How to achieve what you truly want

Happy 2016!!  I can’t think of a better topic for the first newsletter of the year than how to create the life you really want.  The start of a new year is the perfect time to reflect on the past year and think about what you want as you move forward.  Often times we make resolutions about what we want to achieve in the course of the year, how we want to lose weight, be a better parent, take control of our health,  work on being less stressed, manage our money better, etc. But, in fact, we don’t have to wait for a New Year to incorporate change in to our lives.  Every moment, of every day, is a new beginning.  We CAN create a joyous, wonderful and fulfilling life any time we choose!  You already have all the tools within you – it’s your thoughts and beliefs.  

Recently I discovered the work of Louise Hay and it has been transformational.  Her message is simple but extremely powerful.  Today I wanted to share some of her philosophy so that you can learn new tools to help change your life for the better.

Louise’s first point of philosophy is “What we give out we get back”.   This not only applies to our behavior but also to our thoughts and beliefs.  If we spend our lives judging and criticizing then we will also be judged and criticized.  If we love and accept ourselves and others unconditionally then we will attract people into our lives that will give us the same unconditional love and acceptance.  It’s the law of attraction:  like attracts like.  YOUR LIFE IS A MIRROR – if you have something in your life you are not happy with then look inside to see what is going on within you to attract this situation in to your life. 
 
Louise’s second point is “What we believe about ourselves and life becomes true for us”.   It’s so important to look at what we believe and discover any negative thoughts and beliefs that might be keeping us stuck in dysfunctional behaviors and patterns.  Often what we believe is established by the time we are 5 years old and is often learned from our parents!  Our thoughts about love, men, women, sex, health, prosperity, happiness, aging, work, success, God, etc., are all established at a very young age.  Surely not all of the beliefs we learned as a child are still relevant in our lives today?   Mental housekeeping is critical to our health and wellness – cleaning out those old limiting beliefs can help us be more prosperous and successful.
 
Louise’s third point of philosophy is “Our thoughts are creative”.  Thoughts are like a drop of water; they accumulate over time.  As we continue to think the same thoughts repeatedly, over time, they grow and become more powerful.  A drop becomes a puddle, a puddle becomes a pond, a pond becomes an ocean, etc.  If the thoughts are positive we can FLOAT on a sea of happiness; if they are negative we can drown in an ocean of negativity.
 
This also has links to our physical health – we know through the study of epigenetics that negative thoughts (repeatedly, over time) can alter our DNA!   If our thoughts and beliefs are powerful enough to alter our DNA then we cannot underestimate their importance in our overall health and wellness.
 
Deepak Chopra said we have upwards of 90,000 thoughts/day and over 75,000 of those thoughts are the same as we had yesterday and the day before that and the day before that.  So……………..if we want something different in our lives we MUST change our thoughts.  Much of our self talk is negative but Louise believes we can retrain our thinking through positive affirmations and transform our lives!!   

An affirmation is really anything you say or think.  The vast majority of what we normally say and think is negative and does not create good experiences for us.  We have to retrain our thinking and speaking into positive patterns if we want to truly change our lives.  An affirmation is a beginning point on the path to change.  Every thought you think and every word you speak is an affirmation.  All of our self-talk, our internal dialogue, is a stream of affirmations. You’re using affirmations every moment whether you know it or not. You’re affirming and creating your life experiences with every word and thought.

How do we reprogram our conscious mind to create a better outcome in our lives?  You have to make a conscious effort to change your thinking and your words and practice this throughout the day.  Practice makes perfect. 

Some examples of positive affirmations are:

• “I give out love and joy and find them wherever I turn”.
• “I believe I am wonderful and life is a joy”.
• “I approve of myself and I easily choose thoughts that nourish me!”
• “I choose love, joy, peace and happiness”.
• “I release negative thoughts and beliefs that keep me stuck in dysfunctional behaviors and patterns”.

When you first say an affirmation it may not seem true, sincere or genuine.  That’s because you are changing a thought that you have had for as long as you can remember but, as I said before, practice makes perfect.  If you keep saying it, the affirmation will become more sincere and more natural.   Affirmations are like planting seeds; first they germinate, then they sprout and then they poke their little heads up out of the ground.   It takes time for them to go from a seed to a full grown plant.  Be patient. Continue with your affirmations and life will start to change for the better. 

So, start thinking happy thoughts throughout the day, it’s that simple.  When you catch yourself being negative – stop it.  The way you choose to think, right now, is a choice. You may not realize it because you’ve thought this way for so long, but it really is a choice.

Right now . . . today . . . this moment . . . you can choose to change your thinking.  Your life won’t turn around overnight, but if you’re consistent and make the choice on a daily basis to think thoughts that make you feel good, you’ll definitely make positive changes in every area of your life!