Post date: Dec 05, 2010 2:48:46 PM
I am going to lose 25 pounds. I am going to stop gettingangry so easily. I am going to stop being late all thetime.The sentences above, and many like them, are familiarstatements for those who desire to change certain things intheir lives. Some call them goals; others refer to them asaffirmations. But those statements are actually selfdefeating and do not produce results.Our minds are designed to focus on the words we speak,whether silently or out loud. Whether our goals andaffirmations are written down, or verbalized, we are tellingour minds where to focus. If the focal point of thestatement is negative, then that is what our minds seek out.When I played little league I was not the greatest hitter.In fact, I struck out a lot. I can still to this day hearmy coach saying, "Don't strike out!" But that is what I
continued to do over and over. Why?
My mind was so focused on the words "striking out."
Standing there at home plate with my bat in hand, I would
tell myself over and over, "Don't strike out." I didn't
realize that I was putting my mental focus and attention on
nothing but striking out.
I'm not being critical of my coach. Hey was indeed
interested in us winning games and you can't win if players
are striking out. But it would have been so much more
helpful, and even caused great improvement if he would have
said, "Hit the ball."
Do you think that my hitting ability would have improved
over time if every single time I was batting my mind was
saying, "Hit the ball?" I have no doubt that it would have
improved greatly. The same principal is true in the things
we desire to see happen in our lives.
Instead of saying, "I am going to lose 25 pounds," why not
say, "I am going to weigh 195 pounds." Our minds most often
associate losing something with the need to find it. On the
other hand, putting our focus on where we want our weight to
be directs our minds to arrive at that end.
If you want to stop getting angry, telling yourself that
you're going to stop getting angry places all the focus on
the anger. You can just as easily tell yourself that you
are going to be more peaceful; that you are going to be more
in control of your emotions.
Do you find yourself being late most of the time? Telling
yourself that you are not going to be late anymore keeps
your mental focus on being late. It's so easy, and produces
great results[To get better results], tell yourself that you
are going to be on time.
We sometimes forget how great and magnificent this brain
that God gave us really is. God designed it so that we
could use it to it's optimum. But, if we choose to use it
backwards, that is certainly not God's fault, is it? Still,
plenty of people struggle while praying and wondering why God
is not "doing something!"
If you bought a brand new car and decided to drive it in
reverse, what kind of results would you get on the road?
You would no doubt get a ticket and probably crash into
someone. You certainly would not make much progress in
getting from one place to another.
Would you then blame the car manufacturer for all your
problems? That sounds silly doesn't it? Then why do people
who choose to use their brain backwards blame the Creator?
Here is one more helpful point about the things that you
tell yourself. It is very important to give your statement
a time frame. Someone once said that a goal without a date
is only a wish. So include a destination time for your goal
or affirmation.
For example, "I am going to weigh 195 pounds by March 1st."
Believe it or not, that is a very powerful statement to your
brain. It is a very clear statement, but it also carries
the urgency of time, and cause the brain to look for a
resolution.
Then, repeating this information to your mind alerts your
mind that this is something that you not only desire to do,
but that it has to be done by a certain date. Your mind
will begin to engage and work with you on finding the
solution on how to get it done by that date.
Take note of the things you say to yourself about the things
you desire. Make sure they are not self defeating, and give
them a set time. Then read or repeat your statement often
until your brain realizes that you are indeed serious about
it.
About the Author:
Michael A. Verdicchio offers a FREE eBook, "9 Keys to
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