Want to stop biting your nails? How about quit smoking? Perhaps you would even like to change your thought patterns in order to assist in your own medical ... All of this, and so much more, is
Want to stop biting your nails? How about quit smoking? Perhaps you would even like to change your thought patterns in order to assist in your own medical treatment. All of this, and so much more, is possible once we learn how to focus on positive thought patterns.
On average we have 50,000 - 60,000 full and complete thoughts every day. Of those thoughts, because we are such creatures of habit, only 5% are new. In other words, 95% of the thoughts we have today are the same thoughts we had yesterday.
In order to change that percentage, we must first change the thoughts we chose to focus on. As creatures of habit, we do choose the thoughts we focus on. There are four ways we can choose to handle those thoughts:
1) We can focus on the thought, which is not terribly productive. Focusing on negativity simply creates more negativity. This kind of thought builds upon itself until it causes stress, which eventually leads to health problems.
2) We can choose to release the thought. Simply by letting go we can begin to make room for new, more beneficial thoughts.
3) We can modify the thought. Instead of thinking "I'll NEVER get this report done! My boss is going to kill me, we're going to lose the account and I'm going to be jobless by noon!” You can change that thought.
A more positive modification of that might be, "I may not get the report done tonight, but my boss understands. I'll still be employed tomorrow."
OR, the most beneficial choice is 4) Create a whole new thought.
Instead of fearing that you will be unemployed because the report isn't finished, you can simply choose to tell yourself, "The report will be completed and turned in when it is due. My boss will be thrilled. I still have my job."
Our thoughts are communicated in more than just words. We also communicate with the tone of our voice and how we hold our body. Nonverbal studies have been a part of scientific research even prior to the 1960's.
By example, if I were to cross my arms over my chest, lower my chin and stare at someone over the rim of my glasses while tapping my toe rapidly on the floor and asking, “What?”, in a low, growling tone, what would that indicate? For many people such a stance and tone indicates anger or frustration.
According to scientific research, only 7% of what we communicate is actually spoken. Fifty percent is actually done with our tone, while 43% is done with body posture.
Words and how we say them create feelings and desires. Many people assume that feelings simply show up, but there is an actual process in the brain that occurs. Most words are associated in the subconscious mind with images and pictures. These images are linked to emotions, which come to the forefront when specific words are spoken. Thus, our feelings are created by the subconscious mind when words are spoken and the associated feeling materializes.
For instance, close your eyes, clear your mind and think the word ‘happy’. An immage generally comes to mind followed by the corresponding feeling. It works the same way if we close our eyes, clear our minds and think the word ‘sad’ or if we dwell on any negative thought. The more we hang on to the negative, the more it hurts us and the more firmly ingrained into our thought patterns it becomes. Once a negative pattern has become entrenched, it becomes more difficult to change as time goes on. This is why, many times, will power fails when attempting to change a habit.
Desires work in precisely the same way. Those that lead us to work hard and aspire to do great things with our lives will lend to create the actions we want in life. The more we think positive thoughts and have positive desires, the less room there is for negatives thoughts and desires.
Those positive feelings create motivation. When we are motivated to be positive, we become more positive people. When we are motivated by feelings to do more and BE more, this is a big step to actually becoming more that we already are. Motivation is, after all, derived from how we feel. How motivated are most young people to do their homework? Once they see that doing their homework leads to positive, beneficial rewards, their motivation increases.
For example, my 12 year old son was, at one point, failing 6th grade. It looked very much like he was going to have to repeat the grade. Instead of using negative reinforcement, I acted in a professional capacity as a Certified Hypnotherapist and created a visual list of the good things that would occur when he passed 6th grade. I lead him through a timeline culminating in his graduation ceremony. I also made a tape for him, which he listened to every night.
The results were amazing! Not only did he pass, he raised two F’s to a C and a C+ and two C’s to a B and a B+ So, as we see here, my son’s motivational level was raised by how he felt about doing what was needed.
In my son’s case, motivation also created action. He felt inspired to do what needed to be done in order to graduate from Elementary school. If a 12 year old child can find that motivation, any of us can.
As can be seen in the example, my son’s feelings led to motivation and his motivation led to his ability to create a new reality for himself.
He is now attending 7th grade at a wonderful private school. He is learning to scuba dive through the school and has the opportunity to learn to be a pilot, if he so chooses.
All of these wonderful things came to him because he chose the right thought to focus on while banishing the negative ones. That positive thought manifested feelings, which created desires and those desires created action.
That is how we begin to change our lives. We take one situation at a time, change the thoughts surrounding it and create a whole new reality for ourselves.
Maria K. Myrback, a Certified Hypnotherapist specializing in Complementary Medical Hypnotism and HypnoBirthing, can be contacted at (770) 713-2804 or www.holisticsouth.com.
