This really is a rhetorical question, of course. Everyone talks to themselves even if they aren’t totally aware of it (I think most people are aware though).

The major difference comes in HOW you talk to yourself. This can make or break you. The way in which you talk to yourself shapes your day and how you think about yourself as well as about your surrounding environment (and the people in it).

When we talk about the power of words, most people think of those words that are said out loud. They are very important, of course. But,  more important are those words and phrases we utter to ourselves and especially about ourselves. Often our talk to ourselves occupies the majority of our time – when we’re driving, working, at night, running, swimming, doing other workouts, meditating etc. Even when we’re supposed to be paying attention to others. Frequently our mind wanders back to thoughts like “how do I look?”, “is my hair ok?” “do I have anything horrible stuck in my teeth like you see in those ads?”, “why did I bother to come here? I don’t fit in? No one likes me?” etc.

Even when you think (or say) something abstract like “that was really stupid”, your subconscious thinks you’re talking to it and telling it that you are stupid. Have you ever said something like “I can’t believe I did that! What an idiot I am?” I know I’ve thought those things. And I have to work rapidly (assuming I’m attentive enough to notice it) to counter that with “that is not my truth”.

What about when we’re plagued by worry? What thoughts go through your mind when you engage in the worrisome thoughts? Be careful there – if you don’t catch yourself, you’ll continue to say the same things over and over again. You know what that leads to – yep – a belief – remember that a belief is just a thought you keep thinking over and over again. You slam it into your subconscious enough times that your brain begins to think it’s true.

Try this for a week: Monitor everything you say to yourself. I don’t want you to feel you have free will to say anything to others but your job for the next seven days is to really pay attention to those words, phrases, thoughts that swirl around inside your head. Write down the common ones but when you recognize something that is giving you the wrong message, immediately say “That is NOT my truth”.

In a week tell me how clear you think your mind is? Is it more clear and happier than today? What changes have happened if any – these may not be external changes (although that is possible too) but there should be some internal changes that you can recognize.

Let us know – put your responses in the comment box below and tell us any changes or even any challenges you’re come across. Did you recognize any patterns? Talk about them with your family and friends and share them here!

Terrie

The post Do You Talk To Yourself? first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

As there is 1 1/2 more weeks left in January 2012, I continue to point out things that might have derailed you from your 2012 Success List. If you make it through January still on track, you’ll have a great chance of accomplishing your “successes”.

Emmet Fox wrote about “The Dictaphone” and I think that’s worth discussing today.

He proposed an imaginary experiment. Suppose that without your knowledge an invisible dictaphone was strapped to your shoulders the first thing tomorrow morning. You carry it with you all day long and every word you said was recorded. Tomorrow the recording was played back so you could hear every single word that you said. If you’re an average human being you’ll probably be a bit embarrassed. Think what would happen if the dictaphone also recorded every THOUGHT you had as well as every word you spoke.

Your subconscious mind absorbs EVERYTHING you think and say. Remember what I like to say “You are what you thought”, not really what you think. It’s what went into your subconscious before now that has molded your being and experience.

I emphasize that you need to monitor all your words – both spoken and thought. This is one of the most common reasons for “failure” in achieving your “Successes”. You set out with great intentions and do the groundwork of denials and affirmations but then go right back to your old ways of thinking and acting – using the same old phrases and thoughts – many of which are downright negative or have negative connotations. That will derail you as surely as quitting your pursuit. That’s why I’m emphasizing the “Words of Wisdom” series of posts. See what phrases we use in life on a daily basis, analyze what they mean and then wipe them from your vocabulary.

There is no way around it. You have to pay attention to what you’re saying and thinking. I suggest you get a small notebook you can carry in your pocket or purse and write down everything you hear and think as it happens. Then each night review this list and note the ones you want to eliminate and also think about the reason you need to do that. This will help you identify other phrases and thoughts you want to get rid of too. Things such as “I’m fed up”, “I’m sick and tired”, “You’re killing me”, “I can’t afford to….” etc.

Work on this for a week and see what changes in your life.

Terrie

The post What’s Being Recorded In Your Subconscious? first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

Or not wisdom perhaps. You all know that the one thing we preach over and over again is to watch your words (and phrases). This is so vital now at a time when you’re working on your success list! You can sabotage yourself without even knowing it. You have to be extremely conscientious about what is coming out of your mouth, what is going on inside your skull and even what you are letting in your ears (from others). You have to be the monitor. Learn to say “That is not my truth” whenever you hear, say or think something that is contrary to your desires.

This week’s “words of wisdom” phrase is

“You can’t win ’em all”.

How often do you hear this phrase? Quite a bit I bet.

What does it tell your subconscious mind?

It tells it that you cannot win everything. Do you want to believe that? Do you believe that? Of course you don’t. You want to win every challenge you’re involved with. You want to win everything. That will make you successful. It’s not greedy. It’s an attitude of wanting to succeed and that’s what we are all about here. So, eliminate that phrase. When you hear it said, simply say “That is not my truth, I can AND DO win them all! I am a success!”

Terrie

The post Words of Wisdom first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

Were you aware that you may be sabotaging yourself with the phrases and words you’re using? You have to be aware of the double meanings of words we use in our everyday vocabulary. English is filled with these words and unless you’re always alert, you’re liable to have them already a part of your everyday language.

Your subconscious mind does not understand which interpretation of English you’re going after. For example, it doesn’t know what you mean when you say “to” – it doesn’t know if you mean the number two (2), too (also) or to (as in “going to the movies”). It also can’t tell that words are separated – so, when you say “my life is in harmony” – your subconscious hears “inharmony” which is NOT what you want. You do not want your life to be inharmonious. Your mind doesn’t know that there was the space in between those two words – so you always want to put something in there such as “my life is in glorious harmony”.

Here’s 10 words/phrases that you want to avoid or reword:

1) “No pain, no gain” – this tells your mind that nothing can be accomplished without you experiencing pain or discomfort. Is that what you really want? Wouldn’t you rather achieve your goals (exercise or otherwise) easily and quickly and most importantly painlessly? I know I would.

2) “You’re killing me” – I know this came from a movie but it’s something you want to be careful of. Same with “This is killing me” or “x is killing me” – you can insert any phrase you’ve heard or one you use. You don’t want to be saying this to your subconscious mind. “My knees are killing me”, “My back is killing me” – do you ever catch yourself saying this. What is this telling your mind and subsequently your body. This is a phrase you really want to avoid.

3) “I’m sick and tired of…..”. Think of how often you say this and how you feel at the end of each day that you say this. What are you telling your subconscious? That you are “sick” – so how often do you find yourself coming down with colds, getting headaches, etc? That you’re “tired” – how is your energy level? Is this a phrase that’s prominent in your vocabulary?

4) “I’m a survivor”. Do you really want to be a survivor? Here’s one dictionary’s definition of survivor – “a person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship, or setbacks”. Do you want to continually experience opposition, hardship or setbacks? When you say “I’m a survivor” your subconscious does not understand that it’s something you’ve been through in the past. It sees you as experiencing the hardships now and for as long as you say it.

5) “We shall overcome”. this is an interesting one. Here’s the definition of ‘overcome’ – “to get the better of in a struggle or conflict; conquer; defeat: to overcome the enemy.” So, even though you think this is a positive thing, it’s really not because it requires a struggle or conflict and you want to do anything you can to live your life without a struggle.

6) “You’re a pain in the neck”. Do you tell people this often, even in jest? Remember that your subconscious mind doesn’t know when you’re kidding. How does your neck feel – does it bother you a lot? If so, pay attention and see if this is a phrase in your vocabulary.

7) “I can’t stand it”. Your mind is hearing that you can’t stand or that you’re unable to continue to hold up either alone or against whatever it is you are referring to. “I can’t stand it” can buckle your knees or make your back or feet hurt – anything that involves your standing capability. Be careful or you’ll find yourself knocked off your feet.

8) “I’m dead tired”. Careful here too. First, you don’t want to make yourself tired no matter what and you surely don’t want to get sick enough that you die. Don’t laugh. Your subconscious can do anything, including cause a significant illness or death.

9) “Times are tough” or “The economy’s bad”. Even if the rest of the world is spouting this out as the truth, it does not have to be your truth. You do not want to create tough times or tough economy for you. Declare your times as excellent and prosperous and your economy as wealthy and prosperous. Declare this over and over and you’ll see it come true.

10) “Old habits are hard to break”. You don’t want to affirm that you can’t change your habits, do you? You want to easily create new habits, develop new procedures to improve your life. You don’t want anything in your life to be hard, do you?

These are just some of the phrases you’ll hear throughout your day and you’ll notice how they could possibly sabotage an otherwise terrific day or week or even month. Just paying attention to your words can change your life.

The post Are you sabotaging yourself with your words? 10 Phrases To Avoid.. first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

Do you think of your past and say “If only…..”? Or do you say “What if….”? Are you bitter about your past? Do you have regrets? Or, do you look at your past and say “Wow, I can’t believe how that event or situation changed my life”? Or even “What if that hadn’t happened? How would my life have been different”? Take a chance and a few hours and travel into your past writing down different things that have happened to you. They may be big events or small events. Just start by writing down events you can remember that seem(ed) significant.

This may take a bit of time but just let your mind wander. It does not matter if you write them down in chronological order or in order of significance. Everything will come into the proper perspective later. It helps if you actually use pen and paper. There is something about that hand-eye-brain connection. It certainly stimulates your creativity so it could very easily help you recall more memories.

Once you’ve taken the time to list your thoughts and prior activities, look at each one and see what happened after that event. This may take some thought because the consequences or related situations may not have occurred in close proximity. Some may be really close and others may be far apart. Let me give you an example. I didn’t get accepted into medical school right out of college as I had “planned”. I was devastated of course. I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life since I had wanted to be a doctor since I was 4 years old. But life continued. I kept applying every year and the second year I didn’t get accepted either. So, what good could possibly have come from that? Several things. First, it gave me time to mature which was very important as I began my trek into medicine. But more importantly, I developed a medical issue that wasn’t diagnosed for approximately a year. Had I been in medical school when this developed I would have either dropped out or failed out because of this condition. So, my not getting into medical school when I wanted was actually a very good thing. I was able to go after my condition was diagnosed and stabilized. During those two years I was feeling down and out, however, it did not feel like a good thing. We have to have faith that things really do happen for a reason.

Take the past and the things that have looked like bad luck and see what happened after them. How would your life have turned out had that ‘bad luck’ not happened? Although you can’t change things now, you can declare them good and be grateful for what has happened to you. Remember, declare everything that occurs as good and say “I declare this good and I see the good coming from it”. Do this no matter how dark and dismal something may appear. This statement will convince the Universe that you believe it and the Universe will make it good.

Your life really is what you make of it. You can learn how to craft the events that happen to you and manifest your goals by altering your thoughts and words. The Art of Making Things Happen will assist you in this process.

The post How To Turn Your Past Into A Better Future first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

Today this is from Emmet Fox – we talk about our inner power all the time and he puts it so very well:

Strange as it may seem to you, there exists a mystic power that is able to transform your life so thoroughly, so radically, so completely, that when the process is completed your own friends would hardly recognize you, and, in fact, you would scarcely be able to recognize yourself. You would sit down and ask yourself: “Can I really be the man or woman that I vaguely remember, who went about under my name six months or six years ago? Was I really that person? Could that person have possibly been me?” And the truth will be that while in one sense you are indeed the same person, yet in another sense you will be someone utterly different.

This mystic but intensely real force can pick you up today, now, from the midst of failure, ruin, misery, despair – and in the twinkling of an eye, as Paul said, solve your problems, smooth out your difficulties, cut you free from any entanglements, and place you clear, safe, and happy upon the highroad of freedom and opportunity.

This mystic Power can teach you all things that you need to know, if only you are receptive and teachable. It can inspire you with new thoughts and ideas, so that your work may be truly original. It can impart new and wonderful kinds of knowledge as soon as you really want such knowledge – glorious knowledge – strange things not taught in schools or written in books. It can do for you that which is probably the most important thing of all in your present stage: it can find your true place in life for you, and put you into it too. It can find the right friends for you, kindred spirits who are interested in the same ideas and want the same things that you do. It can provide you with an ideal home. It can furnish you with the prosperity that means freedom, freedom to be and to do and to go as your soul calls.

But where, it will naturally be asked, is this wonderful, mystic Power to be contacted? Where may we find it? And how is it brought into action? The answer is perfectly simple – This Power is to be found within your own consciousness, the last place that most people would look for it. Right within your own mentality there lies a source of energy stronger than electricity, more potent than high explosive; unlimited and inexhaustible. You only need to make conscious contact with this Power to set it working in your affairs; and all the marvelous results enumerated can be yours. This is the real meaning of such sayings in the Bible as “The Kingdom of God is within you”; and “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all the rest shall be added.”

The conscious discovery by you that you have this Power within you, and your determination to make use of it, is the birth of the child. And it is easy to see how very apt the symbol is, for the infant that is born in consciousness is just such a weak, feeble entity as any new-born child, and it calls for the same careful nursing and guarding that any infant does in its earliest days. After a time, however, as the weeks go by, the child grows stronger and bigger, until a time comes when it can well take care of itself; and then it grows and grows in wisdom and stature until, no longer leaning on the mother’s care, the child, now arrived at man’s estate, turns the tables, and repays its debt by taking over the care of its mother. So your ability to contact the mystic Power within yourself, frail and feeble at first, will gradually develop until you find yourself permitting that Power to take your whole life into its care.

Enjoy!

Terrie

The post Power Through Constructive Thinking first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

I had a great day yesterday and I realized that it all had to do with the people I was around. There was nothing unusual about the day but I was surrounded by several different groups of people – first were professionals at a doctor’s office (routine checkup) and my appointment was early in the a.m. – they were short handed because people were sick and out of work. But they remained friendly, happy and professional. That attitude is contagious for sure. Then I went to a store to look for a new bed and the gentleman there was friendly, professional and helpful. He understood when I said I would be back after lunch. Then I had lunch with a very good friend.  We ate and talked for 2 hours and had a wonderful time. After lunch I went back and purchased one of the beds that Frank (the salesman) had shown me.

I left the bed store feeling almost “high” – and I realized it was because of the fun I had had with people all day long. Their positive nature had been infused into my being. That’s what we’re talking about when we tell you about vibrations and how we’re affected by the vibrations around us.

Since we’re still in the beginning of the year (although you should do this at any time during the year) it would be really helpful to you to take a look at those around you and how they influence you.

Are they always happy? Are they sometimes happy?

Do they think that life is going well? Do they complain all the time?

Do they support and encourage you or do they tell you “don’t bother with that – it won’t work” or “you’ll never succeed”?

Listen to the language that surrounds your being. The thoughts and words inside your mind are vital in determining where you are in life and where you go. BUT just as importantly are the thoughts and words of those close to you. It doesn’t even have to be close in an intimate way but time wise – meaning your work relationships since you spend so much time there.

It may be time to do your “spring cleaning” regarding your relationships too. Simply ask that you be surrounded by those who have positive contributions to your growth. Ask that those who are not contributing in a positive manner be eliminated from your life.  Realize that you’ll be nervous about this initially because it’s “hard” to lose “old friends” but it’s important that you only be surrounded by those that will be positive factors in your life.

Have a terrific week!

Terrie

The post Who Surrounds You? first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

Today’s post is from Judy Williamson, Director of the Napoleon Hill  World Learning Center. As you read it, you’ll see all the same concepts that we teach here at Getting Unstuck, LLC.

Just as food coloring can make a dish more appetizing or less appealing, our choice of words can color our world. Thinking positively requires a student of success to practice using words that have positive connotations. Whether we feel it is a beautiful day outside or not, by saying so we condition our minds to find the beauty in the moment. Lamenting the bad weather, cursing the cold, using terminology that intimidates, all make our world a less inviting place. Have you ever looked at a single flower and found it to be absolutely exquisite only to hear someone else complain that it wasn’t a full blown bouquet? Or, have you ever gone to the beach and witnessed a striking sunset that could have been a Van Gogh, Renoir, or Monet painting (your choice) only to have someone look down at this moment of splendour and decry the smelly fish washed up on the beach? Beauty is definitely where you find it.

Neutral words do not impact us. They do not position us in one direction or another. They leave us smack in the middle of wherever we find ourselves. Positive word choices, however, help us become winners. They ease our way into a home run, completing a marathon, and becoming the best version of ourselves we choose to be.

When you use positive self-talk, you are giving yourself a spiritual massage. It feels good, and it can produce good results as long as you work toward achieving the expectations that you set for yourself. Don’t fool yourself in believing that you are someone or something you are not. Rather accept the challenge of giving yourself positive self-talk daily – even hourly – to heighten your awareness of what you can become one positive affirmation at a time. Truly, when you believe it you will be it!

Be Your Very Best Always,

Judy Williamson

———–

I think what’s really useful here is her statement that neutral words don’t impact us. Think about this whenever you’re talking or thinking. How many times a day do people ask “how are you?” – What do you answer? What should you answer? I always say “excellent” or “terrific” and then I smile involuntarily – no matter what kind of a day it’s been that’s what that word does to me – it brings a smile to my face!

Put these concepts into your life and use them every single day.

Terrie

The post Using Words to Frame Your Subconscious first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.