The need for balance

Do you save too much money, only to end up spending too much…?

Do you clean your house completely or leave it until the mess is overwhelming…?

Have you pushed yourself through 5 days of exercise only to take the next whole week (month) off?

          Do you fall into patterns of ‘All or Nothing’? The All or Nothing can strike in a wide variety of areas in your life. The appeal of the All or Nothing comes from the idea that a great deal of time, energy and effort invested, can yield remarkable results. And when we consider what we can accomplish when we use the all or nothing in our own lives, it certainly does deliver results… True!

 

          Nevertheless it also drains, tires and wears us out. 

          Because of the results this strategy delivers, it can be easy to become trapped in its draining effects.

Becoming aware of the reality of the full effects of the All or Nothing is the first step in breaking free from it. We have power to change when we remember that when we put our all into something, at some point the backlash will require that we swing the other way and give nothing to it as well.

          Balance, variety and temperance are the key words that can help us navigate away from extremes and off towards the ease of moderation. Not only is moderation more easy on your energy levels, it is also more sustainable. And when it comes to the habits that foster weight-loss results, we only want what will be sustainable and enjoyable.

Suggested Affirmations:

“I trust consistency to move me forward”

“I live in ease”

“I flow gently”

“I live in balance and peace”

“I walk the middle road”

“I see what I want, and trust I will get there”

“With small and simple things, great things come to pass”

Quotes:

"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." Confucius

"We’re too distracted with the “doingness” of our daily lives, so we take the easiest, most accustomed route of the path of least resistance, even if it leads us somewhere we don’t really want to go." Debbie Ford

"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." Anthony Robbins

How Can I Get What I Want?

Have you ever said “I don’t want to eat that cake?” and then found yourself eating it? Why is it when we say we don’t want something, that’s exactly what we get? 

What happens when you say “don’t be late, don’t be late”?… You end up being late.  

Have you heard that our mind is composed of conscious and unconscious parts?  Our conscious mind is in control of our conscious will and is the part that sets goals.  Our unconscious mind is the part that goes through the motions required to reach our goal.

In order to be successful, you need your conscious mind and your unconscious mind to be in harmony.  One way to tell if your conscious and unconscious mind is in harmony, will be that you reach the goals you set for yourself. 

So how can you harmonise these two parts? 

First understand our unconscious mind cannot process negatives. It doesn’t process “don’t or no”. The unconscious mind doesn’t judge, it simply does what it is told.

Imagine I said to you “Don’t think of a big yellow canary”. What did you just see in your mind right now?  How come when I said don’t think of a big yellow canary, that’s what you see? Your unconscious mind will only focus on the big yellow canary and instantly produces a picture of one in your mind. 

So when we say, “I don’t want to be fat”, your unconscious mind processes the information as “I want to be fat” and that’s what you get. Or “I don’t want to eat the cake…” becomes “I want to eat the cake.”

“Here’s the problem. Most people are thinking about what theydon’t want, and they’re wondering why it shows up over and over again.” John Assaraf

Flip It 

Activity: In order to focus your mind on achieving your goal, play ‘Flip It’. Spend a few minutes listing all the things you commonly say you don’t want.  Then “Flip It” into a statement of what it is you do want. This is the most vital step to achieving the right mind-set.

Does our inner world reflect our outter world or Does our outter world reflect our inner world?

It’s often said that a dog reflects their owner… Or is the other way around? Like attracts like… What about our home? Does your home reflect you…? Or more importantly does your home reflect your state of your mind?

When I first started wanting to clean up my mind, I found the work quite difficult. I noticed when I felt like a mess in my head… my room looked like a mess too. Likewise when my room was orderly, clean and clear my mind reflected the same condition.

So, instead of trying to discover whether it was the chicken or the egg that came first; how could we use this awareness of the link between the state of our mind and our room/house to support us in maintaining a clear, orderly state of mind?

Use your room/ house as an awareness tool. If you notice your room/ house is messy… Use is as an opportunity to go inside and become more aware of your state of mind. The same goes that if you know your mind is not orderly, and you’re finding it difficult to change; you can always start ordering your room/ kitchen/ house. Observe how cleaning your environment and creating an orderly space simultaneously creates a clean and orderly state of mind.

I've become a big believer in Feng Shui. Feng Shui is about creating order, balance and beauty in our surrounding environment. It asks you to surround yourself with things that bring you joy, peace and happiness (or whatever you want... they are the things I love surrounding myself with). 

If there is anything:

1)      broken

2)      unused for the past year 

3)      or that doesn’t bring you joy 

Throw it away, give it away, sell it or donate it. Get it out of your environment.

I’ve noticed a parallel over the years by observing the homes and minds of close friends and family. Here are a few of my observations:

A: Those who hoard stuff from the past, also live in memories from the past

B: Those who get rid of what they don’t need now live more in the present

C: Those who keep broken unused objects find it difficult to get at what they do need in the moment.

D: Those who throw away what is broken, unused or unloved receive what is right, useful and pleasing into their lives.

Changing unsupportive Beliefs

All of us have tried using affirmations to varying degrees of success. It may seem like they work for some and not for others. But the truth is using affirmations is a powerful way to shift your belief system when you know how. 

Last week we focused on finding unsupportive beliefs. Now you are ready to start shifting old unsupportive idea’s into beliefs that you know will support you to create and be what you want.

The most common mistake people make is to flip unsupportive beliefs 180 degree’s into a new belief that is the complete opposite of the previous one. But you can’t force your mind to adopt a new belief just by telling it what you want it to be true. For example: You are a size 20 and, you look into the mirror and tell yourself, ‘I’m a slim size 12’… What happens? The rational part of your mind says, ‘No you’re not you’re a size 20!’

Ah you may have experienced this before too… So, how can we bypass this clever rational mind of ours to focus our mind on creating the reality we want? The trick is to inject some emotion into the statement… Let’s take the previous example, a women who is currently a size 20 who wants to convince her unconscious mind that it can change and help her slim to a size 12? She could tell herself: “I am slim and attractive at a size 12” or “Being a size 12 helps me feel free and confident”. Notice how the statement does not refer to a time-frame or current reality, it merely emphasizes the emotions and pictures connected with a new alternate reality.

Your mind has a very tight security system that won’t be tricked into changing easily. The way to change your beliefs is to re-calibrate them to an emotionally acceptable level of truth. Now here’s how you can tell if the statement you want to tell yourself will be accepted by your unconscious mind, ‘Is it true?’ Is it true that you will feel confident at a size 12? If yes, then your unconscious will accept the idea and focus on the feelings and pictures you need to get there. But if you won’t feel confident at a size 12 then it will fall flat and not help you at all.

As long as you can get your mind to create the pictures and feeling associated with creating the reality you want, then it will be a successful affirmation. Focus on changing one belief at a time, and you’ll know you have been successful when new results show up in your reality that represent your new belief more than your old unsupportive belief.

If your mind can believe the statement is true then you have learnt how to use affirmations correctly. Find out more about how Lysa and Gina use this information to help women drop weight effortlessly... Creating Rapid Change