Faith and the Power of Auto-Suggestion – Chapters 3 & 4

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This has been a great week of learning for me. After listening to the many calls one of my realizations is that I need to change my "Motto" or self-talk. I adapted mine from Michael's and it has been great, but I need to work on one that is a little more personal now. I guess that shows growth. I realize that there are a few little flies buzzing inside of my head that I need to get a fly swatter (e.g., self-talk) after so that I can move forward with my goals.

One thing that I have realized is that I need to reassure myself that regardless of what I do or say, love exists in abundance and if I alienate one person because of my firm stand to do what I know to be right, then so be it. I don't know how I could have forgotten so easily the words that Jesus spoke to his would-be-disciples. He told them that even if their mother or brothers renounced them for putting faith in him, they would receive a plethora of mothers and brothers exercising their right to believe and live in a different way. Sometimes that is a hard concept for me to grasp. Being raised as a Jehovah's Witness where friendship and love is conditional (as directed by the organization – the people can be very caring, but blindly follow the lead of the yahoos at the top), it requires a lot of faith to know that the associates that I choose to befriend now will be with me for the long-haul. No one can do a recall on their kindness and encouragement. I realized that this is one of the fears that have hampered me from acquiring financial success.

After listening to the many calls and lessons last week, I realized that my portion of the motto was focused on others more than on myself. I love my children and give them unconditional love, but I haven't given myself permission to love myself unconditionally. The values that I want to teach my children can only be imprinted if I actively display them on a daily basis. Since I have always had a good work ethic, it is redundant, and really an echo of my upbringing that I'm not working hard enough. So, that sentence has to go too. Michael told one of the writers for last week's lesson that the best part of her motto was when she said that it was "none of my business what others think of me". That really struck a chord with me, and I was surprised. I tell myself that I don't care about what others think, but I still hedge around things, like going to a church that is not the Kingdom Hall, when I talk to my mother. I believe that when she finds out that will be the end of our relationship. And as much as I joke about it, the idea that she'll completely shut me out does bother me.

I'm not ready yet to tell her that the best thing for our relationship is never to discuss religious choices, but I know it's coming soon. And, as with most things that we dread, it probably won't be as bad as my imagination is building it up to be. That's one of the other things that I need to incorporate in my self-talk – the strong belief that the choices that other people make don't have anything to do with me. If she chooses to never speak to me (or my children) again, she is the one who is losing out on some great experiences, but that she's allowed to make that choice, the same way that I make my choices today. That's a hard one, so I guess I need to include that at the top of my list. J

I also realized that self-talk isn't as difficult as I have made it out to be in my mind. There's a scripture that keeps repeating in my head (partly because it was put to a melody) and I've noticed that whenever I get upset it pops into my head without a conscious effort. That's what I need to happen with my self-talk when I talk to people, or hear things that are upsetting to me. The same way I can remember that verse, I can remember my written self-talk also.

The Power of Auto Suggestion

Last night my husband and I had the rare opportunity to watch a DVD together without being interrupted a million times. We watched last year's season conclusion of "Battlestar Galactica." One of the subplots involved a father/son dynamic. The father is the Admiral of the fleet, his son is the dutiful military son, who wanted to stretch himself into another direction. They had a big fight and weren't speaking to each other for an episode or two. Anyway, my husband mentioned that this is what he fears will happen to him and our son. He was raised solely by women and had no relationship with his father, or any other male family member. As soon as he mentioned this, we had to stop the DVD because I told him that he needs to get that idea out of his head because if he doesn't it's going to come to pass. The alarms that went off in my head while he and I were talking reinforced that I do understand and believe the power of Auto-Suggestion. Now, I just have to make it work for me.

In accordance with Napoleon Hill's directions, if you mix emotion with thoughts you have a very powerful mixture indeed. When Akraam mentioned his fear to me, it really made me see the importance of mixing the right emotions with our thoughts in order to avoid disaster. Negative emotions such as fear, hatred, envy, etc. will only reap the things that you don't want to happen. I also have a better understanding that I have to really, really believe what I am saying in my self-talk in order to achieve my goals. Setting a goal half-heartedly will only lead to disappointment and failure, something that I've experienced in the past and don't like. I am trying to stay positive even as things that I thought were long buried resurface as I go through this mental cleanse.

Being blue, it is very easy to get distracted from what I'm trying to do, especially now that so much emotionally charged landmines are surfacing. So, persistence is something that I must consciously work towards. My first step to do this will be to follow his instructions and read Chapter 4 aloud every night until the system is cemented into my psyche. I want better for myself and my family and this baby step is one way that I can do this.

Thanks for listening,

 

Cheryl