Building the Mind's Framework for Success

Man is the most advanced being on this earth. We are the dominant species for one particular reason; our ability to think! Although we have virtually unlimited ability to use our minds effectively, the vast majority of us do not really use the extraordinary powers of the mind for own advantage. Too many of us are slaves of our reactionary minds instead of masters of our proactive, creative minds. We have a unique ability to use our minds for wonderful creation if we take just a little time to learn how. Think of this short article as a framework, or a foundation to build your success around. I'm not so concerned with the nitty-gritty science behind the powers of the mind; I'm interested in the practical application! However, some brief notes on the workings of the mind can be helpful. Our mind is divisible into two major parts: the conscious and the subconscious. You could say that the conscious mind is the master of the subconscious. However, the subconscious has the real power because it is the subconscious which initiates change in our lives. But in order to affect the subconscious mind so that it triggers positive changes in our life, we must learn how to control the sub-conscious. How is this done? By directing the conscious mind to guide the subconscious. Confused? If so, bear with me for one moment. By using our conscious mind to fixate on a certain thought, the subconscious mind takes it as instruction and proceeds to manifest that thought in our lives. Sounds simple right? Think of a farmer with a field ready to plant. The decision on what to plant (sow) is like the conscious mind. The field on which the plant will grow is like the subconscious. Whatever the farmer decides to sow (conscious), the field will grow (subconscious). If the farmer sows grains of wheat, he will reap wheat in due course. If the farmer sows kernels of corn, he will eventually reap ears of corn. This is the manner in which our minds work too. The problem is that the subconscious mind does not differentiate between positive and negative thoughts. It will act on any command handed down by the conscious mind. That's why I always say "Sow a POSITIVE thought," not just "Sow a thought." If we sow negative thoughts in our minds, we will reap negative rewards (consequences) in our lives. If we sow positive thoughts in our minds, we will reap positive rewards (successes) instead. Now that you know this, you need to also realize that the subconscious mind can not think both positive and negative thoughts at the same time. One or the other will dominate. If you think negative thoughts, then your mind is dominated by those thoughts and you will in due course reap the consequences. So the real goal then in building a framework for success is learning to flood our minds with positive thoughts while ignoring the negative. Think of some of the negatives that you may have in your head right now (often in the form of a question). "Why am I so stupid?" "Why do bad things always happen to me?" "Why wasn't I born rich and successful?" The problem is that any answer you give provides support to this negative. You can't just tell your mind to stop asking these questions, you have to learn how to ignore them. For the next two weeks, I want you to do something for yourself. Begin to control your thoughts for a more powerful mind by filtering what you allow to fill the conscious mind. Every time you think a positive thought, I want you to make note and repeat that positive thought to yourself several times. Then, let's start to rid the mind of negative thoughts in one of two ways. When a negative thought enters your mind, imagine that you have a volume control in your mind and simply turn the volume down while simultaneously making a conscious effort to put a positive thought in your mind with the volume turned way up. The other way you can do this is by getting a thick rubber-band and placing it around your wrist. Every time you hear a negative thought, SNAP yourself hard enough to make it hurt. Then, again put a positive thought in your mind. I'm confident that if you choose one of these methods and use it, within a few weeks your outlook and your inner-talk will do a complete 180 degree turn. Try it and we'll talk again in a couple of weeks. To Your Success!