition you’re intent on in your own life. This is the underlying reason why forgiveness is emphasized so much in various spiritual systems.

The Meaning of Forgiveness

Forgiveness releases the hostility and bitterness that you have towards a person. That energy can then be directed into a more beneficial purpose. But even more basic than that, your subconscious is given a more constructive image to work with and fulfill. When you want the best for someone, you know that you’ve forgiven them. This doesn’t mean that you give them permission to hurt you again. You forgive the person, not the offense.

You can be angry at what someone has done, or be in conflict with them, but still have a feeling of goodwill towards them. If compassion isn’t possible, then maybe you can simply remind yourself that the offender will experience what they need to eventually learn their lesson. It’s not your job to be the instrument of justice the Universe.

Find a way to let go of the negative image, preferably turning it into a positive one. The next time someone cuts ahead of you in line, bless them and let it go. Because whatever condition you want for someone else, you’re also asking for yourself.

Affirmation:

If someone harms me, I acknowledge my feelings, but let go of any wish for revenge. The Universe will deal with them in the best way for their evolution. I take care of myself and my feelings, and learn what I need to do so that I am protected from it happening again. I now desire for others what I desire for myself. In so doing, I’m expanding my level of acceptance of good.

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

Failure: The Great Teacher

Failure: The Great Teacher

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Have you ever fallen off your diet, not reached your monthly financial target, or had a relationship fall apart and felt like a failure? Most people have had some experience of not meeting their goals or expectations and feeling discouraged.  There’s no shame in not hitting your mark or having a setback. Everyone has disappointments when they’re making progress. You can’t have success in anything without a few mis-steps. Failure is a valuable teacher. The Universe obviously is using the situation to help you grow and expand.

Failure Isn’t Final

Author Robert Allen said, “There is no failure. Only feedback.” An infant falls many times before they finally walk. Each time they fall, they strengthen their muscles and improve their balance. An entrepreneur generally makes several attempts before their business is a success. With each failure, they learn more, such as where to focus their marketing efforts.

When someone is changing their eating habits, they’re going to have multiple slip-ups their new habits become permanent. They may discover that they need to have other tactics in place. No matter what you’re striving for, the lesson is to learn from your mistakes and apply that to your next endeavor. When you’re open to discover what the situation can teach you, the Universe provides you with inspiration and guidance.

How to Learn from Failure

Instead of viewing failure as the end of your quest, view it as feedback. Consider that there are still things for you to know, understand and implement before you can reach your goal or vision. The Universe has a greater vision for you. When you shift your perception from being dejected that things didn’t work out as you expected, to it being a learning experience, you take back your power and control. And when you reclaim control, you reduce stress and open up to having more resources to innovate. And more Universal Good can flow to and through you.

Once you’ve changed your position towards the situation from failure to experience, you can ask yourself some questions, such as:

* What tripped me up?

* What can I learn from this?

* What can I do differently next time?

These questions trigger your subconscious mind, which is a problem solver, to find the answers. You can then use those answers to formulate how to do better next time. Each setback is a step forward, if you use it constructively. When you choose to learn from your experience, there is no failure, only feedback.

Affirmation:

Every step forward brings me closer to my goal, even if it’s a step back. Any setback has the potential to give me better understanding and knowledge for my next steps. The Universe has a greater vision for me and is guiding and directing each step along the way. As I view setbacks as learning opportunities, I open to greater possibilities of good.

Watch the accompanying video, How to Turn Failure into Success.

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

The Amazing Power of Your Imagination

The Amazing Power of Your Imagination

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Imagination

A few years ago, I was making breakfast with my then boyfriend, now husband. We were talking and, not paying attention, I reached into a 450 degree oven with my bare hand to pull out a cookie sheet. Not very smart. As soon as I put it down (no, I didn’t drop it), I ran cool water over my scorched fingers, then sat down to use the self-hypnotic pain management techniques that I know. I imagined the pain shrinking.

As the pain began to reduce, I had a spontaneous image that the heat from my fingers should drain into an ice cube. Although I thought it was an odd idea, I complied, because I recognized my subconscious mind was instructing me on how to perceive the pain. Within ten minutes, my fingers felt nearly normal. That’s the power of visualization.

The Power of the Subconscious Mind

The mind cannot tell the difference between reality and the imagination. If you get angry at someone on Monday, and tell a friend about it on Thursday, you’re going to feel all the sensations of being mad all over again. The subconscious doesn’t realize that what you’re relaying actually happened three days ago. It thinks it’s happening again, because it’s so real to you.

The same thing is true if you begin to imagine something wonderful happening to you, as long as you can believe it’s possible. I’ve helped people stop smoking, reduce weight, improve their self-esteem, increase their income, be more successful and make many other improvements through the use of their imagination.

By forming a clear mental image, you’re giving the subconscious a picture to create in your world. The subconscious is already forming your life from the images you’re holding in your mind. Think about it. Are you visualizing lack and limitation, or health, abundance and harmony? The clearer the picture you have, the more often you mentally rehearse it, the easier and faster it will manifest.

How to Use Visualization

Many people complain that they can’t visualize or use mental images, but everyone does in some way. Visualizing is rarely as clear as watching a movie screen. Imagine you’re in your living room and describe it to someone. That’s visualizing. Some people imagine textures, how they feel, or hear in their imaginations before they will hazily see images. You can strengthen all of your visualization senses with practice.

When you use your imagination to improve your life, make a clear mental statement of your desire, as if you already had it. Do you want more income, if so, how much? Make it an amount that you believe you can have. Visualize that amount flowing into your bank account every month. Are you wanting to reduce your weight? Imagine yourself turning away from sweets, eating less, and imagine your body feeling more slender. Pay attention to any spontaneous images you get from your subconscious concerning your desire. Many times your inner mind will give you feedback as to what will best prime it to create.

Every time you think of your issue, substitute your mental picture and state the affirmation you created at the beginning. Visualize it as you’re going to sleep at night. Act in ways consistent with your goal. Take some action, even if it’s just symbolic or a ceremony, to show your subconscious that you really want your desire. If you want more business, place an ad, give a talk, or make contacts to start the energy flowing.

Although my grabbing that cookie sheet should have blistered four of my fingers, it didn’t. I had only momentary discomfort a couple of times that day, and used the ice cube image each time. The next day, I had only light red mark on the most affected finger, and nothing visible on the other three. Use the amazing power of  your imagination to create the life you want.

Affirmation:

I form a clear, mental idea of what I want. The Universe has already approved of it for me, so it’s up to me to accept it. I believe that I deserve it. I can feel its reality, see its completion, and recognize how it affects other areas of my life. My subconscious mind knows how to create it, and I trust my subconscious mind to fulfill my visualization harmoniously. I accept my desire, or something better, into my life now.

3 Powerful Ingredients for Success

3 Powerful Ingredients for Success

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Traffic light that signals both stop and go

When my friend Norah wanted to quit smoking, she threw away her cigarettes. Although she avoided them at home, when she was around someone who was smoking, she’d ask for one. To quit, she was using willpower to break the habit of smoking, but she hadn’t changed her attitude and feelings about cigarettes.

Even though she wanted to quit, she still viewed herself as a smoker. Cigarettes still had positive associations for her, and she wanted to fit in with her smoking friends when they were together. That lasted until she ended up in the hospital with pneumonia and almost died. Then, she finally changed her attitude about them and quit smoking permanently.

Ingredients for Success

To achieve your goals, you need to have your intention and beliefs aligned. Norah had a goal, but her beliefs and self-image weren’t in agreement with it. When your goal and attitude clash, your mindset will prevent you from meeting your goal. This is true for both your personal and professional lives. The Law of Attraction will act on your deeply held beliefs rather than your stated desire. For success, three powerful ingredients are essential.  

1. Willpower.

Willpower is a function of your conscious mind, which makes decisions and chooses your vision or goal. Although willpower will get you moving on a goal, it can only take you so far. After a while, your willpower wanes due to exhaustion and stress, among other factors. It then becomes hard to avoid distraction and temptation.

Willpower isn’t about forcing your desire into manifestation. It’s more about being self-disciplined and having self-control. You allow the Universe to work through you as you willingly take the actions necessary for your goal.

When you get tired or stressed, you become too overwhelmed to deal with the changes your goal requires and you return to familiar and known behaviors. It’s easier to be impulsive, and you may not make the best decisions. Rather than rationally deciding on the best course, you react from past beliefs and experiences.  

Use your willpower sparingly and realize it’s a limited resource. Instead, prepare for situations by making decisions ahead of time so that you can follow them automatically. Stay focused on small steps that will direct you towards your goal.

2. Mindset.

Your mindset has been programmed into your subconscious mind by your past ideas and experiences. To be successful, your thought patterns, beliefs and attitudes must be in harmony with your goal. Otherwise, the Law of Attraction will act on your deep beliefs and sabotage your conscious desire. When you want to achieve a goal, consider how you think and feel about it.

When you change your mindset to align with your new goal, you change your relationship to your goal and the actions you need to take. Changing the way you think about it means your actions come more naturally, and your willpower just implements them.  

When your mindset supports your goal, focus on the benefits of it and why you want it.

3. Imagination.

Your imagination is the creative part of you and also a function of your subconscious mind. A key to changing your mindset is imagining what can be accomplished. Use your imagination to visualize how your goal will look when it’s completed. The Universe will use your visualization as a model and bring you everything you need to achieve your goal.

When you imagine a situation, whether it’s choosing an apple over candy, making a follow up call, or working on working on your budget, you allow your subconscious to rehearse the motions of success. You familiarize your subconscious with your chosen actions and create pathways in your mind to make it easier to follow through.

Focus on the best outcome. When you do, instead of seeing the result as an observer, put yourself in the picture. Feel the satisfaction from accomplishing your goal. Then follow through with actions to achieve your vision.  

Align Your 3 Powers for Success

If your willpower, and mindset and imagination are in conflict, your mindset and imagination will win every time. However, when the three are in alignment, then success becomes almost inevitable. Once Norah changed her attitude about smoking, and imagined herself as a nonsmoker, it was easy for her to use her willpower to abstain from cigarettes. 

Your mindset and imagination fuel your willpower. As you change your thoughts and beliefs, and imagine the possibilities, your results change as well. Combine the drive of your willpower, the energy of your beliefs, and the power of your imagination to create the life you want.

Affirmation:

The Universe guides me to make the right decisions that support my goals. I set my intention to follow the ideas and steps necessary to fulfill my vision. I now align my thoughts, beliefs, actions, and mental pictures with my intended goal. When they are all aligned, the Universe can deliver everything I need to succeed. My desire to achieve my goal sustains me and assists me to stay focused. Each step I take makes it easier to stay on course and take the next one. I keep my mind focused on my direction and take the actions necessary to achieve my vision.

Watch the accompanying videos, Use Your Won’t Power to Strengthen Your Willpower and Visualization to Align Your Self-Image with Your Goal.

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