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Do you need a plan or let the subconscious work out the best way?

Do you need a plan or let the subconscious work out the best way?

Question: I was wondering whether you need to have a plan to achieve a goal or whether you should let the subconscious mind work out the best way?

Answer: It is important to have a goal, and then steps to take on the way to the goal. But it’s also important to not “outline” how the goal is going to manifest. It’s a tightrope to walk. For instance, suppose you want a new job. You know the steps to take. You look at the job listings, you send out resumes, you go for interviews. The more action you take in the physical world helps the subconscious to know what it is that you want, and how committed you are to the goal.

If you focus on the new job coming from one of those that you investigated, that’s “outlining.” You’ve decided “how” it has to happen, instead of letting the subconscious mind figure out how. Or suppose you see a job that you really want, and set your heart on “that job.” Your new job may come when you feel led to go into a market and bump into a friend or former coworker who gives you a lead. You follow any inspiration you might have because that’s the inner mind directing you.

If you try to control the result or outcome, that’s when you run afoul of life. Having a plan lets the inner mind know what you want, but if you try to force the goal to manifest in the way you want to, you’ll not get very far. The inner mind knows so much more than you do about the situation. As you follow your plan, you stay aware of any nudges from the inner mind.

Your job is to remain focused on your goal, move in that direction, but let your inner mind power it. Just like driving a car. You keep your vision down the road, you steer the vehicle, but the motor is what moves the car. You don’t have to do a Fred Flintstone, and run or push the car.

Copyright 2003, 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Let The Past Be The Past, And Create A New Future, Part 2

Let The Past Be The Past, And Create A New Future, Part 2

by Linda Ann Stewart

Here are some tips on how to cut old ties, and start a new tomorrow.

1. Let go of the past. Discard negative associations and reminders that might drag you down. They’ve served their purpose and aren’t of value anymore. They belong to old decisions and experiences that you’ve already learned from. Take what you’ve learned that’s constructive and let the rest go.

2. Be open to change. You may have to let go of ideas, beliefs or situations that you value if you want to have a different future. Being a couch potato isn’t compatible with a goal of hiking in the Grand Canyon. You’d have to reduce your television viewing and commit to walking and training for that objective. Old attitudes and behaviors may not be able to exist in the same space as your goal. Something has to give. Ask yourself, “How badly do I want a brighter future?”

3. Create new thought habits. Your past was created by thoughts that you had when you were younger. They built up, like building blocks, one on top of another, until they formed a habitual way of thinking and acting. If you attend to your thoughts in the present, you will create a different future. Simply change the way you think and create new positive habits. Each moment is a new beginning that brings you this opportunity.

4. Focus on what you want. When you keep looking backwards, you go in the direction of your vision. It pulls at you, and you can’t imagine anything different. You’ll keep recreating it. Instead of focusing on what’s already happened, concentrate on what you want to create. Even if you don’t know how your goal could come about, place your attention on moving towards it. As you fill your vision with what you want, take action toward it and synchronicities will begin to happen. The Universe will support you by bringing you what you need.

5. Don’t limit how your desire could become real. It’s all too human to try to figure out how things could happen, but your only reference is your past. By using that as your guide, you risk muddying the waters of your subconscious mind and restricting what it can do. The Infinite is always pouring Its energy into the subconscious. Because of that, your subconscious can draw on many more resources than your conscious mind can even contemplate. So let your inner mind do its job, which is to figure out how to create the reality you want. So remind yourself, “I don’t know how it can happen, but the Universe and my subconscious knows how.”

Your past performance does not need to foretell your future. Life is in a constant state of flux. The past is over, the future is yet to be. In each present moment, you can make a new decision that steers you in a different direction. Take the lessons of the past and use them to build a better life.

Affirmation
My past does not need to affect my future. Each moment, by paying attention to my thoughts, I can create a new tomorrow. I release old ideas that no longer serve me. I learn the lessons from the past and move forward. The Universe completely supports my vision, bringing me everything I need for the fulfillment of my goal. Although I might not know how it can appear, the Infinite and my subconscious mind know exactly what to do.

Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

How Often Should You Repeat An Affirmation?

How Often Should You Repeat An Affirmation?

Question: For how many days, and how many times a day, should you repeat an affirmation?

Answer: You should repeat an affirmation (preferably out loud) for at least five minutes every day, and preferably fifteen minutes a day, for it to begin to impress your subconscious mind. And you should also repeat it whenever you catch yourself thinking negatively about the situation.

You should continue until you see results. It may take as little as a week or as much as several months to change your old thinking. But you should also have faith that your affirmation is making the changes necessary to manifest your desire.

You may not be able to envision how it can happen, but have faith that the Universe and your subconscious have that information.

Copyright 2003, 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

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

Change Your Labels And Change Your Life, Part 2

Change Your Labels And Change Your Life, Part 2

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Ned identified with being “obnoxious.” He hid a sensitive nature under a brash and aggressive act. Even when he could see the advantages of being calmer, he refused to change his ways because he was tied to his label. It provided him with a sense of power, belonging and security. And, because of it, he offended and alienated people he liked.

There’s usually a lot of emotional energy applied when you label yourself. Shame, anger, sadness, fear, insecurity and frustration can all play a role.

If you call yourself a “nervous” person, then whenever your heart jumps will feed into that belief. You might avoid any exciting experiences for fear of the repercussions. Your world will become smaller and you’ll have less opportunity to grow. Instead, to begin to open up to a greater potential, you could simply recognize your increased heart rate as a normal response to an unexpected event.

Labels come from beliefs, attitudes or actions that have been performed over and over until they have become habits. The good news is that those same beliefs, attitudes and behaviors can be changed. Start by recognizing the labels you’ve given yourself. Notice how you feel about them and about changing them.

If you’re really uncomfortable about letting them go, it indicates how invested you are in them. They may have become excuses so you’re not expected to excel or change. You may feel they keep you safe. Reappraise your labels to discern if they’re serving you now, or preventing you from expressing more of who you are.

This is where categorizing can help because you can use it to decide what to do to change. Identify what beliefs, attitudes, actions and behaviors need to be adjusted to eliminate the label. Start with one small change that you can commit to doing. When you get that one accomplished and stable, choose another change and work on it.

By releasing the labels you limit yourself with, you’ll be opening up the possibility for growth and expansion for yourself. Your horizons will be wider, and you’ll feel better about yourself. All you need to do is believe in yourself and your potential.

Affirmation

I know that I’m more than the labels I’ve given myself. They’re only beliefs that I’ve allowed to become habits. The Universe believes so much more about me, and wants to give me greater good than I’ve accepted. I now assess the labels attached to me, and open my mind to understand why they got established. Divine Guidance directs me to the steps I need to change, and helps me to commit to living up to my potential.

Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Change Your Labels And Change Your Life, Part 1

Change Your Labels And Change Your Life, Part 1

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Labeling things in your life allows you to distinguish between them. You can tell an apple from an orange, Joe from Mary, a tree from a flower. You categorize the details of your life to put them into perspective. When you want a blue car, you don’t choose a yellow bike.

It’s especially helpful for being able to identify what you might be feeling. Emotions are signals that let you know if you’re on the right track, or if something is wrong. An abused spouse feels confused between what she perceives in her relationship and what her partner tells her is happening. This is a red flag she needs to heed.

Being able to identify anger or sadness allows you to deal with its cause. It might be that someone violated your boundaries, you might have lost someone close to you, or it’s time to leave that job before you explode and get fired. Being able to categorize what you’re feeling is valuable and appropriate, and allows you to seek ways to take care of your well being.

However, there’s a darker side to this. If you begin to label yourself, especially in a negative way, you put yourself in a box and make yourself smaller. Everything outside of that box is then out of your reach. For instance, someone who procrastinates would view themselves through that filter and would live according to all that label implies.

They won’t be able to get things done in a timely fashion, because that would conflict with what they believe about themselves. They might pass up opportunities, because they’re not confident they’ll get things done on time. Or they might fail to get a project done by the deadline, and lose out on a promotion.

Labeling yourself means that you’ve carved out a certain way of acting and responding. It may have started out to help you handle a difficult situation. But those reactions may not serve you now, but you find yourself still using them. The subconscious will use your label to restrict your actions and make sure that you don’t do anything that would contradict it.

Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Why do you get mis-messages as you’re waiting to manifest your desire?

Why do you get mis-messages as you’re waiting to manifest your desire?

Question: While an affirmation is beginning to manifest, why is it that you’ll get some mis-messages or dead ends as if your creative mind is trying out different situations as it works to manifest what you want?

Answer: Many people think that if an affirmation doesn’t manifest completely, it means that something is wrong. That’s not necessarily true. Many times, you just have to keep on keeping on with the affirmation and stay focused.

If you change your desire, then it confuses the subconscious, which then has to focus its energy on the new idea. Or if you vacillate back and forth between two desires, the subconscious begins to feel like its in a ping-pong match.

Most people have done this, including me. Also, we tend to then criticize ourselves and the subconscious for not having “gotten it right” (At least, I have), which then tells the inner mind to not “get it right.”

I now call the part-manifestation “an indication.” To me, it indicates that the affirmation is working, but the subconscious just hasn’t gotten it quite right and needs a little more time, and maybe a little more direction or specificity.

Are You “Conceiving, Believing, Achieving” In The Future?

Are You “Conceiving, Believing, Achieving” In The Future?

Napoleon Hill said, “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, you can achieve.” This is very true. What you imagine (good or bad) plants that idea in the subconscious.

Your subconscious can’t tell the difference between what you imagine and what’s really going on. So it begins to work on that idea to make it real.

The next step is believing you can have it. Belief is the power that drives the subconscious. So when you can wrap your mind around actually having it, the subconscious goes into overdrive.

But many times, when you’re working this concept, you keep the achievement in the future. That’s a signal to the subconscious not to accomplish it in the present.

It’s like the carrot on a stick being held in front of a donkey to keep him moving towards it. He keeps chasing it, but never gets to eat the carrot.

When you imagine your desire, you need to imagine that it’s happening now. If you imagine it’s happening in the future, even a moment ahead you’ll never achieve your goal.

Whether it’s to quit smoking, lose weight, get a better job, have more money, or be in a relationship, your subconscious needs to know you want it…NOW.

Your conscious mind may rebel, saying, “But it’s a lie, I don’t have it now!” It’s not about trying to trick your mind, the idea is to specifically instruct your subconscious about the goal you want and when you want it.

Bring the feeling and thought picture of having your desire into the present, as if it’s happening now. Whatever you can conceive of having, and believe you have in the present, you can achieve.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

“How do we determine what our lesson might be?”

“How do we determine what our lesson might be?”

Question: I realize that we have to go through various experiences to grow and learn a particular lesson and then move on, but what happens if we do not know what the lesson was supposed to be?

Answer: It doesn’t matter if we consciously know what the lesson is or not. Subconsciously we do, and so does our Higher Mind. When you have a challenging experience, you do the best you can with it. (Hopefully you’ve also been able to stay in alignment with your principles.)

Most of the time, you’ll have the same lesson appear over and over again, in different aspects. It’s to “help” you explore different ways to deal with it, and/or to give you an opportunity to master it. In the mastery of it, you may get to experience all sorts of different sides of the issue.

For instance, a person might have a lot of critical people in his/her life. The challenge would be to deal with the criticism in a way that would emotionally support him/herself. But s/he might not know that. All s/he knows is that people are always picking at him/her.

Once s/he begins to stand up for him/herself, the critical people begin to either fade away or change their attitudes. One of his/her issues would be to realize that the critics are simply echoing what is already going on in his/her mind.

In AA, they say that if a partner of an alcoholic doesn’t heal what attracted the alcoholic in the first place, that the partner will continue to attract alcoholics, even if they leave the original one.

If you’re wondering what the lesson could be, assess how you felt during it. Think about other challenges in your life. Is there anything similar about the feelings, or the thoughts you had during it that you’ve had before? With life lessons, there will always be some sort of pattern. The situations may be different, but the feelings will likely be the same.

Copyright 2002, 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Book Review-“Your Infinite Power To Be Rich”

Book Review-“Your Infinite Power To Be Rich”

Your Infinite Power To Be Rich: Use the Power of Your Subconscious Mind to Obtain the Prosperity You Deserve
by Joseph Murphy

Joseph Murphy is one of my favorite authors, and this is one of my favorite books on prosperity. As with his other books, this one is full of affirmations and examples of how others have succeeded using mind principles.

He describes a three step process of refusing to think negatively, affirming your goal throughout the day, and imagining it as you go to sleep at night.

Dr. Murphy addresses various issues, such as feeling worthy to be wealthy, how God wants you to be rich, how God is your employer, how to use your imagination positively, the law of gratitude, the power of your words, and explains many of the mental laws.

His books are very easy and enjoyable to read, and I’ve learned something new from every one I’ve read. Over the years, I’ve used his affirmations to improve my life.

Copyright 2003, 2011 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved