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Feeding the Mind
We all know that what we put into our bodies directly affects how our bodies feel and work. The same is true for our minds. What are you putting into your mind? Are you letting other people determine your experience of life by planting thoughts in your mind? You are, if you are watching a lot of TV and movies.

What kind of music do you listen to? Does it uplift and inspire you? Does it inspire joy? If your music is full of anger and violence, then your mind will be also. If your input from TV and movies is full of negativity, sadness, pain, and frustration, then your mind will be also. Similar to a computer, what we put into our minds determines what comes out of them.

What you accept in your mind, you allow or create in your reality. Guard your thoughts. Take full responsibility for what goes into your mind. Select with care what you listen to and what you watch. Feed your mind and your spirit that which supports you, encourages you, and inspires you. This is not to say that we should ignore everything that is going on in the world. We need to be aware, but we do not need to be immersed in depressing news and images. Take care that you do not allow the reality that other people are creating to determine your reality. By being selective with our thoughts and what we feed our minds, we not only change our own reality, but the collective reality as well.

Choose your thoughts and change your world.

Jstone

Positive-Present Questions Explained

There has been some confusion over my article on positive-present questions. I hope I can clear it up here.

The mind is solution oriented. When asked a question, it works tirelessly to find the answer. When given a statement, it may not even pay attention, particularly if that statement contradicts what the mind already accepts as true. This is why many people have little or no success with affirmations. The idea of positive-present questions is to put your affirmations in question form so that your mind will go to work on them, rather than dismiss them.

What ever it is you wish to experience, to increase, or to improve, create a question in the present tense and in a positive form. Whatever you put in future tense stays in the future. I have serious health issues with my knees, shoulders, and neck, but in most regards, I am strong and healthy. I would like to experience more of the good health so I keep my attention on what is working, rather than what is not. My question to myself is, “Why is my body so strong and healthy?” This makes my conscious and unconscious mind focus on my areas of good health, which increases the vibration of good health in my body. The result is ever-increasing good health.

All that we experience is a product of the mind. To change our experience of life we have to change what we hold to be true in our mind. My mind does not argue the point of good health because there is good health in parts of my body. By asking a question about it, I am affirming good health while drawing my mind to that reality.

It has been said, “Where attention goes, energy flows.” Also, “What we think about we bring about.” And, “Thoughts become things” (Mike Dooley). Jesus said, “As a man thinketh, so is he.” Buddha said, “What we think, we become.” The message has been declared to us for ages. Our experience of reality is created in our own mind. Therefore, careful management and direction of our thoughts is of the utmost importance.

We use the present tense because the mind works in the moment. Now is all it knows. This makes it vitally important that we recognize some truth in what we declare. If I choose to look only at what is not working, my affirmations of success are lies to my mind. Then, I have already chosen failure as my reality. If I instead look for what is working, where I have succeeded, and ask myself why I have succeeded, then my attitude and question are based on truth. My mind will be unfettered from argument and go to work to find the answer of why I am successful and in the process will add energy to the vibration of success. My experience of success will increase to the degree that my mind is focused on success. The benefit of focusing the mind on success with a question is that it will maintain its focus on success until it finds the final answer. I can ask the question once and my mind will continue to work on the answer while I go about my day. I don’t have to continually turn my attention to an affirmation to keep my mind focused on success. I can let the matter go with the assurance that my mind is focusing on the positive.

Another benefit of asking positive-present questions is that along the way to the answer, the mind will reveal ways in which we can increase or enhance the good we already experience. When I have asked myself why I enjoy writing, I have received inspiration for things to write about that I truly enjoy. When I have asked why my body is strong and healthy, I have gotten ideas for exercises that I can do that do not strain my weak areas while strengthening the supporting areas. Ask why you have good relationships and you may receive inspiration to do things that will enhance your relationships.

The ways to use positive-present questions are limited only by your imagination. Anything in your life that you would like to improve, increase, or in any way change can be addressed in this way.

I hope this answers your questions.  J
Jstone

Multi-Tasking for Positive Change
How do we put in the necessary time and attention to changing our beliefs and habits when we live busy lives? Busy as we are, there are many times when all we are doing is waiting. Those are the moments, or hours, when we can work on ourselves. Sitting in a waiting room or lobby, riding on a bus, train, or in an airplane, even standing in line are opportunities to use our thoughts constructively. While all these situations involve a degree of distraction, they also provide a great opportunity to strengthen our powers of concentration.

Affirmations are the easiest thing to work on where ever you are. I have a few key phrases that I repeat to myself whenever I am a passenger in a car or waiting somewhere. I also have a peace meditation and self-love meditation that I can do without getting into a near-trance state. My favorite and most powerful waiting activity is projecting love and light to others. I can do it anywhere because it is done with the heart and mind. I focus on my heart and imagine it filled with white light. Then I think of the people in my life, one by one, and visualize white light going from my heart to theirs. None of them know that I do this, but all my relationships have become more harmonious since I began using it.

As a college student, I have to take advantage of opportunities to study so I often take a textbook and notebook to a doctor’s appointment. As a writer, I have a notebook with me at all times to jot down inspiration and ideas as they come to me. Sometimes, pages online take time to load and I could be sitting at my computer for several minutes doing nothing. I keep a notepad by my computer, as well as my daily activity list and work on them for a few minutes while I’m waiting. That’s also a great way for me to get definitions filled in on my vocabulary words for school, while simultaneously working on my web site.

My life is quite full, but it only works when I make the most of every waking moment. That doesn’t mean that I want to spend every moment working. By using all my waiting time to complete other things, I leave myself room for relaxation and play. These are important elements to a happy life and to my productivity. When I used to focus on work all the time, I found that I built up resentments against it because I never had time for fun or relaxation. That was completely unproductive. Now, I make time for taking care of myself, playing with my kids, or just relaxing by using waiting time to make progress.

My computer is the focal point of my day because I go to school online, run a business online, maintain a web site and two blogs, and network online. It is also a tremendous resource for personal growth. I have my favorite teachers bookmarked and receive daily inspirational emails from several. I can read those emails one by one while I’m cooking or eating lunch. My screensaver is a series of PowerPoint slides with affirmations and representative images and my desktop is the image that represents my primary intention. The qualities that I choose to embody are listed on a sign on the wall behind my monitor. My mind is constantly aware of them, even when I am focused on something else.

I listen to music CD’s that are designed to synchronize the right and left hemispheres of the brain much of the time that I’m at my desk. They help me think clearly and the music is very soothing. In this way, I am supporting my well-being while working or studying. Learn about this empowering technology at Centerpointe Research.

My favorite way to get more out of my time is to exercise while watching slideshows of affirmations or positive-present questions. While I do Yoga, Tai Chi, and ride my exercise bike, I am also reprogramming my conscious and unconscious mind to support me, rather than sabotage me. If you wear headphones while exercising, try making a recording of affirmations and beliefs that you would have if you were living your ideal life as the highest expression of you.

These are the ways that I turn waiting time into productive time for positive change. I’m sure there is a study somewhere on the amount of time we spend waiting in a lifetime. It’s probably a pretty big number. Why not put that time to use in a way that can improve the rest of your life?

Working while I wait.
Jstone

Building Boundaries
I used to spend a lot of energy, physical and mental, trying to do what everyone else wanted. I learned at an early age that you have to keep other people happy so that they will be nice to you, or at least would not be mean. One problem with this practice is that we often have a mistaken idea of what others want. We may do what we think someone wants only to be dismayed by their reaction when it doesn’t make them happy. When I used to live this way, I was constantly frustrated.

Another problem I discovered with this practice was that I was always sacrificing what was important to me for the sake of making someone else happy. The other person might be happy with me, but I was miserable. Resentment soon followed.

I know now that I cannot make someone else happy. Happiness is an inside job. We each are responsible for our own. I have also learned that if I sacrifice everything that makes me happy, then I have nothing to contribute to a relationship. It is important to compromise and strive to get along with the people in my life, but I have to honor myself as well.

An essential part of being yourself is setting boundaries. Respect yourself enough to let other people know how to treat you. If you do not establish your boundaries, some people will push inward until they meet resistance. When you let others know what you are comfortable with and what you will not accept, most of the time they respect it. This practice will put an end to feeling as if people are imposing on you or violating your personal space. You also need to say no when you really do not want to do something. Many times, people say yes to something they do not want to do because they feel obligated in some way or do not want to make the other person angry. Then they do what they do not want to do, with resentment. The “Doormat” syndrome is a result of frequently doing what other people want when it is not what you want.

As you set your boundaries, remember to respect the boundaries of others. Allow people to be who and where they are. A great deal of frustration, resentment, and conflict can be avoided by not expecting other people to be and do as you think they should. Most of our expectations of others are unspoken. That means the other person does not really know what we expect of them. How fair is it of us then to demand they live up to our expectations? Each person is living their own life. Each is exactly where they are in their development and understanding. Honor them enough to let them be there. Offering help and guidance is fine, but be careful not to fall into the trap of expecting someone to react they way you want them to. I do not want other people expecting me to be like them so I have no right to do that to them. As I honor myself, I must honor others. There is a great deal less stress and conflict in my relationships since I have put this concept into practice. People appreciate having the freedom to be themselves. I know I do.

Honor yourself with clear boundaries.
Jstone

Positive-Present
The Intenders Bridge had a daily email a while back that was poignant for me. It was about the little words we say that sabotage our intentions. Anything that indicates that we do not now have what it is that we desire prevents it from coming to us. “I will be…” is an indefinitely future phrase. Add anything similar to that to your list of phrases to change. Everything has to be present tense positive. We know that and we’ve tried to be aware of it, oops, there’s another word to get rid of, “try.” Trying indicates an expectation of failure. Having all my intentions, gratitude, and ideal beliefs written down made it easy for me to see how I have phrased things in a way that keeps them from me. Changing all that made an immediate change in the way I felt. That was step one.

 I  found a blog that talked about affirmations and the power of asking questions. The problem with asking questions is that we usually ask them in the negative. “Why haven’t I succeeded yet?” “Why am I still sick?” That actually makes a statement to the Universe that we don’t have what we want and the Universe says, “OK, you are not successful yet.” “OK, you are still sick.” They suggest changing our questions to support our intentions. “Why am I so successful?” “Why am I strong and healthy?” Putting our questions in the present or past tense makes a statement to the Universe that we already have what it is we intend to experience. “Why am I…?” tells the Universe, and our unconscious, that our intended experience already exists. The Universe says, “OK, you already have it. Here you go.”

 By asking questions in this way, we are claiming our desired experiences without setting up an argument between our conscious intentions and unconscious beliefs. Add to this the reminder we got from The Intenders Bridge last week about the highest good and I think we have all the pieces of the puzzle. “As it serves the highest good for all,…” and “Thank you, God” have become my mantras. I no longer debate whether something is or isn’t. I simply ask why it is. Then I thank God and affirm the highest good for all.

 Nothing has made so profound and immediate a difference in the way I feel than this. The realization was like watching The Secret for the first time. The light went on and I had that feeling of, “Of course! That makes perfect sense!” Try asking yourself some positive present tense questions. Why are all my bills paid in full? Why is my business a phenomenal success? Why am I so happy and confident? Why am I free to live the life of my dreams? Why do I feel so good?  Why do I forgive quickly and easily? Why do I easily let go of what no longer serves me? Why is my heart filled with love? Why am I so grateful? Get creative with it. Rewrite your affirmations or intentions as positive present questions. You will be amazed at the immediate change in the way you feel.

All your good is just waiting for you to allow it to show up. It can’t show up if you are claiming that it is not there.

This photo album contains slides with positive-present questions that can transform the way you feel, think, and experience life.
Click an image to view in a larger window.

 It is important to choose our words wisely because they are powerful and creative. We continue to program ourselves and affirm the truth that governs our lives every time we speak. How often though, do we think about our conversations in terms of defining who we are and what we will experience? Every time we speak, we are claiming what we believe about ourselves and our lives; we are telling others who we are and how we experience life. Upon examination, I found that I did not like or agree with what I was saying about myself. I certainly did not like the picture of life that I was claiming for myself. My words and phrases were so automatic that they came out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying. I had some major changes to make. Speaking from conscious choice rather than old, unconscious beliefs requires awareness of our words, determination to make them supportive, and diligence in choosing what we say.

 Any change must begin with awareness. The words we use automatically whisper to us the beliefs held by our unconscious mind. These same beliefs are responsible for our patterns of behavior and emotional reactions. The expectations we have of life are founded in our core beliefs. If our lives are not working the way we would like them to, our core beliefs are not supportive, but disempowering. When I looked at my life, I could see all the evidence of core beliefs that did not support me.

 I discovered many of my unconscious beliefs when I began listening to the words I say without thinking. My own words were telling me what my false beliefs were. My first step in changing them was to write down what I had said. Next, I analyzed the situation in which I said the words in question to see if they were appropriate. Usually, they were not. Then, I searched my memory for a time in which those same words were appropriate. This led inevitably to the emotional reactions of a child who did not have all the information and did not understand the issues. In the light of the truth, my assumptions at the time my core beliefs were formed were completely false. However, they were accepted as true at that time, and stored in my unconscious mind as a base operating system. They have been running continuously ever since.

 Constant vigilance and daily practice has helped me change the way I speak and the way I think. I am pleased to say that my life has changed dramatically. The way I feel inside at any given time, and particularly when talking with others, has become peaceful, confident, and joyous. My mental clarity and ability to reason have improved. My physical, mental, and emotional health have improved drastically. My relationships have become more honest and harmonious. Ridding myself of false beliefs and old programming has set me free to live my life in truth, joy, and expectancy. The process of uncovering and letting go of the false beliefs hidden in my unconscious mind continues today with ever-increasing ease.

 You may be reluctant at first to write down the things you say that are disempowering, but doing so will help you uncover the beliefs that prevent you from living the joyful, fulfilling life that is available to you. The initial effort of this process will set in motion a new habit of guarding your thoughts and words. It will allow you to express the truth of who you are and experience the best that life has to offer.

 Jstone