******************************************************* Manifesting Change - by Sue Dyson ******************************************************* How many times have you wanted, more than anything else, to incorporate changes into your life but failed miserably?
Here’s what used to happen with me. I’d think of something I’d like to change about myself. Say, I wanted to be thinner. Then I’d have a vague idea about how I would go about making changes. I wouldn’t stick with it (how could I when my goal was so vague?) and I’d fail, once again. My self esteem usually plummeted, because I would prove to myself that I could not change.
This process produced two things only - a failure, and a diminished self esteem. I’d build my esteem up enough to take another stab at it, only to repeat my failure. The roller coaster. It’s not that I didn’t want the change bad enough. It’s because I didn’t start with a pure belief in myself as the changed person. I didn’t have a vision of myself. You have to know where you are going in order to get there. Visualization - it’s what all the top athletes do. It’s what a lot of successful people do. You need to visualize yourself as the change you desire.
Visualize the change you desire. Think big, dream big. If there were absolutely no obstacles to achieving your dream, what would it be? You can use this for any change you wish to manifest in your life, from a major career or life change to a seemingly small, unhealthy habit. If dreaming big is a little too intimidating for you at first, take baby steps. Using this method, I think you’ll find it a lot easier to make your desired change. Taking a baby step now and seeing results, will encourage you to take a bigger step next time. It’s exciting!
Once you have your desired change in mind, create an affirmation for yourself. An affirmation is a positive statement that incorporates your desired change. When you read it or say it out loud, you begin to believe it about yourself. I’ll explain why this is important in a moment. For example - say my desired change is to be 130 lbs. That’s a bit of a stretch for me right now. It’s a rather lofty dream, but not unattainable with this method. If I was unsure of my faith in this method, I might simply say I desired to lose 10 lbs. If I weighed 150 lbs now, creating the affirmation would look something like this
I am a fit and healthy 130 lbs. (bigger goal) Or I am a fit and healthy 140 lbs. (baby steps goal)
The visualization and affirmation combined, said and read frequently, begin to change your beliefs about yourself. Our actions follow our beliefs. Once we believe in ourselves as the change we desire, shifts start to occur in our lives to support that belief. I have used this method for the past few months. While I am not the fit and healthy 130 lbs yet, I am certainly on my way. My habits have changed because I believe myself to be fit and healthy. How do I know? One example: my eating habits have improved. Poor eating habits no longer fit with my belief about myself . I eat salads more frequently. My body knows what it needs to fulfill the belief in myself. If I continued to say to myself daily, " I am overweight" believe it or not, my actions would subconsciously follow those beliefs and I would create a life that supported that belief. I don’t even need to determine the how. The Universe takes care of that. Our main job is to focus on the dream, create an affirmation, and continue to say it until it is an incorporated belief.
The great thing about this method, is that it can be used for any number of changes you desire in your life, all at one time. Simply visualize how you want your life to be, create one or more positive affirmations for each desired change and just keep working on it from that side of things.
You could spend years overanalyzing yourself and your motivations for not making changes, why you sabotage yourself, and what keeps you from succeeding. Or, you could take a totally different, proactive approach and focus on the other end of things. Focus on the desired change, your goal. Make yourself believe it is a part of who you are, plan the necessary changes, and you will manifest the changes you desire. Life is a great journey. ******************************************************** Article by Sue Dyson, publisher of SuccessfulMama Ezine, dedicated to empowering women in the creation and pursuit of their personal goals. Sign up for SuccessfulMama Ezine today at: ==> http://www.SuccessfulMama.com **********************************************************