What is gratitude? How does an attitude of gratitude change one's limiting beliefs?
Gratitude changes your perspective. Gratitude makes you look the present moment square in the face and become conscious of all the good things you have in life.
Try This
Take a few minutes a day to jot down a minimum of five things you are grateful for. Can't think of anything? Here are a few questions to ask:
Do you have food to eat? Do you have a roof over your head?
A comfortable and warm bed to sleep in?
Are there clean clothes in the closet or dresser?
Is the sun shining?
Are the chickens clucking in the yard?
Perhaps the last one doesn't apply. However, the first five will get you started. There's nothing too small for gratitude. The purr of a cat or devotion in your dog's eyes can evoke feelings of gratefulness. Animals seem to bring out the best of us.
With practice, creating a gratitude list will become easy. And before you know it, you'll have a long list of many things to appreciate. The more you recognize all the good things in life to be grateful about, the more your perspective shifts. When your perspective shifts your limiting beliefs start to loosen their tight grip. Possibilities that you weren't able to see start to make their presence known.
Start a gratitude journal. The best time to make entries is first thing in the morning and at bedtime. Keep in mind that it can take twenty-one to thirty days to make something a habit.
Limiting beliefs don't stand a chance when you develop attitude of gratitude muscles.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Using the Power of the Present Moment to Change Limiting Beliefs
There's no time like the present! You’ve heard that before. Do you know how to live it? What does that mean?
Most of us live inside our heads. We are thinking about the past or dreaming about the future. Rarely do we take time to fully appreciate the present moment.
Stop and think about it. The present is all we have. The past is done and gone. The future is being written in the present. We spend our lives looking forward down the road to the destination. We only look up for a moment to see if we have “arrived”.
And you’ve heard this one before. Life is a journey, not a destination. Have you ever been on a long car trip and fully appreciated the scenery as you move from point a to point b? I’m always amazed at the wonderful things I see on a fifteen-hour trip from Ohio to New Hampshire.
Or are you the type of person who asks, “Are we there yet?”
Being full present will change your limiting beliefs. Here's how to utilize the present moment:
THE BREATH
We take breathing for granted. It’s something we “do” on autopilot. We seem to only notice it when we are “out of breath”. Consciously using your breath will revitalize you and stop the mind chatter.
Take a deep breath in. As you do this, notice how it feels. What does the air feel like as it moves through your nostrils? Is it cold? Is it warm? How do your lungs feel as they expand and fill? Notice any sensations you feel as you hold that breath in for a moment.
Slowly let the air out. How does it taste? How does it feel as it moves out your mouth? Completely immerse yourself in the sensations of breath.
A small voice in your head may start to sputter and complain that this is silly. It says that because for just a moment you quieted your mind. You’ve created a space between you and your mind chatter.
THE FIVE SENSES
Most of us live on autopilot, trusting our five senses for input on our surroundings. Our mind computes and interprets that data into pictures or words. We create an association with our data. What if you used your five senses to fully experience what you see, hear, taste, touch and smell without trying to identify it?
Outdoors
Sit or lay in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and a few deep breaths to relax. The next step is to use each sense, one at a time. For example let’s start with touch. Notice how the air feels on your skin. Is it cool? Is it warm? Does it tickle or fluff your hair. Fully enjoy the experience of it. Put your attention upon your ears. Listen with the right ear only. Next listen to the sounds coming in through your left ear. Now listen with both. As you hear the noises do not try to label them. Notice how they sound. It’s similar to picking out individual instruments in an orchestra! Open your eyes. Look as far as you can in the distance. Look up and all around you without labeling anything.
Indoors
Sit or lay in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to relax. Notice your body as a whole unit. Now ask yourself if you have hands. How do you know you have hands? Notice the sensations when you put your attention upon your hands. Move your attention to each area of your body, arms, shoulders, neck, head, torso, legs, thighs, etc. It doesn’t matter if you can’t feel each section. Once you’ve moved through each section of your body, try to feel the whole body at once.
STOP MULTI-TASKING
As a society we have been conditioned to multi-task. What we lose when we multi-task is our ability to focus completely on one thing. We are continually thinking about the next thing that has to be done and how to juggle that with something else needing our attention. Use your five senses to immerse yourself in one task at a time. Doing the dishes? Feel the suds on your skin. Play in the water. Notice the smell of dish soap. A normally mundane chore becomes a meditative and pleasant experience.
Even when you’re at work, you can tune in and immerse yourself in whatever it is you are doing. Stop and pay attention by utilizing the five senses.
The above suggestions can be done anytime and pretty much anywhere. They can be used as a set meditation time or used as a “check-in” during the day to quiet the chatter.
Our present moment is a precious gift and requires our attention to fully utilize its power. Accessing this power opens you up to new ideas, creative solutions to problems, changes limiting beliefs and gives you a sense of peace in a seemingly crazy world.
Take a moment and open your present right here, right now.
Most of us live inside our heads. We are thinking about the past or dreaming about the future. Rarely do we take time to fully appreciate the present moment.
Stop and think about it. The present is all we have. The past is done and gone. The future is being written in the present. We spend our lives looking forward down the road to the destination. We only look up for a moment to see if we have “arrived”.
And you’ve heard this one before. Life is a journey, not a destination. Have you ever been on a long car trip and fully appreciated the scenery as you move from point a to point b? I’m always amazed at the wonderful things I see on a fifteen-hour trip from Ohio to New Hampshire.
Or are you the type of person who asks, “Are we there yet?”
Being full present will change your limiting beliefs. Here's how to utilize the present moment:
THE BREATH
We take breathing for granted. It’s something we “do” on autopilot. We seem to only notice it when we are “out of breath”. Consciously using your breath will revitalize you and stop the mind chatter.
Take a deep breath in. As you do this, notice how it feels. What does the air feel like as it moves through your nostrils? Is it cold? Is it warm? How do your lungs feel as they expand and fill? Notice any sensations you feel as you hold that breath in for a moment.
Slowly let the air out. How does it taste? How does it feel as it moves out your mouth? Completely immerse yourself in the sensations of breath.
A small voice in your head may start to sputter and complain that this is silly. It says that because for just a moment you quieted your mind. You’ve created a space between you and your mind chatter.
THE FIVE SENSES
Most of us live on autopilot, trusting our five senses for input on our surroundings. Our mind computes and interprets that data into pictures or words. We create an association with our data. What if you used your five senses to fully experience what you see, hear, taste, touch and smell without trying to identify it?
Outdoors
Sit or lay in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and a few deep breaths to relax. The next step is to use each sense, one at a time. For example let’s start with touch. Notice how the air feels on your skin. Is it cool? Is it warm? Does it tickle or fluff your hair. Fully enjoy the experience of it. Put your attention upon your ears. Listen with the right ear only. Next listen to the sounds coming in through your left ear. Now listen with both. As you hear the noises do not try to label them. Notice how they sound. It’s similar to picking out individual instruments in an orchestra! Open your eyes. Look as far as you can in the distance. Look up and all around you without labeling anything.
Indoors
Sit or lay in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to relax. Notice your body as a whole unit. Now ask yourself if you have hands. How do you know you have hands? Notice the sensations when you put your attention upon your hands. Move your attention to each area of your body, arms, shoulders, neck, head, torso, legs, thighs, etc. It doesn’t matter if you can’t feel each section. Once you’ve moved through each section of your body, try to feel the whole body at once.
STOP MULTI-TASKING
As a society we have been conditioned to multi-task. What we lose when we multi-task is our ability to focus completely on one thing. We are continually thinking about the next thing that has to be done and how to juggle that with something else needing our attention. Use your five senses to immerse yourself in one task at a time. Doing the dishes? Feel the suds on your skin. Play in the water. Notice the smell of dish soap. A normally mundane chore becomes a meditative and pleasant experience.
Even when you’re at work, you can tune in and immerse yourself in whatever it is you are doing. Stop and pay attention by utilizing the five senses.
The above suggestions can be done anytime and pretty much anywhere. They can be used as a set meditation time or used as a “check-in” during the day to quiet the chatter.
Our present moment is a precious gift and requires our attention to fully utilize its power. Accessing this power opens you up to new ideas, creative solutions to problems, changes limiting beliefs and gives you a sense of peace in a seemingly crazy world.
Take a moment and open your present right here, right now.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
4 Tips On How To Change Limiting Beliefs
Changing limiting beliefs will change your life!
Ever wonder what holds you back from your dreams, a great relationship, the perfect job, and/or financial freedom? Limiting beliefs keep you from the success you desire.
What is a limiting belief? A limiting belief is a negative thought, conscious or unconscious that is thought over and over again. They are weeds in your mind’s garden. Just as in a flowerbed, weeds limit the potential other plants have to grow. If allowed to grow unchecked, they will take over! Self-limiting beliefs if left unchecked will take over your journey to success time and time again.
We acquire most of our beliefs unconsciously. Once it’s accepted and imprinted on the subconscious mind, it requires a conscious effort to be mindful of our thoughts, speech and action. Here are some tips that will get you started.
Tip 1. Check in with your emotions
Accept what you are feeling and the accompanying belief without judgment or trying to change it. This is you becoming the observer of you. This creates a space between you and that belief. You are not that belief. It is a thought that you have decided is a truth in your life.
Write out on a piece of paper what that limiting belief is and how it feels. Next, write out a new belief on a separate piece of paper; one that empowers and excites you. After that, burn or shred the paper with the old limiting belief. Physically shredding or burning the paper is a powerful affirmation stating that you are no longer accepting this thought as “true”. Now take the new belief and read it aloud daily. Feel the excitement and pleasure it brings you. The key word is to feel it. These rich feelings will draw the things you desire into your life, now that the conflict is gone.
Tip 2. Release, Let go and Break the cycle.
Challenge the limiting belief by asking these questions. Is this really true? Could I let this feeling go? (Are you capable of letting go)? Would you let it go? (Are you able to) and When? (Decide to do it now) Repeat this process until you feel relief about the limiting belief.
Tip 3. Emotional Freedom Technique
Is a breakthrough method developed by Gary Craig, personal performance coach, in the early 1990’s.Gary has dedicated his life to teaching people how to overcome emotional and physical blocks to success.
EFT is a type of energy psychology. It accesses the body’s energy system to relieve
emotional stress, physical pain, trauma and limiting beliefs. When these disruptions to your body’s energy field are removed, you are back in balance. It’s similar to using acupuncture except without the needles! Using a simple finger-tapping sequence that stimulates your body’s energy system, you remove blocks, disruptions and limiting beliefs with in the body’s energy field.
Tip 4. What We Believe We Achieve
Mike Dooley says, “Thoughts become things.” Have you ever noticed those who, no matter what the outward circumstances look like, always have a positive attitude? It seems that no matter what they are faced with, they come out on top? They understand that life if full of Infinite Possibilities. Changing your thoughts and perceptions will create change within your life. It’s the classic seeing the cup as half full vs. half empty view. You have a choice on how to look at it. These same people understand that there are principles at play in your life that can be identified, understood and harnessed.
Limiting beliefs are akin to a computer virus. They will undermine your success. They lead you to self-sabotaging behavior and actions. They limit you. Identifying and acknowledging these beliefs is the first step in releasing them. As you change your limiting beliefs, your world will transform. You will embark on the journey of a lifetime, your lifetime. You will experience joy, peace, love, fulfillment and freedom.
Ever wonder what holds you back from your dreams, a great relationship, the perfect job, and/or financial freedom? Limiting beliefs keep you from the success you desire.
What is a limiting belief? A limiting belief is a negative thought, conscious or unconscious that is thought over and over again. They are weeds in your mind’s garden. Just as in a flowerbed, weeds limit the potential other plants have to grow. If allowed to grow unchecked, they will take over! Self-limiting beliefs if left unchecked will take over your journey to success time and time again.
We acquire most of our beliefs unconsciously. Once it’s accepted and imprinted on the subconscious mind, it requires a conscious effort to be mindful of our thoughts, speech and action. Here are some tips that will get you started.
Tip 1. Check in with your emotions
Accept what you are feeling and the accompanying belief without judgment or trying to change it. This is you becoming the observer of you. This creates a space between you and that belief. You are not that belief. It is a thought that you have decided is a truth in your life.
Write out on a piece of paper what that limiting belief is and how it feels. Next, write out a new belief on a separate piece of paper; one that empowers and excites you. After that, burn or shred the paper with the old limiting belief. Physically shredding or burning the paper is a powerful affirmation stating that you are no longer accepting this thought as “true”. Now take the new belief and read it aloud daily. Feel the excitement and pleasure it brings you. The key word is to feel it. These rich feelings will draw the things you desire into your life, now that the conflict is gone.
Tip 2. Release, Let go and Break the cycle.
Challenge the limiting belief by asking these questions. Is this really true? Could I let this feeling go? (Are you capable of letting go)? Would you let it go? (Are you able to) and When? (Decide to do it now) Repeat this process until you feel relief about the limiting belief.
Tip 3. Emotional Freedom Technique
Is a breakthrough method developed by Gary Craig, personal performance coach, in the early 1990’s.Gary has dedicated his life to teaching people how to overcome emotional and physical blocks to success.
EFT is a type of energy psychology. It accesses the body’s energy system to relieve
emotional stress, physical pain, trauma and limiting beliefs. When these disruptions to your body’s energy field are removed, you are back in balance. It’s similar to using acupuncture except without the needles! Using a simple finger-tapping sequence that stimulates your body’s energy system, you remove blocks, disruptions and limiting beliefs with in the body’s energy field.
Tip 4. What We Believe We Achieve
Mike Dooley says, “Thoughts become things.” Have you ever noticed those who, no matter what the outward circumstances look like, always have a positive attitude? It seems that no matter what they are faced with, they come out on top? They understand that life if full of Infinite Possibilities. Changing your thoughts and perceptions will create change within your life. It’s the classic seeing the cup as half full vs. half empty view. You have a choice on how to look at it. These same people understand that there are principles at play in your life that can be identified, understood and harnessed.
Limiting beliefs are akin to a computer virus. They will undermine your success. They lead you to self-sabotaging behavior and actions. They limit you. Identifying and acknowledging these beliefs is the first step in releasing them. As you change your limiting beliefs, your world will transform. You will embark on the journey of a lifetime, your lifetime. You will experience joy, peace, love, fulfillment and freedom.
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