Reset your mind for the best

Learn how to pro­gramme your mind and you will have the key to your life, advises Dr Robert Anthony. Many of the ideas we have about the way life works are totally erroneous. In fact, most of our beliefs have never been tested in the real world. Yet, we live our whole life based on the premise that what we believe is true.

Over the years, through our perception, we have been gathering information about the way life is. The problem we face is that the in­formation we have been gathering was not always the truth, but our own VERSION of the truth.

What we see and hear is always filtered through our belief system. We tell ourselves what we think we are seeing or hearing and this is recorded as our version of reality. Consciously we know the differ­ence between what is happening and what we imagine is happening, but our subconscious does not distinguish between whether we are imagining something or we are actually experiencing it. The point here is that while consciously we know the difference, subcon­sciously we only believe what the conscious mind accepts as real. If this is true and we have built our opinions, beliefs and expectation levels on vivid imagined experienc­es; it stands to reason we can make changes in our behaviour through the same process.

Beliefs – Workable and

Unworkable

All the information we have received is stored on a subcon­scious level. That information becomes our opinion or our belief, which then becomes part of our self-image. It is the truth, as best as we know it at the time and that becomes our current dominant image of reality.

It is necessary to continually check our beliefs to see if they are workable or unworkable. In other words, are they supporting us in where we want to go? And do they contribute or take away from our happiness and satisfaction?

If they are not workable, we need to reprogram a new set of beliefs that our subconscious can work with. It is important for us to take the time to do the neces­sary reprogramming. We have no choice about whether we are going to be programmed, because we are always being programmed. The choice is this – who is going to do the programming? Are we going to do it, or are we going to let some­one else do if for us?

The fact of the matter is, there is no one else in the world that wants for you what you want for yourself. It is of the utmost importance that you do not allow others, no matter how well meaning, to do that pro­gramming for you.

Belief – A Powerful Force

Your subconscious will achieve anything you believe to be true for you. Belief is the cornerstone of all the great achievements since the beginning of time. We need to remind ourselves that belief is the master and we become the slaves in that the belief dictates the actions we take. But we can change our beliefs, and the exciting thing about this is that if we change our belief, which is the cause, we also change our experience, which is the effect or end result. We always have a choice about what we want to believe. We are never permanent­ly trapped with old, unworkable beliefs.

Dr. Anthony believes that it can reasonably be said that belief is the most powerful force in the world. “Belief is what allowed Helen Keller to overcome the incredible obstacles of being both blind and deaf. Belief enabled Einstein to carry on until he discovered the theory of relativity. But belief also allows people to live a life of crime, start wars, or commit suicide.”

So belief is a force that can help us or destroy us. What we want to do is to reprogram ourselves and set up an environment in which our beliefs facilitate us in getting what we want. The tools we use to do this, according to Dr Anthony, are positive self-talk statements and visualisations.

Affirmations and

Visualisations

The purpose of positive self-talk is simply to surround ourselves mentally with thoughts that sup­port a specific action or an expe­rience. Often our positive self-talk statements have no relevance to the way things actually are right now. They are based on the way we want things to be.

Visualisation or imagery refers to the ability of the mind to see things in pictures. Essentially, it is a thought that we hold long enough to get a conscious mental and emotional picture. Visualisation is also referred to as “applied imagi­nation.” It is believed to be one of the most significant tools we can use for change.

Our thoughts become reality if we believe those thoughts to be true. We think thousands of thoughts every day, but the ones that influence us are the ones that are tied to emotion. “Visualisation is the process of taking a thought and keeping it long enough so that our mental picture evokes an emotional response. Keep in mind that thought plus emotion creates conviction, and conviction creates reality.”

Affirmations are quality ideas and quality thoughts. The quality of our thoughts reflects the quality of our life. Hence, if we were to raise the quality of our thoughts, we would automatically improve the quality of our life.

You Get What You

Expect

Whatever you expect to happen is determined by the thoughts you dwell upon plus the intensity of the emotions behind those thoughts. It is worth repeating that our sub­conscious does not question the validity of the data we present to it. It merely processes it and attracts to us what we believe to be true.

If we are using imagery to change habit patterns, we must see ourselves acting and react­ing the way we want to be in the future. It does not matter how we acted today or yesterday. Once our subconscious gets hold of our new thought, our brain-mind function­ing together through our central nervous system will take over and we will automatically assume the new behaviour patterns. The key is to be able to picture or imagine the end result so vividly that it appears real.

Our subconscious mind func­tions in terms of goals or end results. Once the subconscious has accepted an idea, you can absolute­ly depend upon it to take you to that goal. If we will supply the end result, our subconscious will supply the “how to.” It will show us how to reach that end result.

Think of the end result in terms of present possibilities. It must be seen so clearly that it seems real to your brain and nervous system. The ultimate aim of affirmation and visualization is to evoke the feeling that the goal has already been achieved. Seeing the future as history.

Feel as though it has already been achieved and your imagery will pull you toward the end result that you desire. Imagine it in as much detail as possible. Keep using the imaging process over and over again for the same goal. In the beginning, do not worry about whether you are putting in enough detail. Every time you visualise you will automatically incorporate more and more detail. Always put yourself in the picture. See your­self involved in the activities of your goal and be in the end result. So, make sure you identify yourself with your goal.

All successful individuals have started with a picture held in their mind. They visualised and affirmed what they wanted to be, to do and to have; and then they instructed their subconscious with clarity and repetition.

BY SAM ADDIAH (RTD)