I will break up this page into a 4 part series. The first will be a simple introduction. The second will be focused on giving you evidence of the power that belief holds over individuals. The next will give you some ideas about how this power can apply to you in your life. And the last will give you some techniques (ie tools) to implement the principles explained in the previous two series to make the power of belief work powerfully for you, instead of against you.
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Table of Contents:
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"Part One" for intro
"Part Two" for supporting evidence
"Part Three" for how it can apply to you
"Part Four" for methods to implement the principles ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WARNING: This is a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG article, 23 pages typed single-spaced on Microsoft Word, but it has a lot of good info. that can probably help you...so I suggest that you at least give it a try, even if that means that you skip to the good stuff.
Good luck on your endeavors and may peace be forever with you,
WorldOfBliss
Part One:
be·lief/biˈlēf/
Noun:
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“You can have anything you want if you will give up the belief that you can't have it.”- Dr. Robert Anthony
Your beliefs from yesterday made your reality today. It's true. You become what you once thought. Your perceived limits determine your potential. As a result, your success or lack success, happiness or lack thereof, is due ENTIRELY to your beliefs.
Many people allow themselves to become wrapped up in the illusion that the world is such a way and will always remain that way. They feel that they're at the mercy of chance; thrown into a set of circumstances that they can't control, thus limiting their choices. They create for themselves a world of fate.
“You are the embodiment of the information you choose to accept and act upon. To change your circumstances you need to change your thinking and subsequent actions.”- Adlin Sinclair
What those people fail to ever realize is that life doesn't have to be that way. In fact, the EXACT opposite can be achieved in EVERY such case. The power lies solely in their inner beliefs. They lacked control in their circumstances, not because they lacked the ability to change them, but they lacked the knowledge of how to empower themselves to take control. It was only ever a self-perceived lack – a consequence of allowing the inner belief to develop that they couldn't do anything to change their life's conditions.
This is the power of belief. It's the most powerful weapon at your disposal for improving your life and the lives of others. It's the cause of the “placebo effect” in medicine; the “power of suggestion” in hypnosis; and the “power of prayer” and meditation in one's spirituality. It may even be true that it's the cause of every effect in your life – one of the "Hermetic Laws." At the very least, it rules what is to become of your “kingdom” on earth; whether it be heaven, hell, or some vanilla “another day in the life of Plain Jane”, cut-and-pasted directly out of a sub-urban life article found in a 1950's addition of Time magazine. But, most importantly, it's the engine behind every effective self-help tool that you could ever conceive.
You don't have to tell me, I'm already well aware that there's a good chance that you don't believe a word of what I just said. Ironically, it's precisely because you either don't yet realize the truth to these statements, or don't believe them that you find yourself reading this article about the power of belief to begin with.
I'm actually going to side with you for your skepticism. True, it's your self-doubts found at the very root of that skepticism that causes you all your self-perceived limits; however, it's also what saves you from buying into every snake-oil claim you come across that promises you eternal bliss, only to leave you in temporary sorrow for having been duped yet again into clearing out half of your savings account for what essentially amounts to cheaply made, and quite hideous, home decor.
I'm actually going to side with you for your skepticism. True, it's your self-doubts found at the very root of that skepticism that causes you all your self-perceived limits; however, it's also what saves you from buying into every snake-oil claim you come across that promises you eternal bliss, only to leave you in temporary sorrow for having been duped yet again into clearing out half of your savings account for what essentially amounts to cheaply made, and quite hideous, home decor.
Yes, I side with you because I haven't offered you anything but unsubstantiated claims thus far. Well, how about we change that for ya? Sound good? Alrighty then, let the journey to self-improvement discovery and, ultimately, your beautiful, happy, successful, and fulfilling life begin!
Part Two:
“It is the mind that maketh good or ill, That maketh wretch or happy, rich or poor.”- Michel de Montaigne
Placebo Effect:
I'll start this lesson off with the psychological phenomena known as the “placebo effect.” The placebo effect, also called “placebo response,” is what happens when a person takes a medication or receives a treatment with the expectation that it will improve their condition and does experience improvement, despite it not having any known therapeutic effects for that condition. The placebo, or “sugar,” pill is what is most commonly associated with the placebo effect, but it can range anywhere from injections, to drinks, to surgeries, to even buttons. The “transmitter” of the effect doesn't seem to be of much importance. What does appear to be important is the perception that the person being given the placebo places on the act of receiving it. That is, if he expects that it will help him (ie positive expectation), it often does. It's also worth noting that a negative expectation placed on a placebo typically leads to either worsened conditions or no effect – this is called the “nocebo effect."
We are surrounded with evidence of this placebo effect. This power of expectation (belief) that helps various patients surmount physical and psychological problems that, often times, are previously believed to only be curable through medical treatment.
For instance, saline has been injected in disguise of anesthesia with the same reported effects on pain relief. Placebos have been used to treat hypertension just as effectively as “blood thinners.” In fact, it has proven to be an effective means to treat depression, ulcers, and even asthma.
Perhaps even more surprisingly, a recent study of 19 different antidepressants at the University of Connecticut, conducted by psychologists Irving Kirsch and Guy Sapirstein, concluded that the expectation to improve accounted for roughly 75 percent of those drugs' effectiveness. Putting aside the question of how they were able to determine that figure – and you know you were wondering that – such a discovery can't help but elicit questions about how prominent the placebo effect is even in drugs that have been proven to cure certain ailments.
Furthermore, a surgical procedure once used in the '90's to treat angina by the name of “internal mammary ligation”, one in which 90 percent of the patients reported that it helped their condition, was completely abandoned before 2000 when it was discovered that a “placebo surgery” gave the same positive results (“The Placebo Prescription” by Margaret Talbot, New York Times Magazine, January 9, 2000). It should be noted that the angina persisted without improvement for the majority of people who never received the surgical procedure, whether placebo or the real deal, as it were.
In light of these discoveries, one can't help but wonder where the limit exists in the power of expectation that drives the placebo effect, or if a limit even does exists at all. Perhaps our expectations play a bigger role than anything else in deciding how effectively we recover? It seems plausible when considering recent research that has shown a strong correlation between one's level of optimism and how quickly and effectively they recover from their health conditions (eg illnesses, injuries, surgeries, etc.).
When asked to describe what his experience has shown regarding the Placebo, Robert DeLap, M.D., head of one of the Drug Evaluation divisions of the FDA said, “The more you believe you're going to benefit from a treatment, the more likely it is that you will experience a benefit.” Perhaps this hints that the reality present in one's mind is what best determines their medical outcome when receiving a medication, as opposed to the pharmacological contents of the medication itself? Ponder that one for a moment.
Speaking of pondering, have you ever wondered if it's really possible to make a perfectly intelligent human being believe that he's a chicken? I know I think about it all the time. Most guys think about sex every 7 seconds, but not me. Nope. Instead, I think about this, most thought provoking, question.
...OK, not really.
I'm not going to claim that an expert hypnotist can convince you that you've been plucked of your feathers and robbed of all your precious eggs. However, I AM asserting that suggestions can be VERY powerful, IF the right conditions are met. Those conditions, and the resulting power of suggestion that is obtained are the aims of hypnosis.
Hypnosis:
Hypnosis was once shrouded in mystery. For some, it may still conjure up images of strange men, looking frighteningly similar to Sigmund Freud. More often than not, that strange figure possess a golden pocket watch with seemingly mystical powers. With it he can somehow overcome his innocent victim's willpower, causing mindless obedience. You can thank “stage-hypnosis” and Hollywood for their portrayals of hypnosis for these connotations. Most people now realize that you don't have to look like Freud to be a hypnotist.
...wait, that isn't the point I was trying to make. What I meant to say is hypnosis is not really any of those things at all. It's mysterious aura has now been lifted, as science has come much closer to understanding how and why it works.
As it turns out, the hypnotic “trance” isn't much a different state of consciousness than those of our common wakeful states. In fact, people experience what is considered a fairly deep “hypnotic trance” when they “daydream.” And what of the magical golden pocket watch? Well, further research into this inquiry has uncovered the now accepted truth that it doesn't have any magical powers at all – that is, besides attracting the attention of gorgeous women with it's gleaming golden beauty, and likely indicator of the “pleasure potential” of your bank account.
Sorry to disappoint you, but, like David Copperfield, although its results might be outside the current depths of your understanding, hypnosis involves no real magic. Unlike David Copperfield, however, hypnosis doesn't need a million dollar budget and all kinds of fancy gadgets and distractingly beautiful playboy models to work its wonders. Nope. No magic is involved, just a strong grasp of psychological techniques that help bring about the desired changes in their clients. It appears as though a good hypnotist just knows how to make you believe in yourself. They even got science to believe!
...well, mostly anyways.
Hypnosis techniques have been demonstrated through closely scrutinized studies to replicate the effectiveness of anesthesia for pain relief during surgeries. It has been shown to slow blood flow to certain areas of the body in preparation for surgery and even to accelerate bone healing.
In 2005, a Swiss team at Basle University conducted a year long study on 66 individuals who used hypnosis techniques on themselves (ie "self-hypnosis") and concluded that it significantly helped them to alleviate symptoms such as nasal congestion. Other studies have concluded that hypnosis helps assist in weight loss; in lessening and even completely removing symptoms of IBS; and in treating skin disorders such as psoriasis and eczema.
Many studies have been conducted on hypnosis' usefulness in the assistance of wart removal and have irrefutably concluded its effectiveness – with some of those studies finding success rates as high as 80% (this an some of my other examples can be found HERE)! There's even a report of a seven year old girl that successfully removed 82 warts with 10 weeks of hypnosis treatment that, for 18 months, wouldn't respond to regular medical treatments (Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824. J Dev Behav Pediatr Apr 1988, 9 (2) pg.89-91).
If that doesn't clue you in to how powerful of a tool hypnosis can be, I don't know what will.
If that doesn't clue you in to how powerful of a tool hypnosis can be, I don't know what will.
There's also a lot of evidence, in the form of many individual success stories, to suggest that it's an effective tool for removing bad habits like smoking, drinking, and nail biting. A quick “Google search” will, no doubt, confirm this.
Many, perhaps even most, hypnotists and, in some cases, their respective patients will assure you that it can help one overcome virtually any undesirable trait; from removing tension and stress, to increasing self-esteem, to even assisting in one's eventual success. I wholeheartedly agree, and I assert that that potential lies solely in the expectation of : 1.) if it will work and 2.) how well it will work.
Many, perhaps even most, hypnotists and, in some cases, their respective patients will assure you that it can help one overcome virtually any undesirable trait; from removing tension and stress, to increasing self-esteem, to even assisting in one's eventual success. I wholeheartedly agree, and I assert that that potential lies solely in the expectation of : 1.) if it will work and 2.) how well it will work.
Hypnosis does work, and it works based on the same principles of the placebo effect. In fact, the only difference between the two is the placebo effect works because the doctor succeeds in convincing you to place your beliefs in a pill, whereas the hypnotist convinces you to have faith in yourself. This makes the work of a hypnotist a little more difficult, as he's likely faced with the task of convincing you of something that you strongly doubt about yourself. He attempts to solve this problem by getting you to calm your mind to a receptive state (ie hypnotic trance) where he'll give you suggestions of different forms with the intention of dissolving and replacing those negative self-beliefs with positive ones.
While people have reported experiencing changes after only one hypnosis treatment, it's something that naturally improves with repeated sessions. Many hypnotists suggest that you repeat the same session for at least 21 days before expecting any noticeable results. Apparently 3 weeks is a common threshold for overcoming and/ or changing your thought patterns.
Interesting to note, Maxwell Maltz in his classic self-improvement book Psycho-Cybernetics made a reference to this 21-day “rule.” He observed through the many years of his practice as a plastic surgeon that it took roughly this long for people to move their self-image in line with their re-structured faces, resulting in a boost of their self-confidence. Perhaps not surprisingly, it was that very observation that inspired Dr. Maltz to investigate the topic of “self-image” even further. Those discoveries, along with his intention to help educate the masses about how to overcome their inner demons, eventually lead to him writing the aforementioned book.
I could easily spend weeks explaining the numerous insights that he shared in that amazing book, which he dedicated many decades of his life to discover; but, alas, I'd be doing him , and you yourself, a huge disservice. I couldn't possibly cover all of its topics with the depth and breadth that Maltz did, nor could I present them as convincingly, in the limited space of this blog. If you really want to open up your eyes to the possibilities that await you in this life, then you owe it to yourself to read his book. It is the self-improvement book to end the need for all other self-improvement books. It's the book that finally set my life on the right course and made my current success possible. It's also my biggest source of inspiration to make this blog.
I could easily spend weeks explaining the numerous insights that he shared in that amazing book, which he dedicated many decades of his life to discover; but, alas, I'd be doing him , and you yourself, a huge disservice. I couldn't possibly cover all of its topics with the depth and breadth that Maltz did, nor could I present them as convincingly, in the limited space of this blog. If you really want to open up your eyes to the possibilities that await you in this life, then you owe it to yourself to read his book. It is the self-improvement book to end the need for all other self-improvement books. It's the book that finally set my life on the right course and made my current success possible. It's also my biggest source of inspiration to make this blog.
And now for my last, and perhaps most convincing, evidence of the power held within one's belief: “Dissociative Identity Disorder” (DID).
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) :
Also commonly referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), DID is a condition of the mind in which the effected person displays two or more distinct, or “split,” identities or personality “states.”
As stated directly on the webmd that you can find HERE :
As stated directly on the webmd that you can find HERE :
“With dissociative identity disorder, there's also an inability to recall key personal information that is too far-reaching to be explained as mere forgetfulness. With dissociative identity disorder, there are also highly distinct memory variations, which fluctuate with the person's split personality.
The "alters" or different identities have their own age, sex, or race. Each has his or her own postures, gestures, and distinct way of talking. Sometimes the alters are imaginary people; sometimes they are animals. As each personality reveals itself and controls the individuals' behavior and thoughts, it's called "switching." Switching can take seconds to minutes to days. When under hypnosis, the person's different "alters" or identities may be very responsive to the therapist's requests.”
Dissociation is another term for disconnecting or separating. In the cognitive, or psychological, sense, dissociation occurs anytime that one can establish feeling or thinking separate of their current task or actions, and it typically works as a defense mechanism. It's something that we all experience at one time or another. Common examples of this dissociated state of mind include daydreaming, “zoning out”, or doing things on “auto-pilot."
For instance, can you recall a time when you were driving a car to some familiar place and, upon reaching that destination, forgot all the details about how you got there? Guess what? You were experiencing auto-pilot, which is a form of dissociation.
In fact, hypnosis utilizes dissociative states of consciousness to help make the mind more receptive to suggestions. It's as if the act of dissociating distracts the mind enough to disrupt the psychological (protective) barriers built around the subconscious mind, leaving it more open to the suggestions, where it can deeply effect one's thought patterns and, ultimately, their deeply held beliefs.
DID is simply a severe form of this same dissociation that is believed to be formed by extreme cases of trauma during early childhood, usually between the ages of three and eight. The sources can vary from intense and/ or repeated emotional, physical, and/ or sexual abuse. The condition itself acts as a defense mechanism, or form of adaptation, to essentially hide from, or de-sensitize, those past traumatic events.
More specifically, it's believed by most leading experts to be the resulting adaptation of one's brain to a repeated series of “spontaneous hypnotic trances,” a state of mind that they estimate only 1 in 5 people can achieve, to the traumatic events that triggered that condition. Usually more than two distinct personalities will result. In fact, according to Richard Kluft, a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania who has studied more than a hundred cases of DID, the average is between 8 to 13 distinct personalities, and there are cases surpassing 60!
More specifically, it's believed by most leading experts to be the resulting adaptation of one's brain to a repeated series of “spontaneous hypnotic trances,” a state of mind that they estimate only 1 in 5 people can achieve, to the traumatic events that triggered that condition. Usually more than two distinct personalities will result. In fact, according to Richard Kluft, a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania who has studied more than a hundred cases of DID, the average is between 8 to 13 distinct personalities, and there are cases surpassing 60!
While I'm sure you all agree this is some interesting stuff, it's how this all relates to the power of belief that its study holds the most relevance to this article. DID provides us with the unique opportunity to measure the impact extreme differences in thought can have on the same individual. You see, the problem that is presented in measuring the power of belief by comparing its effects on different test subjects, which would be the classic approach to understanding something's psychological nature, is each subject presents with himself a unique psychological and physical set of circumstances. There becomes too many factors to account for that might contaminate the results of the study, too many uncontrollable variables that will, in all likelihood, render its conclusions unreliable.
In studying the impact of the differing beliefs that comes with the different personalities of a sufferer of DID, that uncontrollable variable is removed, and so the study can become more feasible and the conclusions more reliable. With the subject being a constant, the study can focus entirely on the psychological impacts of different trains of thought without any concern for the initial set of circumstances. In other words, there becomes no need for measuring one subject relative to another.
In studying the impact of the differing beliefs that comes with the different personalities of a sufferer of DID, that uncontrollable variable is removed, and so the study can become more feasible and the conclusions more reliable. With the subject being a constant, the study can focus entirely on the psychological impacts of different trains of thought without any concern for the initial set of circumstances. In other words, there becomes no need for measuring one subject relative to another.
Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, such a study has never taken place. However, we do have other research and documented accounts from credible sources that demonstrate the uniquely profound effects DID can have on its subjects.
Take, for instance, the documents out of THIS New York Times article that was published by Daniel Goleman on May 21, 1985:
“'The multiple personality offers a special window into psychosomatics,' said Frank Putnam, a psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental Health and a leading researcher in the field. 'With a multiple personality you can do research that holds the body constant while you vary the personality, so you can sort out how psychological states affect the body.'
Multiples exhibit some remarkable medical phenomena.' Dr. Putnam said. He gives the example of one patient who reacted normally to a sedative drug in one personality, but was totally unaffected by it in another.
'Some multiples carry several different eyeglasses, because their vision changes with each personality,' said Bennett Braun, who directs a unit devoted to treating multiple personalities at the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago. Dr. Braun reports the case of a young woman who in one personality was colorblind for blue and green, a problem that ended with the successful treatment of her multiple-personality condition. Another woman, admitted to a hospital for diabetes, baffled her physicians by showing no symptoms of the disorder at times when one personality, who was not diabetic, was dominant. A young man was allergic to citrus fruit in some personalities, but not in others.”
What kind of insights can we glean from these unique accounts? Well, for one, it gives us some examples of how powerfully our thoughts can effect our physiology. It should come as a surprise to most that a simple change in perception, which is all that the changing personality is causing, can remove the symptoms, and possibly even cure, diabetes; improve vision; and remove allergies. However, it's in how to apply these insights to one's self that it holds the most value. It gives us a glimpse of the potential that lies in our beliefs.
That's not to say that the potential isn't much greater than even these documented cases. Perhaps one can even cure cancer, or regenerate a lost limb? I don't know for sure. The point is, it must be a possibility in your mind before it can ever become possible in your "outer world." Perhaps thinking that the supposed impossible is possible could make it so? Maybe that's all that a "miracle" ever is?
I'm hopeful that this example has at least sparked an interest in you to investigate this topic further. I'm a huge advocate of the philosophy that one must experience things for themselves to gain any lasting benefits, otherwise it's just more “supposed truth”, like most other “knowledge” that we possess. The truer you can make this for yourself the stronger the reference will become and the easier you can utilize this information to positively change your beliefs. It's always in your best interest to discover the “truths” and “untruths” of the world for yourself, and this topic is no different
Part Three:
With a knowledge of the power of belief and how to apply it in your life, you're presented with a key to acquire all the confidence that you could ever desire – and that's just the beginning! Happiness can become your common state of mind. You can achieve all your goals, no matter how big they are. You can become whatever you aspire to be. You can become strong; a leader; even a source of inspiration to others. You can even change your perceptions of the world around you. You can begin to see the world as a beautiful place to live, surrounded by loving and caring people. Yes, your power of belief is so strong that it can re-create your world from the ground up!
The one caveat is that you must deeply, truly, and wholeheartedly believe in yourself and the power that you possess. You might think that it's easier said than done and, if you do, you're right. It isn't easy, but it's entirely possible and, in fact, very probable with the right kind of knowledge in hand – knowledge that I'm about to share with you – and the undying determination to change yourself for the better.
“The truth is not for all men, but only for those who seek it.”- Ayn Rand
But how are you to know what is truth and what isn't? How are you to test the supposed knowledge of the wise sages our past?
To these questions I point to arguably the wisest of all sages in the Buddha when he said: “Believe nothing on the faith of traditions, even though they have been held in honor for many generations and in diverse places. Do not believe a thing because many people speak of it. Do not believe on the faith of the sages of the past. Do not believe what you yourself have imagined, persuading yourself that a God inspires you. Believe nothing on the sole authority of your masters and priests. After examination, believe what you yourself have tested and found to be reasonable, and conform your conduct thereto.”
“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”- Steve Jobs
In other words, you must look within for your answers to these questions. Listen to your heart, to your spirit within. The part of God – let every reference to “God” represent your intuition, if you prefer – within you that won't ever lead you astray. He is the source of all truth and he will provide you with the answers that you seek, but you must have patience, for he works on his own time. Once you get your answers, that knowledge will be infused into your belief system. Without any doubts placed on those beliefs, it can then begin to work for you like God intended.
As they say, knowledge is power. Without specific types of knowledge, doors will remain forever closed to you. Indeed, until light is shone onto those doors, you will remain “in the dark”, completely unaware of all the potential that exists for you. With more knowledge comes more opportunity, more potential, more outlets for growth.
A perfect example of how much a single bit of knowledge can impact a person's reality was the discovery of how to generate and utilize electricity. Without this knowledge, it wouldn't be possible to use all the electronics that we have today. We wouldn't have lights. There would be no radios, televisions, or computers. We wouldn't have the privilege of using the Internet – yikes!
As empowering as the knowledge of electricity is, it pales in comparison to the knowledge of the power provided by our beliefs and how it can be applied to our lives. In fact, it's the most empowering bit of knowledge that we could ever acquire. To lack this knowledge is to place unnecessary limits on yourself. In other words, every belief or lack thereof is either empowering or limiting. It's left up to you to decide which side, power or limitation, runs your life.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”- John Quincy Adams
Only very few people will ever grow to become a true source of strength and inspiration to others, a true leader. No, they weren't born leaders. They weren't born with their destinies written in stone or plastered into the skies in the form of twinkling white specks of light. It wasn't coded into their genes. They may be more inclined to choose a certain path in life, or to believe a certain thing, based on their genetics or how they allowed their society to condition their ways of thinking; but they had a choice to remain course or to change all along. They always had freewill. They always had the right to believe whatever they wanted to believe and, therefore, become whatever they desired to become. They “made it” only because they gained more empowerment from their self-beliefs than they gave into the notion of their limitations.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”- Winston Churchill
If, anywhere along the line, some big perceived failure occurred in their quest to reach their goals, it could have very well stopped them in their tracks and drastically changed the outcome of their lives. But, even in the case of experiencing failure, they still had a choice to believe in themselves and a positive outcome. Some did. Most didn't - as they allowed their “fear of failure” to overcome them. Whichever one they chose at that integral moment would ultimately determine whether they would “make it” or not. Of course, each one of them experienced many of these failures along their individual paths of life, and so it should become clear why many people liken the experiences of life to a series of tests laid out before you by God. Indeed, life is a constant test of your inner strength to overcome life's obstacles and to hold fast to your faiths.
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”- Buddha
Every single moment, every single second of your existence, presents you with a choice, with an opportunity to believe or doubt yourself. Most of these moments might appear to you to be trivial, but that's only because you don't yet realize the potential that lies within every one of these moments. Like a dormant volcano, ready to erupt at your command, you can make each one of these moments work either powerfully for you or against you. Your beliefs can either greatly empower you, giving you great strength to push forward toward your goals, or forcefully diminish you, placing more and more mental barriers between you and your aims.
Just try to remember that the placebo is merely an effect of our mind's expectations. Remember that hypnosis only works because we are made to believe through its systematic use of suggestions. Remember that the extreme physical changes that have been documented through the study of Dissociative Identity Disorder are solely the effects of those subject's changes in perception. Recognize these things. Look over the research and convince yourself of their truths. Internalize those beliefs and they will become helpful resources in convincing yourself of the near limitless potential that lies within you. Maybe then you can allow the moment to become your placebo: your placebo for instant happiness and your eventual success in all your future endeavors.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”-Marianne Williamson
Perhaps you need more than simply the knowledge of the power of faith? Maybe you still feel like you lack that drive, that motivation, that spark to your ignite your desires? Well, then you might be a procrastinator, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
Maybe you even fear what you might become should you develop too much strength and self-confidence? You, my friend, are a coward...no two ways about it. But fret not, for you're in the company of the great majority and your heavenly father, your inner spirit, is forever waiting for your prayers so that he may assist you.
In any case, you could use some inspiration.
Unfortunately, that's something that I can't promise to provide you with. I can present you with all the facts , necessary tools, and inspirational quotes the world has to offer; but, ultimately, you're still left with the choice whether to take it or leave it. You may have to look outside of this article to find a source of inspiration. It may come from a quick Google or YouTube search, or, perhaps, take many arduous hours of reading self-help books, or the holy bible; listening to music, or observing the people in your own life. Perhaps you can find the inspiration from within? Through meditation or prayer? Whatever the case may be, I suggest that you do whatever it takes to become motivated. For, if there's one thing that's worth investing a lot of time in, it's your self-improvement.
I guarantee that you do have the willpower to improve yourself. You might not currently recognize this fact due to the dark cloud that has slowly developed as the result of past conditioning, that is obfuscating the true nature of your being, but it still lies in there somewhere, waiting for light to be shown upon it. This same story plays out all too often, as our society continues to surround us with the message that we have no such power. Those in power need you to be weak so that they can maintain their power to rule you. But you don't have to be weak. You don't have to listen to those dis-empowering messages weaved throughout the many genres of music, saturating television, radio, magazines, the Internet, and even text books. You can take the power back. But it must start with your desire to do so.
I can't give that to you. What I can do for you is to offer my help to the best of my abilities, and that I will.
"That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well."
- Abraham Lincoln
Consider this. If someone's accomplished any feat before, any time in the history of man, it's proof that it lies within the human potential. In other words, if someone's done it before, it can be done again. Those people that experienced great successes in the past and the people that have success in the present aren't super-human. They're regular ol' human beings just like yourself.
Perhaps you buy into the notion that certain people have better genes than the “average person” and so their potential lies higher than the rest? Maybe you're one of those victims of life, who envies all those people that were dealt a better hand? And you know what, those are perfectly reasonable conclusions to reach in the average experience of life. Why wouldn't you come to those conclusions when you're surrounded by “normal” people, who live normal lives? When a truly “great” person may only step into your life once in a blue moon?
Don't get me wrong, it's hard to argue that you have the same potential as Leonardo De Vinci and Socrates did in their own times. They were clearly far and beyond the abilities and the intelligence of their peers and still would be if they were living today. But I'm here to tell you that it IS possible for you to reach their level, and even surpass them.
...and no, I didn't recently escape from a mental asylum.
...and no, I didn't recently escape from a mental asylum.
First, I must point you to an excerpt found on pages 4 and 5 in Dr. Maltz' Psycho-Cybernetics that demonstrates just how much one's self-image – the conceptualized self formed by one's self-beliefs – can effect one's general aptitude, demonstrating that it's far from fixed:
“One of the earliest and most convincing experiments along this line was conducted by the late Prescott Lecky, one of the pioneers in self-image psychology. Lecky conceived of the personality as a 'system of ideas,' all of which must seem to be consistent with each other. Ideas which are inconsistent with the system are rejected, 'not believed,' and not acted upon. Ideas which seem to be consistent with the system are accepted. At the very center of this system of ideas—the keystone—the base upon which all else is built, is the individual's 'ego ideal,' his 'self-image,' or his conception of himself. Lecky was a school teacher and had an opportunity to test his theory upon thousands of students.
Lecky theorized that if a student had trouble learning a certain subject, it could be because (from the student's point of view) it would be inconsistent for him to learn it. Lecky believed, however, that if you could change the student's self-conception, which underlies this viewpoint, his attitude toward the subject would change accordingly. If the student could be induced to change his self-definition, his learning ability should also change. This proved to be the case. One student who misspelled 55 words out of a hundred and flunked so many subjects that he lost credit for a year, made a general average of 91 the next year and became one of the best spellers in school. A boy who was dropped from one college because of poor grades, entered Columbia and became a straight 'A' student. A girl who had flunked Latin four times, after three talks with the school counselor, finished with a grade of 84. A boy who was told by a testing bureau that he had no aptitude for English, won honorable mention the next year for a literary prize.
The trouble with these students was not that they were dumb, or lacking in basic aptitudes. The trouble was an inadequate self-image ('I don't have a mathematical mind'; 'I'm just naturally a poor speller'). They 'identified' with their mistakes and failures. Instead of saying 'I failed that test' (factual and descriptive) they concluded 'I am a failure.' Instead of saying 'I flunked that subject' they said 'I am a flunk-out.' For those who are interested in learning more of Lecky's work, I recommend securing a copy of his book: 'Self Consistency, a Theory of Personality,' The Island Press, New York, N.Y.”
This excerpt clearly indicates that one's potential can be either held or released by one's self-concepts.
These students once believed, like the majority of people in the world still do believe, that they were being held back by their own limits. They believed they weren't good enough. As it turns out, they weren't defined by their limits, but they unknowingly defined those limits for themselves. As the excerpt rightfully put it, they identified with their perceived limits. They became precisely those things because that is all that their limited beliefs allowed them to experience. They essentially short-changed themselves.
All it took was a little nudge in the right direction. A little change in their perspective for them to realize that not only was it not true that they weren't good enough, but they were, in fact, far better than average. With this new frame of mind, a new world of possibilities opened up to each of them. Yet, they were only just beginning to discover their true potential.
Try to understand that this is just a small taste of what each one of these students might have become if they continued to improve their self-image. If they could each expand their aptitude that much in a year or less, imagine where they could be decades from now, if they continued to push their limits.
Speaking of which, this begs of the question: can one ever reach their greatest potential?
I'm confident that the answer is “no.” It seems clear to me that, no matter how good you might be at something, you could always squeeze a little bit more out of yourself through more practice or training. There will always be room for improvement, for every person and in every action. As the great Vince Lombardi (head coach of Green Bay Packers from 1959-67 and Washington Redskins from 1969-70) said, “perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”
I'm confident that the answer is “no.” It seems clear to me that, no matter how good you might be at something, you could always squeeze a little bit more out of yourself through more practice or training. There will always be room for improvement, for every person and in every action. As the great Vince Lombardi (head coach of Green Bay Packers from 1959-67 and Washington Redskins from 1969-70) said, “perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”
Now this is much different from the question of whether we all have the same potential from birth. I believe that we do, with perhaps only a few exceptions. Allow me to explain.
I'm sure you're all familiar with the “nature vs. nurture” debate that's been an ongoing discussion in the field of psychology for many decades? Just in case you've been living under a moon sized rock for your whole life, I'll give you the shortened version of how it goes. The central question is how much of the way we think and behave is determined by our DNA and how much is determined by our environment? Scientists who fully support the nature (ie heredity) theory believe that humans behave and think based entirely on their genetic predispositions (ie “genetic determinism). Those who fully support the nurture (ie environment) theory contend that a person's upbringing (eg environmental factors) “shapes” their thoughts and behaviors into what they are to become, irrespective of their genetics.
Just as nothing in this world is only black or white, other than chess boards, panda bears, and 1950's television, the truth appears to actually lie somewhere in the middle of these two extreme views.
Geneticist and epigeneticists – scientist in the field of “epigenetics”, translating roughly to “something more than genetics” – have poured much time into understanding just how “pre-programmed” we are. To date, the results of their research has provided us with strong evidence that the theory of genetic determinism is entirely flawed. In fact, it has been proven beyond all reasonable doubt that certain environmental and climate conditions have an effect on one's genetic makeup.
The following excerpt from http://www.scientificamerican.com provides one such example of the evidence of environmental influence on genetics:
The neurobiological investigation of environmental effects on learning and memory began in the late Sixties and early Seventies, when Mark Rosenzweig and colleagues examined how manipulating levels of sensory stimulation, exercise and social interaction affected rats’ behavior. Laboratory rats typically live in a cage with bedding, food and water but little else. In the enriched environments (EE) that Rosenzweig’s group created, animals got access to a changing roster of toys, and increased opportunities for socialization and exercise. The brains of EE rats were larger and they outperformed controls (which were housed in typical cages) in learning and memory tasks. Subsequent work by researchers looking at the cellular level has shown that EE triggers changes in neural morphology (shape), resistance to neurodegenerative disease and learning-related neural activity.
Recently, Arai, Li and colleagues extended this line of inquiry, examining the role that EE plays in Long-Term Potential (LTP), a form of synaptic strengthening that supports learning and memory. The physiological signature of LTP is an increase in the baseline level of a neuron’s electrical activity. Arai and Li showed that LTP in the hippocampus, a key brain structure involved in learning and memory processes, is greater in mice reared in EE.
What’s more surprising, however, is that EE is also sufficient to “rescue” a memory defect present in genetically altered mice. Parent mice born with the defect that were then exposed to EE as juveniles did not pass the same memory defects to their offspring. Their enriched surroundings corrected their genetic deficit.
How does this correction occur? Specific molecular pathways are required to generate LTP. When scientists silence the parts of the DNA code involved in the function of one of these pathways using what geneticists call “knock out” technology, as was the case in the mutant mice with a memory defect, both LTP and memory functioning are impaired. Arai and Li showed that EE increased LTP volume in wild-type (non-mutant) mice. Interestingly, mice that have had a standard molecular pathway required to induce LTP knocked out can still induce LTP. The researchers found that this EE-related LTP is induced via a novel molecular pathway that arises as a direct result of EE exposure. Moreover, they found that the enhanced LTP capacity of wild-type mice, and the rescued capacity for LTP in knock-out mice, can be transmitted epigenetically (that is, without any changes in their genetic code) from mother to offspring. Surprisingly, this transmission was true even when their offspring were raised in a conventional environment.
So what useful bit of knowledge can we gather from these experiments?
Well, for one, it helps us to understand how much better we have it than lab rats. More importantly, however, it demonstrates that the potential exists for beneficial changes to occur, even at the molecular/ biological level of one's DNA, when provided with the right conditions. It appears that if those conditions are never met, as was the case with the control group of rats that never got exposed to the “enriched environment,” then the the relating defect(s) will remain. Because, as far as we can tell, our bodies are biologically separate from the environment - hence, “organisms” - it should be safe to assume that it's the resulting change in thought patterns and, therefore, behavioral patterns provided by the surrounding conditions that evoke the changes, as opposed to the environment directly.
Could it be, then, that those mental conditions that provide the opportunity for beneficial changes, conditions that are essentially “awakened” within us by the environment, be emulated (ie replaced) by your thoughts and beliefs? In other words, if you are to direct your thoughts in a certain way, can you create the desired changes in your body and mind – changes that might take a special set of environmental circumstances for most to ever experience?
The fellas over at the “Institute of Heartmath” (IHM) seem to think so. IHM is, to borrow the words from their website, “an internationally recognized nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to helping people reduce stress, self-regulate emotions and build energy and resilience for healthy, happy lives.” Their research is conducted by “a group of prestigious and internationally recognized leaders in physics/ biophysics/ astrophysics, education, mathematics and engineering, and cardiology, biofeedback and psychology among other medical disciplines.”
Researchers at IHM contend that “integral elements of the model for who we are and what we can be are the thoughts, feelings and intentions we have every day. After two decades of studies, HeartMath researchers say other factors such as the appreciation and love we have for someone or the anger and anxiety we feel also influence and can alter the outcomes of each individual’s DNA blueprint.”
This is an eye-opening statement, as not only does it imply that we can control our behaviors, but also the makeup of our DNA. If it's true that feelings and emotions can change us at the most fundamental level of our biological and psychological bodies - what was previously established by our genetic encoding - then we may have more free reign over what we are to become, and even what we pass on to the next generation through our genes, than most would dare to fathom. Perhaps we do all have COMPLETE and TOTAL freewill, after all?
This is an eye-opening statement, as not only does it imply that we can control our behaviors, but also the makeup of our DNA. If it's true that feelings and emotions can change us at the most fundamental level of our biological and psychological bodies - what was previously established by our genetic encoding - then we may have more free reign over what we are to become, and even what we pass on to the next generation through our genes, than most would dare to fathom. Perhaps we do all have COMPLETE and TOTAL freewill, after all?
I believe wholeheartedly that we do, but whether or not you agree, I think it's safe to say that we have more control over who we become and if and how we reach our goals than most will allow themselves to believe. And that's precisely what this blog is about. That's why I'm pouring all this energy into all this research – so I can help you to open up to the possibilities. For not until you can begin to consider the possibility that more potential exists for you, can you have even the slightest chance of progressing towards those heights.
Just like Prescott Lecky's subjects had been guilty of prior to him working on their self-image, you're only short-changing yourself by accepting your "limits." The moment you accept the belief that you have achieved all that you can, that you have maxed out your potential, you've set yourself up for no further progress. You'll be correct in your assumptions, not because you assessed your situation accurately, but rather, due to the fact that you set your expectations as such. You've essentially destined yourself to your limits through your beliefs. I'm simply trying to expand the possibilities that exist for you by providing you with as much solid evidence as I can to give you the opportunity to beneficially alter your current perception of what life has to offer you.
Now that I got that out of the way, let us focus again on how one can develop a success inducing mindset.
As it turns out, the major distinguishing factor between those who are successful and those who aren't, those who're happy and sad, even intelligent and stupid is the direction of their thoughts, determined by their self-concepts. They're simply better able to focus their attention on what really benefits them in life. They aren't as inclined to give thought to notions of limitation. Their thoughts are instead concentrated on growth. They attempt to reach their potential, as opposed to define it.
As far as success goes, you don't have to be the world's smartest man to achieve great heights – even impacting the whole world. Men of arguably average intelligence become successful all the time. What really determines a successful person is a successful mindset. That mindset can be broken into two traits that must dominate the psyche, and they are: 1.) they're passionate (ie determined) about reaching their goals, 2.) they have a strong faith in their abilities to lead them to their destination. These two steps can be summed up even more succinctly as having the “drive” to succeed; that is, the innate ability to push through all hardships in order to see to their success.
That's it. That's all it takes. Now, the assumption is that your goal is humanly possible. If your goal is to grow wings and fly off into outer space, where you'll manifest unicorns and leprechauns with your newly developed powers, although it MIGHT be possible, there's currently nothing out there to suggest that it lies in the human potential and so I wouldn't get my hopes up too high if I were you. I mean, I've heard of shooting for the stars, but yeesh...
Yes, all it takes is confidence in yourself and a determination (ie drive) to succeed.
People are expanding what we once thought were our limits all the time, as far back as documented human history can take us. The world of technology is ever improving, thanks to people realizing the power that lies in their self-beliefs. What we currently recognize as possible is the the accumulated effect of individuals like yourself realizing their potential. They all found a strength within themselves, allowing them to expand their perceived limits, which, in turn, allowed them to improve upon what they and the rest of the world thought possible. That strength is innate. You have it just like all those innovators of the past; just like all those famous entrepreneurs, inventors, philosophers, physicists, social reformers, kings and presidents. That power is at your disposal at all times, you just never realized it YET.
...that's right I said “yet”; as in, you can and, in fact, WILL realize these truths through the course of your own experiences, if you sufficiently desire to make them real and apply them to your life.
You have the potential to create something that the world has never seen before, like the Wright brothers did when they invented the first working air plane. You have the potential to create a new way of thinking that can help improve the world, succeeding where great thinkers like Carl Marx perhaps fell a bit short. In fact, you can exceed anything anyone has ever done in the history of mankind! All you must do to achieve these things is to break through the barriers of your self-imposed limitations.
To overcome your doubts and your fears is to expand your possibilities. The potential for your success is always there, but you must come to realize it through your own experiences with life. Unfortunately, there are no short-cuts. There's no amount of money that can buy you joy or a sense of achievement. As it turns out, you can't cheat life. The old adage that “you get what you give” is most definitely a universal truth. That's why one's level of tenacity is such an important trait in becoming successful and, in my opinion, it's the real reason why you will probably never surpass Leonardo De Vinci at his accomplishments.
Having the knowledge of the truth isn't enough. It's the first and, perhaps, the most important step towards your growth, but you must use your willpower to grow any further from it. For, even when presented with the most divine of truths – those of the purest, wisest, and most useful nature – as if spoken directly from the mouth of God; you are still left with the freewill to choose your path. Your hand will never be forced.
Indeed, the volcano I alluded to earlier is the perfect analogy of your power. You hold the power to impact the whole world. You hold the power to be a Donald Trump, a Martin Luther King Jr., a Barrack Obama, a Thomas Edison, an Einstein, or even a Hitler or a Vlad the Impaler – I beg of you not to, though. You can become as successful as your self-imposed limitations will allow. You determine your limits with your doubts and your fears, your courage and your faith.
“Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; Unbelief, is denying them.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Whether you're religious or not, I'm sure you'd agree that people seem to get strength from their faith, whatever it may be. Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist; you name it, they all have their followers who will testify to the claim that they sense a source of power separate from themselves that gives them strength. They may each have a different name for it. Some call it spirit, others call it life force, prana, or cosmic energy. Whatever they call it, they believe it's an energy that's emanated from the source of life: God, Source, Yahweh, Brahma, I AM, Allah, etc.
Think about this for a moment, what do all these religions have in common that would make each of them experience the same benefits?
The power of belief, perhaps?
Now it may very well be true that one of these religions has it right. Maybe the Christians are correct that the God of the Holy Bible exists. Perhaps God does answer our prayers, just like Jesus (ie God's son) said he would, “Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24). Maybe “miracles” do happen because God is intervening in response to those prayers.
Who am I to argue with a Christian whether he is right or wrong in his views, or with a Hindu, or Muslim, for that matter? I don't know the truth any more than the next person. One can only speculate on such matters. It's called “faith” for a reason, after all. However, I do suspect that they get their prayers answered, not because a higher power is giving them anything extra, but because they believe with so much conviction that a manifestation of that prayer can be the only possible outcome.
I'm not even necessarily implying that God doesn't exist. Not at all. In fact, I believe that God exists. Sure, it's possible that it's only the power of belief developed in one's faith in God which leads to prayers being answered. However, I'm more open to the notion that God instilled this power of belief in each of us that we somehow trans-mutated into the "power of prayer." In other words, God doesn't directly answer our prayers, but we do, thanks to how he created us. Essentially, our faith in God to answer our prayers amounts to our confidence in ourselves to achieve our goals. You could say its the result of the placebo effect, only placing the image of a personal God in for the sugar pill.
Just like I said earlier about hypnosis, I can say the same for the placebo effect and the effects religion has on its proponents as well: the mechanisms behind why they work may not fully be understood, science might still be trying to uncover the whys and the hows, but the fact still remains that they do work. The common denominator in all these phenomena and what appears to be the magic pill, as it were, is belief.
Now that I've presented you with plenty of evidence for the power contained in one's beliefs, I'd like to get into its application to improve your life
Part Four:
Part Four:
I made a special point to myself to add that last bit about religion because I think it holds in it another key that is integral in overcoming yourself, if you will, and changing your beliefs. That key rests in the state of prayer. That is, the state of mind one is typically in during prayer. Not surprisingly, it's very similar to the state one reaches during hypnosis and even meditation. In fact, this point has actually already been proven by recent research in the field of “neurotheology” in which delicate electrical equipment was used to confirm that the same areas of the brain are used during meditation and prayer. THIS site has an interesting article on this topic, should it interest you.
Unfortunately, it's not as simple as saying it's a calmed state of mind, causing your brain to produce more alpha waves – 5 minutes of research after Google searching “brainwaves” will bring you up to par with what I'm talking about – that places you in a more receptive (ie suggestive) state. While that's true, it's also true of the “hypnotic trance.”. The state of prayer is different in that no one has to convince you (e.g. the hypnotist) that the “suggestions” are possible. You're already accepting that it's possible in the act of prayer. Your belief that God is listening to you and that he will answer your prayers allows your own suggestions to get passed that psychological barrier made by all your doubts, fears, and past conditioning. Of course, the “potency” of your prayers is directly proportional to the faith you have that they will be answered.
In Christianity, then, it becomes necessary to completely surrender yourself to God, if all your prayers are to be answered. Placing all your faith in him allows you to totally open yourself up to his plans for you. In other words, you're dropping all your guards, becoming entirely open to change and, at the same time, becoming supremely confident that only beneficial changes will occur.
This is the best of both worlds, because not only will the changes come swiftly at this point, but they will be desirable changes, since that is what you've come to expect. After experiencing the powers and benefits of this new and healthy mindset, you will be filled with gratitude and happiness and will inevitably lock yourself into a positive cycle of experiences. It will feel to you as if you're in the “flow” of life, in harmony with all that is good. Good things will appear to be attracted into your life as if you're a magnet to them.
This is the best of both worlds, because not only will the changes come swiftly at this point, but they will be desirable changes, since that is what you've come to expect. After experiencing the powers and benefits of this new and healthy mindset, you will be filled with gratitude and happiness and will inevitably lock yourself into a positive cycle of experiences. It will feel to you as if you're in the “flow” of life, in harmony with all that is good. Good things will appear to be attracted into your life as if you're a magnet to them.
Rejoice and be glad, indeed...
So, how do we use this information if we aren't religious/ spiritual?
Try to reach the state of mind AS IF you were surrendering yourself to God by instead surrendering to your inner-self (ie dissociating from your egoistic self), the real you underneath all those years of caked-on conditioning that is your “ego.” Try to believe you have all the powers that you need to get anything that you desire. Remember, one's faith in God is the psychological equivalent of one's confidence in themselves. They are the same state of mind. The state of total relaxation, which brings with it a state of peace and a total lack of fear, and positive expectation. Your most helpful tool in accomplishing all of these tasks can be found in your mind's remarkable ability to focus deeply and intently and actually begin to change the neural connections within the brain with enough concentrated effort – this is often referred to as “neural plasticity” – which can be harnessed best through the act of meditation.
I'm sure you'll find that developing faith in an omnipotent God proves to be a much easier task for the spiritual than in one's imperfect self for the atheist. While the religious tend to view God as the divinely perfect, one's self-image is usually far from matching. This makes the approach of believing in yourself a more arduous task than building faith in a God that you were conditioned to believe in. It may take more effort, more tweaking of your self-concepts, but it is achievable.
Just try to allow yourself to believe that “it's possible,” or “it can happen” – a technique, that wouldn't you know it, I borrowed from Psycho-Cybernetics. Say to yourself “it's possible that I can reach that goal,” “I can become that type of person.” It would probably be best if you aimed for a small goal or small change in your self-image at first, just to build up some confidence, but make sure that it's lofty enough to take some effort.
A very effective next step is to visualize yourself reaching that goal, or becoming the type of person that you aim to be. Make that vision as real as possible. Use as many senses as you can in that vision. Evoke as many good feelings and emotions as you can. The whole time you should try to remain calm and relaxed. This is the state in which you are most receptive to suggestions, even your own, in the form of your thoughts.
This is precisely the method that proponents of “The Law of Attraction” use to “manifest” their desires. They attempt to experience these imagined ideal circumstances AS IF they are already a part of their lives. They do this by trying to emulate all the stimulation that their senses would experience if their visualized ideals were true and they were actually there experiencing it. They try to see everything in as much detail as possible, even noticing the most obscure details, they smell all the aromas, hear all the sounds, feel all the wonderful sensations and emotions that they associate with successfully reaching their goals. They believe that doing these things with enough intent, good feelings, and faith in the results will eventually attract all the people, objects, and situations necessary to make it their reality.
Their faith in the results is developed through the strengthening of their belief that every atom in the universe is intimately connected and that proper “vibrations” – believing that every thought has a unique vibrational frequency – will, by universal law, arrange the energy fields (eg matter) to bring about their desires. They try not to worry about how the favorable conditions will come into their lives replacing their current circumstances. Rather, they place their faith in the law, using the aforementioned visualization techniques, and consciously change their actions in such a way that it MIGHT potentially be a pre-cursor (ie path) to reaching whatever goal(s) they hold in their vision. Even though they may not know how it could ever come to be, they BELIEVE that the conditions will come about.
Their faith in the results is developed through the strengthening of their belief that every atom in the universe is intimately connected and that proper “vibrations” – believing that every thought has a unique vibrational frequency – will, by universal law, arrange the energy fields (eg matter) to bring about their desires. They try not to worry about how the favorable conditions will come into their lives replacing their current circumstances. Rather, they place their faith in the law, using the aforementioned visualization techniques, and consciously change their actions in such a way that it MIGHT potentially be a pre-cursor (ie path) to reaching whatever goal(s) they hold in their vision. Even though they may not know how it could ever come to be, they BELIEVE that the conditions will come about.
Much like with any faith or religion, the belief itself may not be based on reality or truth, but it can still work if the conviction is strong enough. It works because it allows them to overcome many self-doubts and fears that they hold, which translates to overcoming many perceived limitations, allowing them to think and act in a way that brings about their desired results. Perhaps “The Law of Attraction” crowd don't literally attract the things that they “make real” in their minds as a result of universal laws, but instead make them more likely to manifest in their lives by adopting the correct frame of mind to make those desires a reality.
Or perhaps they are 100% correct in terms of what is happening at the technical level. If you ask me, it really doesn't matter. It seems to me that the real relevance of any belief, whether it be spiritually based or not, is whether it gives you the desired results. From this perspective, spirituality and/or religion can be seen as a tool to help you reach success.
Or perhaps they are 100% correct in terms of what is happening at the technical level. If you ask me, it really doesn't matter. It seems to me that the real relevance of any belief, whether it be spiritually based or not, is whether it gives you the desired results. From this perspective, spirituality and/or religion can be seen as a tool to help you reach success.
Keeping this in mind, it shouldn't much matter to you whether “The Law of Attraction” is real. What should matter is that the visualization approach that they use DOES work. The mechanism(s) by which they do work may not be fully understood, but they work nonetheless. You don't have to take my words for it. Please, by all means, test it out for yourself. Just make sure to have a little patience. Give it 21 days of consecutive practice before judging the results. I'm sure you'll be pleased with what you find.
The best part of all of it is, if it does work, it will strengthen your confidence in the method, which will likely bring about even quicker and more noticeable results the next time – as your faith strengthens. At worst, you will have wasted only 10.5 hours (21 days X 0.5 hour/day) over a 21 day period. The reward of a more successful, happier, and fulfilling life is well worth the risk here. I hope you can see that.
The best part of all of it is, if it does work, it will strengthen your confidence in the method, which will likely bring about even quicker and more noticeable results the next time – as your faith strengthens. At worst, you will have wasted only 10.5 hours (21 days X 0.5 hour/day) over a 21 day period. The reward of a more successful, happier, and fulfilling life is well worth the risk here. I hope you can see that.
Now that we're back to the topic of visualization, it's worth noting that recent studies on its effects are strongly supporting the view that seeing yourself in 3rd person in your mind's eye is more effective than in 1st person. The reason isn't entirely clear, but the leading hypothesis is that seeing in 1st person in this way leads to your mind storing those images as a past memory, while, for reasons still unknown, those seen in 3rd person are stored as a new experience. Used in this way, your imagination can replace actual experiences and you can grow your confidence in yourself and your abilities without so much as lifting a finger.
Essentially, what you're doing is practicing visualization-meditation, a form of self-hypnosis; focusing as much attention on reaching your goals as your circumstances will allow.
Whatever you do, never give up on your initial goal, unless you're modifying it to make it better. Giving up will reinforce the limits that you initially placed on yourself through the development of your fears, making it that much more difficult for you to become a confident, successful, and happy person.
Practice this often – I like to do it in 30 minute sessions once or twice a day – and you will soon find that you start to develop more and more trust in yourself. As your faith grows, you'll inevitably find that your results do as well. With more confidence comes more power. Eventually, you'll have total faith in all your abilities and the sky is the limit.
In supplement to changing your self-image and your level of confidence in becoming successful, you should attempt to overcome as many fears and banish as many self-limiting beliefs as you can by slowly and systematically “calling them out.” You may use whatever you choose to assist you, whether it be prayer, meditation, hypnosis, self-hypnosis, visualization, positive affirmations, you name it. Use whatever method you can to help you realize your strength within and find that courage to face up to your fears and to question those limiting beliefs.
A common fear that I will use as an example is the "fear of failure," or "fear of rejection." Many people, who perhaps even realize their own potential, are stymied by this fear and ultimately experience having much less success over the course of their lives because of its negative effects on their decisions. They're probably conscious of the fact that it presents them with problems, but they still struggle to overcome it.
Over the course of their lives they have built up reinforcement towards the benefit of protecting their ego from experiencing the negative emotional states associated with their past failures. As a result, they developed a comfort in avoiding any and all situations that might present them with failure, and its negatively associated feelings and emotions. This fear can literally run people's lives, since the bigger decisions in life – the ones that present the greatest potential negative emotional impact, should they meet it with failure – are often avoided all together, confining them to a very small and limited world with limited opportunities for achievement and growth.
Over the course of their lives they have built up reinforcement towards the benefit of protecting their ego from experiencing the negative emotional states associated with their past failures. As a result, they developed a comfort in avoiding any and all situations that might present them with failure, and its negatively associated feelings and emotions. This fear can literally run people's lives, since the bigger decisions in life – the ones that present the greatest potential negative emotional impact, should they meet it with failure – are often avoided all together, confining them to a very small and limited world with limited opportunities for achievement and growth.
The impact of this fear can be lessened, and over time even thwarted altogether, if one can ever muster the courage to face up to it by pushing through the fear inducing situations presented in their life. The more one moves forward, despite the fear, the more self-confidence they will build and, consequently, the weaker that fear will become. The problem is that not everyone is convinced that the potential reward of a more confident, successful and happy life is worth the risk of experiencing failures.
What they really need is a change in perspective, a way to re-frame their situation, in order to nullify the impact that fear has on their decisions. They need to convince themselves through their own logic that the reward IS worth the risk. Only once they get over that hump will they have the strength to face those fears. They will still remain as very real fears – fears that evoke undesirable emotions and probably feelings of doubt. They will be very uncomfortable in those situations at first, but they will surely become more and more comfortable as they continue to develop the habit of pushing onward, with their sights set on growing.
Unfortunately, it's a fact of life that you must step outside of your comfort zone if you ever want to grow. It's in realizing this fact and in developing the perspective that the ultimate pleasure of success is worth the temporary pain of facing your fears that you can begin to arm yourself with the courage necessary to start the positive wheels turning. Again, recognition of this fundamental knowledge is the biggest key to your eventual success. Once the knowledge is applied and the benefits are realized, it's only natural that it becomes a new habit.
Regarding the fear of failure in specific, one should try to realize that failure is a part of life. They must make themselves understand that in order to grow, in order to have any chance of having a successful life, they will be faced with failures. Most importantly, they must convince themselves of the fact that to fail is not to be a failure, but rather, to give up because of failing is what constitutes being a failure.
People who have a strong fear of failure often see failing as a indicator of their own shortcomings, something in which they don't want to face. The root of this fear is an insecurity in their abilities. And what's causing that insecurity is a self-image that has those shortcomings. Their real, most fundamental, fear is that they will prove their self-beliefs right. They have convinced themselves either consciously or unconsciously that they'd rather not take a chance at proving their own negative beliefs to be right, even if it means that that they miss out on some promising opportunities. Put more succinctly, they are protecting their ego.
People who have a strong fear of failure often see failing as a indicator of their own shortcomings, something in which they don't want to face. The root of this fear is an insecurity in their abilities. And what's causing that insecurity is a self-image that has those shortcomings. Their real, most fundamental, fear is that they will prove their self-beliefs right. They have convinced themselves either consciously or unconsciously that they'd rather not take a chance at proving their own negative beliefs to be right, even if it means that that they miss out on some promising opportunities. Put more succinctly, they are protecting their ego.
Again, in order to fix this issue they will have to re-frame the situation. They must take the time to sit back and re-evaluate how they approach each applicable situation in their minds. They should try to ask themselves the tough questions that they had previously made a habit of hiding from, and convince themselves of the ridiculousness of fearing the answers.
That's right, you should question your beliefs. You should continually pound your self-limiting beliefs found at the root of the fear, that ugly self-image that you fear to validate, with questions like: “why?,” “in what way do you help me?,” “don't you realize that you're only limiting my potential?”
Ponder over these questions. Contemplate them through meditation. Visualize yourself walking up to something that can accurately represent what your fears are doing to you – perhaps a hostile person who does nothing but inflict pain upon you – and present “it” with these questions and watch it as it quickly turns its head away from you to hide the disgust on its face for failing to come up with a suitable (ie self-promoting) response on the spot. This can represent your first victory against your fear, if you make it FEEL real.
Perhaps after realizing the positive effect that imagined scenario had on you, you can go back to that “place” and confront your fear again, only this time with more aggression. Now, you can watch it as it cowers in fear, quickly backing itself up against a wall and hiding its face with its arms from the brilliant light of courage that is radiating from your heart. Perhaps in the next encounter your light will become so strong that its energy will completely obliterate your enemy, or maybe you'd rather finish him off with your sword...heck, it's your imagination for crying out loud, why not make it epic and finish him with a light saber or even the force ;-)
Ponder over these questions. Contemplate them through meditation. Visualize yourself walking up to something that can accurately represent what your fears are doing to you – perhaps a hostile person who does nothing but inflict pain upon you – and present “it” with these questions and watch it as it quickly turns its head away from you to hide the disgust on its face for failing to come up with a suitable (ie self-promoting) response on the spot. This can represent your first victory against your fear, if you make it FEEL real.
Perhaps after realizing the positive effect that imagined scenario had on you, you can go back to that “place” and confront your fear again, only this time with more aggression. Now, you can watch it as it cowers in fear, quickly backing itself up against a wall and hiding its face with its arms from the brilliant light of courage that is radiating from your heart. Perhaps in the next encounter your light will become so strong that its energy will completely obliterate your enemy, or maybe you'd rather finish him off with your sword...heck, it's your imagination for crying out loud, why not make it epic and finish him with a light saber or even the force ;-)
It might be hard for you to understand at this moment, but your imagination is perhaps your strongest weapon even when it comes to fighting your fears. Your subconscious mind thinks in terms of metaphors and symbols – which is why the philosophy arose that dreams are to be interpreted, as opposed to taken literally – and it just happens to be where all your deeply held beliefs, whether limiting or empowering, reside. So if the mind is wired in such a way that symbols are associated with fears, it makes sense that to overcome the fear should also involve symbols, which can only be made through your imagination.
For instance, in the act of inwardly facing your fear of failure, you could, hypothetically, have a chronic disease represent that fear. The metaphor should become clear to your subconscious as you're obviously drawing upon its resources to make the association between the illness that bothers and harms you in your imagination and the fear that causes equal hardships on your daily life. You can have a syringe containing the instant cure to that disease represent the solution to your fear. By injecting yourself with the medicine, you should strive to feel the disease's effects leaving your body. Feel the pleasure of being healed, of being freed of its great burden on your life. Again, the metaphor should be quite clear to your subconscious.
Should you make that experience REAL enough, you may very weaken, if not vanquish, that fear right there, without ever having to face up to it in the real world. You're essentially making your subconscious mind realize the harmful effects that it's causing you by holding those beliefs that you are representing through the use of metaphors. You are, in a sense, re-framing the belief in your imagination. Presenting your subconscious with another perspective on what the resulting insecurity and/ or fear is causing you.
Should you make that experience REAL enough, you may very weaken, if not vanquish, that fear right there, without ever having to face up to it in the real world. You're essentially making your subconscious mind realize the harmful effects that it's causing you by holding those beliefs that you are representing through the use of metaphors. You are, in a sense, re-framing the belief in your imagination. Presenting your subconscious with another perspective on what the resulting insecurity and/ or fear is causing you.
Of course, this visualization probably won't cure you in one “session.” It's not that it can't work so quickly. It can, but it likely won't because you probably have your doubts about it working; and remember, the limits are there only because we allow them to be in our thoughts – they are entirely self-imposed. However, even with those self-doubts, you should find that making this a daily practice should start to dissolve the perceived strength of the associated fear.
Repetition IS persuasive to the subconscious. If you attack it enough in the same way, if you continue to pound it with the same questions it WILL weaken its defenses and it will eventually open up to new ideas that can replace the old, unwanted beliefs. That's precisely why self-affirmations work, given enough time. Its also why most of your beliefs formed in the first place (eg you heard something enough that you started to believe it). As it turns out, quality – as in, a "real life-like" visualization session – is most effective, but quantity too will have an impact.
Repetition IS persuasive to the subconscious. If you attack it enough in the same way, if you continue to pound it with the same questions it WILL weaken its defenses and it will eventually open up to new ideas that can replace the old, unwanted beliefs. That's precisely why self-affirmations work, given enough time. Its also why most of your beliefs formed in the first place (eg you heard something enough that you started to believe it). As it turns out, quality – as in, a "real life-like" visualization session – is most effective, but quantity too will have an impact.
It may be that you have to “attack” your fear both in your imagination and in the real world to overcome it, but at least you can take comfort in knowing that you have all the most effective weapons at your disposal. This will, at the very least, build your confidence in the likelihood that you will overcome your fears, and that's at least half the battle.
Going back to dealing with the fear of failure in the real world, perhaps the most useful bit of knowledge that a person suffering from it could ever come upon is the realization that perceived failure only stops the weak. Any successful person, past or present, does not dwell on his failures, nor does he allow them to stop him in his quest for success. Rather, he sees them for what they truly are, an opportunity to learn from a mistake, and he moves along.
Of course, this is nearly the exact opposite way that a coward approaches the topic of failure, which is precisely why he must adopt the other view if he's ever to have a chance of overcoming his fears. This is the re-framing that I spoke of earlier that can become such a helpful tool in helping build your confidence and ultimately overcoming your fears.
Of course, this is nearly the exact opposite way that a coward approaches the topic of failure, which is precisely why he must adopt the other view if he's ever to have a chance of overcoming his fears. This is the re-framing that I spoke of earlier that can become such a helpful tool in helping build your confidence and ultimately overcoming your fears.
Now I'm going to use an even more specific example, one in which you might have some personal experience with – the fear of approaching women/ men (ie “fear of rejection”).
Let's examine a case of a man who's finally gained enough courage to approach a beautiful woman. He's re-examined his self-image and came to realize that it was his limited self-beliefs that were holding him back from being able to approach women. He's weighed the risk and the reward in his mind and thoroughly convinced himself of the conclusion that the short-term reward of building experience that will help grow his confidence and the long-term reward of having a beautiful girlfriend are worth the risks of rejection. He's done some “inner-work” through the visualization techniques that I spoke about earlier, visualizing himself being relaxed and comfortable while approaching and talking with a beautiful woman and being successful in developing a romantic relationship with her.
His fear may be lessened from all the work leading up to this “real world” moment, but it still remains, as you would expect. Now let's consider the hypothetical that the woman that he is approaching on this day does reject him.
Had he never taken the time to think a little deeper about it, allowing him to realize the ridiculousness of allowing a rejection to hold him back, he might have allowed that rejection to further reinforce his negative belief and never tried again. However, because he was already victorious in reasoning this through with his logical mind prior to “battle” he will rightfully feel some pain from the rejection, but can easily put it into perspective - it ain't the end of the world because this one girl out of 3.5 billion others didn't feel attracted to him - and try to do a little better next time.
Had he never taken the time to think a little deeper about it, allowing him to realize the ridiculousness of allowing a rejection to hold him back, he might have allowed that rejection to further reinforce his negative belief and never tried again. However, because he was already victorious in reasoning this through with his logical mind prior to “battle” he will rightfully feel some pain from the rejection, but can easily put it into perspective - it ain't the end of the world because this one girl out of 3.5 billion others didn't feel attracted to him - and try to do a little better next time.
Thanks to his discovery of the ability to re-frame the situation in his mind, he can now view the failure as an opportunity to learn and to grow, whereas before he would have allowed it to push him down even further. He doesn't want to fail anymore than he did before. Rather, he now realizes that in order to grow, in order to become more confident in himself and have a better chance at success, he must expect such failures. For, he's now convinced that the reward of successfully picking up attractive women outweighs the worst case scenario (ie potential risk) of rejection. He is essentially overcoming his fear of rejection (ie failure) by fueling the newly formed realization that failure is necessary for his growth. Should he stick to this mindset long enough and build up enough positive reinforcement by seeing it through to its successful conclusion, he will eventually form a new belief in himself, thus conquering a prior fear for good.
In order to help him reach his goal he may look to hypnosis or visualization focused meditation. These can, no doubt, be very helpful tools to assist him in building the confidence to finally have some success. However, no matter how much confidence he builds up when picturing, in his mind's eye, picking up that hottie in the corner of the bar wearing that alluring red dress, he can only really pick one up through the act of actually trying it in the real world. And so, it becomes necessary to mix in real experience with imagined experience, even though a vivid imagination can be said to effectively replace an actual experience in terms of psychological benefits.
This is only one example of a virtually infinite number of possible situations where the knowledge of how to face your fears will apply. Fortunately, assuming you are committed to the change, no matter what that situation may be, the same steps will apply with the same ultimate conclusions.
You must face your doubts and your fears and the resulting limiting beliefs by first challenging them head-on. Find your inner strength to gather the courage to begin proving them wrong. Fight them with both the power of your imagination and your experiences in the real world. Build up positive reinforcement for your desired way of thinking by re-framing your failures as opportunities to learn and to grow and remembering your successes. Saturate your reality with your desired goal, by consciously directing your thoughts in line with it. Do everything in your power to see it through to its success, using any tools that you deem necessary along the way. Stick with it and try to realize that the resulting success will be well worth the means. Remember, you get what you give in life. The rewards that you reap will be a fine meal, well worth the time and the effort that it took to gather the livestock and ripen the fruit.
And don't think for a minute that you don't have the inner strength to persevere through all these steps. Don't allow your mind to come up with excuses as to why you shouldn't invest so much of your precious time on a “gamble.” First of all, what's so important that you can't set aside 30 minutes to an hour a day at the chance that you improve your life many-fold? Missing an episode of “House”? I mean, come on, get real with yourself here and stop procrastinating and making excuses. Secondly, you must stop thinking these things to begin with, because these are precisely the thoughts that are currently fueling your limiting self-beliefs and giving you your life of lack.
If you expect failure, you will get it. Negative expectation works just as effectively as positive expectation. Only, instead of forming a cycle of positive experiences, filling your life with joy, you will get...well, you know, more of the same. Give it time. Have a little patience and I'm sure you'll find that things start to change for the better.
Just think, 21 days from now you can be a new, improved, happier person. A person who is much more likely to reach their goals,and build a positive future. If only you can maintain the desire to change and the determination to push forward.
I would say “good luck in you endeavors,” but, alas, luck doesn't exist. Luck is something that is perceived by the envious multitude who fail to understand the true power of belief.
To end in the wise words of two of the world's most followed and respected spiritual leaders:
“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”- Buddha
“...I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,' and it would move. NOTHING would be impossible." (Mathew 17:20)- Jesus
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