I have been delving more into the power of the mind, reading books such as Quantum Reality and listening to audiobooks such as The Power of Subconscious MInd. I have always been fascinated by the mind. I first began studying it on my own as a teenager and later pursued a bachelor’s degree in psychology. My interest in the mind was spurred by my own difficulties with disordered thinking. I had developed an eating disorder at the age of 16 and I knew this was not my natural state so I sought out every book I could to help me understand why I was attacking my body with such negative thoughts. It was difficult at the time to rewire my brain because I had trained it over time to think a certain way. Your thought patterns, when left unchecked, become a sort of tape on repeat. Unless you stop to take the tape out, throw it away, and choose a new tape, you will continue to get exactly what you’ve gotten which is exactly what you don’t want.
While I eventually healed myself and recovered from an eating disorder and body hatred, I noticed my thoughts then took on a new target. Once one issue was resolved, my brain looked for a new problem to focus on. When you focus on the problem instead of the solution, you simply perpetuate the problem.
This also correlates with what Gay Hendricks calls the upper limit problem. He states that when you are happy in one area of your life, you reach a level of what is perceived acceptable and more than that is uncharted territory so instead of venturing on, you create a new problem or start to worry about something. This brings you back to your level of comfort. The trick is to catch yourself when you’re doing this so you start to break through to a new level of satisfaction and happiness instead of limiting that. When something is going well, allow yourself to stay in it. If you notice you start to worry or shift your thinking to something negative, stop and then think of a positive memory, something that brings back those feelings of satisfaction.
The more you practice this, the less time you will allow your mind to take you to negative town. In the book, E-Squared, Pam Grout uses an example of thinking of an undesirable situation (which could be your current reality) as a location where you don’t want to hang out and then contrasting that with what you do desire as the most amazing destination. When you notice your mind shifting back to problems, ask yourself if you want to continue spending time in this undesirable place or if you would rather continue on the path to what you ultimately desire. It is always a matter of choice. When you start to realize you have the power to change your thoughts and also notice how different you feel when you focus on the solution and the desire, you will start creating new pathways in your brain so that eventually your default thought patterns shift to being more positive.
The cool thing is you have nothing to lose by experimenting with it. (Well, you will lose your old thought patterns which have kept you stuck, but that’s a worthy sacrifice.)
So what can you do to start to practice this? Start small. You can set an intention to see a certain color of car and then notice how many cars of that color you see throughout the day (this is one of Pam Grout’s experiments.) This helps demonstrate to your rational mind that you get more of what you focus on. When you focus on seeing a certain car, that is exactly what you will see.
Once you start to see that it works, you can experiment with bigger things. It is all about setting a specific intention/request and then expecting, no trusting, that it will indeed come to pass, even when there is no evidence to indicate that. When doubt creeps in, send it away. Refocus. Steel your faith and trust that what you want is on its way and that you no longer need to worry about it. Then, act in accordance with that belief. Talk as if it is already settled. Embody it.
You are not here just to get by, my friend. You are here to live your fullest expression in all ways – in your work, your relationships, your health, your finances, and all that you desire. Know that the greatness within you is seeking its expression through you. You are meant to live a rich and deeply fulfilling life. Now it’s up to you to choose just that, focus on it, and be it.