“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” – Buddha
One thing we know for sure is that thoughts emanate from the brain and mind to create our life and lead us to every success or failure. Are we starting each new day with the same old thoughts and expecting different results? When it comes to achieving our goals, we are given the advice to “just put our minds to it” yet never being told exactly how we are supposed to do that. How much do we really know about how our brain and mind work?
Our brain is an amazing electrical and chemical universe, far more complex than any other known living system. It processes up to one hundred million pieces of incoming information from our five senses every second.
The brain’s ability goes way beyond the most sophisticated computer, yet at a basic level, it is very similar. We aren’t given a users manual, but it comes with some automatic programs built in, such as, breathing the lungs, beating the heart and digesting food, that require no conscious thought on our part.
Later on, we add a few programs of our own, such as “I’m not good enough,” or “better to be safe than sorry,” or someone told us to “not be so stupid” too many times, and before we know it, somewhere in the deep recesses of our mind is the belief that we are stupid. We are victims of early childhood programming.
These negative beliefs have far reaching effects on our goal completion. We become painfully aware of this when we hit another roadblock with our success by procrastinating, or quitting too soon or choosing the path of least resistance when our intuition is screaming at us to try something new. These false beliefs about ourselves generate fear of success and we become self-fulfilling prophecies of failure.
This may sound a little irrational until we start meditating and become the witness to our thoughts. Becoming aware of our self-talk will give us a clue to some of the negative programs that have made their way deep into the mind, becoming a part of our self-limiting belief system.
We need to access the true power of our minds through meditation that connects us to the finer dimension of reality. The mind resides in every cell of the body, yet it is not physical. It is a finer substance, an energy that generates from the brain. Mysterious and marvelous at the same time, it is our link to self-improvement.
The best way to access more of our potential is to meditate.
Meditation centers us in a place where infinite potential resides. Centering ourselves with meditation is like sitting in the eye of the storm feeling calm, loved and safe. There is no labels or judgment at our core. Meditation is the way to expand our awareness and shift into a new positive direction.
Meditation sheds light on the negative beliefs that limit our experience of life. Look within and move through those damaged thoughts as they pass by like clouds without attaching or reacting to them and they will eventually dissolve.
Meditation is a tool to access the deeper levels of the mind to reprogram the computer and dissolve old beliefs that no longer serve us. We can replace them with new, positive core beliefs that describe our true self. Our true self is already programmed for perfect health and happiness. Our job is to return to that place and clean the mirror of illusion by replacing fear with love.
The control center of the brain is influenced by our past negative experiences, fears, and beliefs. These self-imposed limitations can be replaced by positive beliefs. We have the amazing ability to instruct ourselves to be the way we want to be. If we go into the deeper level of mind, our feeling of self-worth and behaviors positively change. To be effective, the instructions must be in a language the brain understands.
3 Steps to Reprogram for Success:
1. Set an intention.
It could be a physical goal (remember the mind and body are linked) such as a healthier weight or skin. It could be a mental goal such as better grades and stress-free exams or a new fulfilling job. We can also choose an emotional goal such as healing a relationship or finding more patience in our daily lives. Choose a spiritual intention such as compassion, forgiveness and service to humanity if we want.
2. Enter a Meditative State
Close your eyes, take a deep breath and dive into your well of inner peace. Use your preferred method and take your time. Remember this is your time just for you to relax physically, calm your emotions and find your center.
3. Visualize results
The subconscious mind uses pictures to communicate with the brain. A picture can paint a thousand words. Visualize and use the imagination to create the results we want in our life for the highest good.
Imagine a big, white, empty canvas and paint a glorious vision of success including as much detail and emotion as possible. See the people in our lives celebrating along with us. Surround the picture with a white light to highlight the positive outcome. Reinforce the end result as many times as you like especially before sleep for incredible results.
Einstein pointed out, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” This method allows us to communicate directly with the subconscious mind. Just because we are using our imagination, doesn’t make it less real. The brain and body don’t discriminate between sensory images in the mind and what we call reality. Our brain will filter information according to these goals and images, so to lead us in the direction toward our intended outcomes.
There are principles of the mind at work all the time but unless we learn how to harness this power through focus at a deeper level of mind with meditation practice and visualization, our goals can go the way of most plans: down the drain with excuses. Blaming outside circumstances or berating ourselves only perpetuates the cycle of failure.
We can now use our brain to help us become the person that makes exciting things happen in life. Life is so short and each day is so precious. Drifting through life hoping things will change while we stay the same is underutilizing our brain and our extraordinary potential. When we believe we are worthy, our life will reflect our worthiness. We will literally see the good things that were right in front of us all along including the opportunities for success.
Remember to use the white frame and always see the end result! Its a great way to direct your mind to any kind of solution.