REPROGRAM YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

The power of an I AM statement can be life-changing. It's impacted me so much that I have "I am..." tattooed on my left forearm.   

I AM is much more than a simple affirmation, it's one of the ways to re-program your subconscious mind. 

AND, most people miss the one huge critical component to that...

Automatic Neutralization: Dismissing your affirmation as untrue right after you've said it. 

Let's say your affirmation is, "I am worthy," and right after that your next thought is something like, "No you're not... who do you think you're kidding?" then you have neutralized all the power of your affirmation. 

It's tantamount to saying, "Albuquerque, banana, sprinkler." Nothing will happen, they're just words. 

So how do you believe the affirmation and not neutralize it? 

Tip One: Look for the right evidence

 You've probably heard of affirmations and even used them. They are statements that start with I AM and end with something amazing, like,"I am powerful," "I am creative," "I belong," "I am talented." And too many times, they don't work. 

Why?

The problem isn't that those words aren't true, it's that you don't believe them. 

Most people have been programmed with negative beliefs about themselves. Whether it was a sideways comment from a parent, a sibling, a teacher, or a friend, we have these limiting beliefs that hang around in the background saying, "see, you're not good enough," or "see, no one's listening," or "see, no one cares"... 

The list of these beliefs can seem endless. 

This is where you can use affirmations and, let's say you have a limiting belief that pops up, you can ask yourself these questions... 

Is this thought true? 

Where did this thought come from?

Did someone give me this thought? 

How long have I been holding onto it? 

Is it bringing me closer to my goals or further from them? 

Then, look for evidence in the moment of why you need to keep going. Connect to the vision you have for your life. Connect to your goals.

When one of my limiting thoughts come up, I hold onto the edge of my desk, or wiggle my toes, and get back to reality - get back to this moment - and ask myself, "is there anyone here right now telling me how useless I am? No. So move on."

My mother would tell me, "you better marry for money because you'll never amount to anything."

That became my inner voice. It can still creep up when I'm showing up bolder, stronger, playing bigger. 

Get back to this moment, remind yourself that those limiting thoughts aren't true. They're illusions holding you back. Interrupt the thought and give yourself permission to move forward. 

Tip Two: Interrupt the negative thought

The brain is a pattern creating and a pattern following machine. Its main goal is efficiency. 

You never think just one negative thought. Every thought tends to bring it's friends...Your mind goes down the rabbit hole of, "I'm not worthy, I'm useless at everything I do, I can't win at anything, I might as well not even try." 

Pattern complete. It ran completely on autopilot. 

When you hear the negative thought come up, catch yourself and say "Cancel, cancel, cancel." Then, repeat your affirmation. The more you interrupt the thought, the less automatic it will be.

Tip Three: Repeat, Repeat, Repeat 

Repetition programs the subconscious mind. Commit to repeating your I AM statements every day. Read them out loud, with feeling, when you wake up in the morning, and again before you go to bed at night. 

I Am statements that are said with feeling get programmed. Otherwise you're just reading "Albuquerque, banana, sprinkler."

Tip Four: Recognize who you are 

Every day for a week, take a few minutes and write down some I AMs. Every day, add to the list and try not to write the same thing twice. 

By the end of the week you'll have a list of amazing things about YOU. Celebrate that, own them. They're true. 

Then, read the list aloud every day for 30 days. 

The clients of mine who do these exercises always have more success, more money, they're happier, they're more joyful, they're more productive, and they get to their goals quicker. 

They get to... dream bigger.

SET BOLDER GOALS

Whether you're a seasoned pro or new to goal setting, sometimes setting bold goals can feel scary. That's ok.

Fear isn't the enemy. Letting it stop you, is. 

When setting goals, it's important to use the S.M.A.R.T. method PLUS, adding in some of that suspended disbelief we talked about. 

Do we want to set goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely? 100%! And we also want to set goals that we get to stretch into. 

Cuz, you know, comfort zones are pretty, but nothing grows there. 

Here are the steps I've been using for years to create my BOLD GOALS. 

Step 1: Write down everything you want to Be, Do, and Have.

Make it a looooong list. This is like your shopping list to the Universe. 

Do you want to build a business, write a book, wear Manolo Blahniks, learn how to make your first million, ski in the alps, help build schools in underserved communities, become a speaker, redo your kitchen, adopt a puppy, write with a Mont Blanc, carry a Louis Vuitton, pay for everyone's groceries for 15 minutes (that's one of mine)... my point is, let the list be long! The more you give the Universe to work with, the more you dream, the more you attract what you think about. 

Step 2: Become obsessed

Read your list every day. As you read it, visualize yourself being, doing, or having everything on that list. You Create a vision board, put it in a prominent place in your home. 

The brain wants the shortest route from A to B. It's a pattern making machine. By showing it what you want, it has clarity. Then, because it knows what it's looking for, it'll start pointing you in the direction of what you want. It's the way our subconscious mind becomes programmed. Give it more of what you want, and so you will have it.

Step 3: Make a plan and follow it

Everything you desire is on the other side of what you're willing to do to get it. 

Reaching your goals will require action, so go ahead and make your plan. 

Your plan should include:

• Specific needle-moving activities - choose the activities that are going to lead to progress (not perfection).
• Trackable metrics so you can measure if what you're doing is working or needs to be tweaked. Ex: amount of dollars earned, how many times you went to the gym, how many inches you're down, how many words you wrote, how many minutes a day you're meditating.
• Set your By-When date - when will this happen by? Set the date and commit to it.
• Recommitment. This is a part too often forgotten. We set a goal we're excited about, then life can get in the way. Right now, put an alarm in your phone that repeats every day that says "Recommit." This is a daily promise to your Self and your Vision for your life that you're going to keep going until. 

Then, for the times you can feel stuck and can't figure out what's going on, look for the gaps.

IDENTIFY THE GAP

The baseball players that make it into the Hall of Fame hit the ball 50% of the time. 

We are always going to have a gap. That's the beauty of being human.

The gaps are new levels of awareness. New invitations to evolve and expand. 

So, what do you do when you see that your results are flat, that what you're doing might not be as effective as you'd hoped? 

Look for the gap. 

The next two steps I'm sharing have led to incredible breakthroughs in my life because they opened my mind to new ideas and new possibilities when (and sometimes where) I least expected it. 

Step 1: Who do you want to be? 

We all have an idea of who we are on our way to becoming. 

We envision being bolder, more courageous, more generous, kinder, more everything. 

Think of each area of your life: your relationship with self, with others, your health, your career, your finances, your fun, your community... All the areas that make up YOUR life. Then, make a list of all of the things you want to be in each of those areas. 

Ex: You want to be a writer, you want to take better care of yourself, you want to be a coach, you want to be earn a lot of money so you can donate more, you want to be healthier, you want to be in a more fulfilling relationship, happily married, a better parent...  

Step 2: Identify the habits

Look at all of the things you want to be. Amazing!! Your list should be on the short side - this isn't a manifesting 1,000 things kind of list.

For each area of your life, identify your habits that are bringing you closer to your goals, and identify the habits that don't serve you.

Friendly reminder sweet Friend, this is not, I repeat NOT a place for self-judgment. This is a time to be in observation. Looking at your habits, serving and not-so-serving and creating that awareness so that you know what to shift to get better results.

Ok? K...   

Step 3: Identify the Power Habits

Power Habits are the things people do that drive them forward consistently and persistently. It's not about working harder, it's about working smarter. 

Doing the things that move the needle. Removing the things that don't. 

Take a best-selling author. You can be absolutely sure that they write every day. All of my favorite authors do. They all have a ritual every day. 

Think about a comedian. Jerry Seinfeld attributes his success to writing jokes every day. 

Think about someone in a healthy and happy marriage. My husband and I work on our marriage every day. 

The work makes the result easy. 

Who you want to be... What habits do you need to embrace to BE that person? Take out your journal and start identifying the habits, then choose which one you'll work on first. 

Resist the urge to put 27 new habits on your calendar. That's a recipe for failure. 

Choose one or two habits, work on those. Get consistent with it so it's easy, then you can add another one. 

When we are consistently growing in one or two ways at a time, the rewards are huge! Your habits spill into other areas of your life and that's where it gets super magical. 

Embracing a habit or two leads to life-shifting results. 

DREAM BIGGER

When we list all of the things we want to Be, Do, and Have, it tells our subconscious mind what to focus on.

Most people let the lives they're living today dictate how big they can dream tomorrow. 

But you're not like most people. You have a deep belief that you can be, do and have whatever you desire. There's just some fears, some doubts, some worries that come up sometimes that keep you from that next level.

Set a timer for 10 to 15 minutes, grab your journal and answer these questions...

👉 And don't filter your thoughts. Be totally objectively honest with yourself. Don't judge your thoughts, simply let them come in, write them down, and move on...

• Do you give yourself permission to dream big? If not, why not? 
• Do you dream without any limitations? If you have limitations, what are they?
• Does your current reality influence how big you allow yourself to dream? 
• What would your life look like if you could suspend disbelief? 

Write out the answers with a pen and paper, not on a keyboard. You'll connect to different parts of your brain which could lead to bigger breakthroughs and deeper awareness. 

FOCUS ON YOUR DREAMS

When we list all of the things we want to Be, Do, and Have, it tells our subconscious mind what to focus on.

Most people let the lives they're living today dictate how big they can dream tomorrow. 

But you're not like most people. You have a deep belief that you can be, do and have whatever you desire. There's just some fears, some doubts, some worries that come up sometimes that keep you from that next level.

Set a timer for 10 to 15 minutes, grab your journal and answer these questions...

👉 And don't filter your thoughts. Be totally objectively honest with yourself. Don't judge your thoughts, simply let them come in, write them down, and move on...

• Do you give yourself permission to dream big? If not, why not? 
• Do you dream without any limitations? If you have limitations, what are they?
• Does your current reality influence how big you allow yourself to dream? 
• What would your life look like if you could suspend disbelief? 

Write out the answers with a pen and paper, not on a keyboard. You'll connect to different parts of your brain which could lead to bigger breakthroughs and deeper awareness.