Five Life-changing Lessons Crucial to Success! — The Law of Attraction — Part 2

“The Law of Attraction attracts to you everything you need according to the nature of your thought life. Your environment and financial condition are the perfect reflection of your habitual thinking. Thought rules the world. We go where our vision is.” — Dr. Joseph Murphy

One of best books I have ever read is “The Power of the Subconscious Mind” by Dr. Joseph Murphy and Ian McMahan. In this marvelous guidebook, Dr. Murphy explains the difference between the conscious and subconscious mind and how the two work together to create the experiences in your life. It is filled with real life examples of how people were able to overcome debilitating thinking patterns, erroneous beliefs, and self-sabotage and (through applying this knowledge of how the mind works), went on to successfully create or manifest their deepest longings and desires. Dr. Murphy also explains how belief, affirmation and visualization work together to help you create the life you have always wanted. “The Power of the Subconscious Mind” is a wonderful book which leaves you feeling uplifted every time you read it and will help you to fully realize that thoughts have the power to change to your life. You will be enlightened, encouraged and empowered by the practical knowledge you will gain.

After just a few months of applying the wisdom contained in this book my husband and I both saw tremendous, positive, life-altering changes in our lives. We overcame chronic, habitual, negative thinking and left unfulfilling, professional careers to start our own exceptionally successful business. We learned how to forever put the shadow of lack and limitation behind us and to release abundant health, wealth and happiness into our lives. The turning point for us finally came when we fully realized the destruction that our negative thoughts and expectations were bringing into our lives and instead began to direct our thoughts to serve our dreams.

How thoughts work:
I am a great admirer of Dr. David Burns and appreciate his sensible, down-to-earth, practical ways of explaining thought processes; the influence our thoughts have upon our lives; and how to successfully deal with thought and emotional issues through cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy, (also called cognitive behavior therapy) is based on the concept that the way we think about things (the cognitive) affects how we feel emotionally and the way we act (the behavior). CT or CBT focuses on present thinking, behavior, and communication rather than on past experiences and is oriented toward problem solving. It has been [successfully] applied to a broad range of problems including depression, anxiety, panic, fears, eating disorders, substance abuse, and personality problems. — Adapted from medterms.com

In his book, “Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Revised and Updated”, Dr. Burns writes about three principles that “cognitive therapy” is built on.
1. All your moods are created by your “cognitions,” or thoughts.
2. When you are feeling depressed, your thoughts are dominated by a pervasive negativity.
3. The negative thoughts which cause your emotional turmoil nearly always contain gross distortions.

Essentially he is saying: 1) YOU control your mood by controlling what you think! 2) If your thoughts are filled with negativity, you can’t feel great or optimistic about anything. And 3) The basis of negative thoughts which provoke emotional turmoil usually are not true or even accurate. How you filter the events in your life, through your feelings, becomes the single largest influence on how you feel and react to life! In essence, he is telling us we have control over everything in our lives when we control our thoughts.

Other great minds support this viewpoint:
“A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it. Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” — Marcus Aurelius (121 - 180 AD)

“What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind. Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts. But once mastered, no one can help you as much.” Buddha (568 - 488 BC)

Most of us don’t give much thought to what kinds of thoughts are occupying our mind day in and day out, but our thoughts are the building blocks of our lives. Positive thoughts build a mansion! Negative thoughts build a prison! The stunning difference between the two, makes it imperative that we chose the right thoughts.

Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, (one of the best-selling books of all time,) said: “We become what we think about“. One great mind, after another, has discovered that the secret of success is in the nature of our thoughts. Take this lesson to heart — Our thoughts create the foundation upon which our lives are built; they shape and influence our habits and behavior and are the source of our success or failure!

How to Master Your Thoughts:

1. Become aware of your thoughts.
Put on your CSI Hat and get out your flashlight and starting investigating your thoughts. For three days, keep a list of all the thoughts that go through your mind; just jot them down quickly and don’t think about them or analyze them. Let a few days go by and then take some quiet time and look over your list. What have you been thinking about? Do those thoughts accurately reflect what you want to see happen in your life? Are your thoughts creating a mansion or a prison? Do you see any patterns in them? Were you shocked or delighted by the overall attitude your thoughts expressed? What if you were to divide your list into two columns, 1) Positive Thoughts and 2) Negative Thoughts — which column would have the most entries?

When you become aware of the types of thoughts you are having, begin to exercise control over what you spend your time thinking about. Instead of being a victim or a slave to your uncontrolled thoughts; start to become the master of your mind and dictate what directions your thoughts will take.

2. Listen to your inner talk and dialogue.
We all talk to ourselves. Sometimes we have a running dialogue going on inside our heads and at other times we hear only brief remarks on something we’ve said or done. Just like you did with your thoughts, start listening to what your inner voice is saying to you. If it is like the proverbial “hanging judge” — hard, unmerciful, critical, judgemental and condemning then your life experiences are going to reflect negativity, defeat, pessimism and failure. However, if your inner talk resembles a “cheer-leader” — cheering you on, singing your praises, encouraging you, then your life experiences are going to reflect the positive and optimistic attitude you feel towards everything and your life will be successful.

If you have an inner critic or condemning judge who makes you feel bad and worthless — fire him! And immediately replace him with the personal coach of your choice — one who is on your side and wants only the best for you. The only inner talk we should allow is self-talk that is positive, encouraging, affirming and empowering.

3. Learn to STOP!
Research shows that if you spend 8 - 10 minutes each day reading something positive or inspiring or repeat positive affirmations intended to encourage yourself and your dreams, you can break the pattern of habitual, negative thinking. You may need to repeat your positive affirmations several times a day for several weeks or months to ingrain the habit, but you can break the negativity cycle by replacing those negative thoughts with positive ones. (A Pocket Motivator Rock is excellent for helping you focus on what you want to change.)

Using the STOP acronym is helpful:

1. S - Say the word STOP!
What you want to do is interrupt the flow of your internal thoughts. By saying the word "STOP" out loud with passion or by "shouting" it firmly within your head, you immediately stop the momentum of negative thoughts. As soon as you realize a negative thought say to yourself, “STOP — That’s enough!” Be firm! Remember, it is to your advantage to overcome negative thinking and to stop such thoughts from robbing you of your happiness and peace.

2. T - TAKE a break!
Do something that will divert your attention or change your environment for a couple of minutes. The purpose of this time-out is to break the mindless drone that negative thoughts can produce. Relaxation exercises are excellent because, as you do them, you are focused on making yourself feel good. Find something you enjoy and do it: like deep breathing, or yoga, or go for a brisk walk, or listen to music that is calming. Most importantly, give yourself permission to take a “thought break” and enjoy it!

3. O - Focus on the OUTCOME!
You are committed to mastering your thoughts, so it is important to focus on what you want to accomplish — the outcome or the end results! This is why you need to make your thoughts get in line with what you want to achieve. Sometimes trying to get all your scattered thoughts together will feel like you’re trying to herd cats but it can be done. Every successful person will tell you this is the key to their success — keeping your eye (focus) on the goal (outcome)!

4. P - PRAISE yourself!
Acknowledge the progress you are making and let yourself feel good about it! The most important thing to remember is you are looking for progress, not perfection! Overcoming negative thinking patterns takes work and you should feel pride in every positive step forward. Remember, even if you feel you have failed or blown it at any point, don't ever give up. Just encourage yourself to keep going, because small changes add up to big differences.

Your thoughts really do have the power to change your life! But we must desire to change! Changes must come from within before they appear outwardly. Make the decision today to put the effort needed into changing your thoughts and making your thought-life reflect what you want to see in your everyday life. The benefits will be worth the effort!

This is Lesson 2 in a series of 5 articles entitled
FIVE life-Changing Lessons crucial to success!

This inspiring series of articles is a free gift from MessageRocks.com
It is our hope that the messages contained in this series will
enlighten, encourage, and empower you to create the life you always dreamed of.

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Wishing you all the best that life has to offer!
— Lauren Sage Alexander —
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