The Best Positive Thinking Book

How to Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind

by Tor Pinney

© 1997-2005 Tor Pinney - All Rights Reserved

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Until this book is published commercially, I offer it online for free as a gift to any who would read it and apply its principles to improve the quality of their lives.

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For thousands of years, wise men and prophets have told us that anything we truly believe will come to pass. Today we know that the subconscious mind, the repository of our beliefs, is indeed a source of incredible power. We also now know that we can reprogram our subconscious to serve us. Cerebral programming creates belief, a very real, super-creative force that has the extraordinary capacity to manifest itself in the physical world. When you know how to create and control your beliefs, you have the ability to re-create and control yourself and your reality. Here, for the first time, is a simple, detailed explanation of the specific techniques that enable anyone to harness the awesome powers of positive thinking and positive projection.

- Enjoy health, wealth, love and peace of mind
- Turn your desires into self-fulfilling beliefs
- Design and create a brighter reality
- Succeed in everything you do
- Overcome all obstacles
- Solve any problem

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The Best Positive Thinking Book

How to Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind

Available for commercial publication. For more information, contact the author.

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WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS BOOK

“Here at last is a book that explains exactly what positive thinking is and why it works, and then tells us - in plain English - how to do it.”

“The Best Positive Thinking Book teaches the actual techniques. It’s refreshingly simple and to the point.”

“By far the best book of its kind - intelligent, comprehensive, succinct. Everyone should read it.”

“Positive thinking changed my life. It really works!”

The awesome powers of positive thinking have brought health, wealth, love and real happiness to many thousands, perhaps millions of people. Positive thinking has been taught by many of the world’s greatest minds: Buddha, Moses, Virgil, Plato, Sophocles, Dhammapada, Jesus, Freud, Emerson, Darwin, Carnegie, Peale and many others. Yet, never before have all the specific techniques, both ancient and modern, been presented so clearly and concisely in one volume as they have been in The Best Positive Thinking Book.

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CONTENTS

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to thank Gert the Skirt and Stuart Hutton for their generous assistance in proof-reading and editing this text. Special thanks to the two professional hypnotherapists, Judith A. Mitchell, M.A. and Sandy Islands, M.S., M.A., Ph.D., who helped and advised me on the portions of this book that deal with hypnosis and self-hypnosis.

The above notwithstanding, the responsibility for the content of this book rests solely with the author.

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WHY POSITIVE THINKING

             Just imagine what it would be like if you could have anything you want. What if you could actually make things materialize or disappear? What if you could re-make reality and become whomever and whatever you wanted to be. What would you do if you suddenly discovered you had the power to describe your own future, solve any problem, change bad habits, maintain perfect health, and help others to do the same? Suppose you found a way to be genuinely happy? What would you do?

            In fact, as you're about to discover, you already have this ability. You, and every other human being in the world, were born with it. Equally astonishing is the fact that relatively few people even know that this innate power is in them, let alone how to access it. Yet each of us does possess the capacity to consistently turn desires into reality, to change ourselves and our world, to project our future and to be truly happy. With a little practice and determination, it’s actually easy to do!

              These remarkable powers really do lie hidden within you. Learning to use them will improve your life even if you already enjoy great happiness and success. If, however, your life isn’t everything you’d like it to be, if there are things you urgently want change or improve, then accessing these latent powers will absolutely revolutionize your world and change it forever!

            The practice of harnessing and directing these powers is called positive thinking. You’ve probably heard of it. Positive thinking has brought health, hope, happiness, success, peace of mind, boundless energy and prosperity in abundance to countless thousands of people who have learned and practiced its techniques. It is a practical discipline based on fact and on fundamental truths that have been taught repeatedly through the ages, but until now, simple, concise, detailed instructions on how to actually do it have been elusive.

            Positive thinking as we’re going to explore it in this book is a skill and an art: Like any skill, it can be learned and mastered by practicing specific techniques; and like any art, it is limited only by the imagination, dedication and passion of the artist. The positive thinking techniques you will learn in the following pages are easy to grasp; anyone can do them. They require nothing but persistent application and your desire to succeed, yet they are incredibly effective. Using them promises a vast improvement in the quality of your life, and certain success at practically anything you endeavor to accomplish.  

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POSITIVE THINKING ~ WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS

The Human Computer 

            To understand positive thinking - what it is and how it works - it helps to understand a little bit about the workings of the human brain and the mind. Your brain functions much like a computer. It receives, records and stores information, then performs functions and calculations based on this information. In fact, the human brain is the most powerful “computer” in the world. It can perform many times more functions per second than the world’s largest man-made supercomputer, and each of us possesses this incredible instrument.

            The human mind is basically divided into two categories: the conscious and the subconscious. The conscious mind is our “awareness”. It takes care of all our rational thinking, like deciding what to wear and what to do next. It is the part of us that makes value judgments such as true or false, good or bad, etc.

            The subconscious mind, which scientists tell us comprises at least 88% of the brain, is in charge of controlling automatic and instinctive functions like heartbeat, glandular activity, digestion and so on. It also stores our memories. In fact, it is said that every single thing you have ever experienced in your life, real or imagined, is recorded in your subconscious. Eminent brain physiologists Dr. John Eccles and Sir Charles Sherrinton explain it this way: “When you learn anything, a pattern of neurons forming a chain is set up in your brain tissue. This chain, or electrical pattern, is your brain’s method of remembering.”  

            Using this stored information as its standard, the subconscious guides and directs your conscious thinking and develops your personality. The conscious mind, the part with which you are “thinking” right now, is constantly deciding what is and isn’t “real”, what’s right and wrong, and what, if anything, to do about it. It feels like you’re in control of your decisions and your actions. But each of your rational thoughts is first filtered through the subconscious; your mind does a sort of rapid computer file search to review all past related experiences and instructions regarding the subject. Only then will the conscious mind make its decision.  

            So your reasoning, all your conscious choices, are heavily influenced and largely created by the information and experiences stored in the subconscious part of your brain. The subconscious tells us what and how to think and, therefore, what to believe, how to feel and act, and what to do or not do. Clearly, it is the subconscious that has ultimate control of us and our lives.

Programming the Mind

             If your subconscious controls you, then the obvious question is: Who or what is controlling your subconscious?  The answer is programming.  

             We know the subconscious, the brain’s memory bank, accepts and records all information fed into it - much like a computer will accept any data it receives, so long as the data is entered correctly. It is the nature of the subconscious to record everything it is told, and to accept as fact - to "believe" - whatever it is told repeatedly. It does not judge the value or veracity of the data any more than a computer does. It simply accepts and records. Once an idea is effectively entered into the subconscious through repetition or trauma, that idea becomes a cerebral reality, a belief, regardless of whether the idea itself is true or false. A new chain of neurons is set up in the brain tissue and the information is stored as fact.

            These accumulated, recorded “facts”, this programming, determine your beliefs, which in turn guide all your rational thinking. The subconscious mind’s belief system is the map by which the conscious mind navigates. Naturally, the more flaws the map contains, the more misguided are your thinking, attitudes, feelings and actions. Just imagine trying to drive yourself across the country by following a faulty map. It would be almost impossible to get where you want to go.

            Yet, all of us have false information stored in our subconscious. Negative beliefs, often implanted deep within us since childhood, can dictate what we become in life. A child who is constantly told he’s no good (or stupid or spoiled or fat or selfish or inferior) will carry this belief with him into adulthood and, unless something happens to change his mind, his life will prove the truth of this learned, negative belief. A cycle is created in which the negative belief expects and projects the negative experience, which then reconfirms and strengthens the belief. That’s why negative thinkers have plenty of proof that their pessimism is justified, because negative things keep happening to them!  

            Most of us were saturated with negative programming during our most formative years. One expert estimates that the average 18-year old has been told “No!” or “you can’t!” nearly 150,000 times in his or her life. Often, well-meaning parents and teachers will correct a child using threats and negative statements. In addition, these adults carry their own life-long programming, which they can’t help but pass on to their young. By the time we’re old enough to start figuring things out for ourselves, we’re doing much of our figuring with a brain already heavily burdened with misinformation, restrictions, warnings, scoldings and a severely limited picture of reality.

            Negative thinking affects your health as well as your attitude. It’s a medical fact that bad thoughts, worry and stress can make you physically ill. That’s not so surprising when you remember that the subconscious mind controls bodily functions. Thoughts, and especially beliefs, tend to externalize themselves, to express themselves on the physical plane.   

            Of course, not all of our programming has been negative, but most of us carry around inside us a considerable mass of negative, counterproductive beliefs - some researchers say more than 75% - and those beliefs adversely affect and limit how we think, feel and act. They actually prevent us from accomplishing much of what we desire. Through no fault of our own, we have been heavily programmed for failure in at least some areas of our lives!

The Subconscious Mind Hears and Obeys

            The important thing to remember is that, unlike the conscious mind, the subconscious does not decide what information it will accept and reject. It does not differentiate between true or false, right or wrong, real or imaginary, any more than a computer “judges” the data entered into it. Your cerebral computer simply records the information, then confirms, creates or re-creates its beliefs based on that input. Researcher/author Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D. puts it this way, “Belief does not require something to be true. It only requires us to believe that it’s true!” Most of your reality is based on what you have been taught to believe, whether it is true or not!

            The subconscious mind will do anything possible that it is told to do if it is told often enough. It is constantly acting on the information it has stored, affecting everything about you - how you feel, how you act, what you accomplish, your physical health, your relationships - everything! It is working around the clock, doing everything it can to make you into the person you believe yourself  to be. And it does this without judgment.

            If it has been told that you can’t loose weight or that you’re really out of shape, it is working hard, right now, to see that you stay flabby. If it holds the belief that good jobs are hard to come by, your subconscious is carrying out its instructions, making sure you have a hard time finding a good job. If you are in the habit of saying, “I’m getting old,” your subconscious mind responds by saying, “Affirmative. Message received. I will do as instructed. I will direct your body, your attitudes, your feelings and your behavior to get old.” If you constantly admit, “I’m really bad at remembering names,” your subconscious says, “Understood. I will make sure you do not remember names.” Your subconscious simply hears and obeys. It does as it is told.

            Now, suppose you repeatedly said, “I feel terrific! Everyday I wake up full of energy and I know I’m going to have a great day!” If you were to repeat this statement often enough, how do you suppose your subconscious mind would respond? Repeating such a phrase will set up a new chain of neurons in the brain’s tissue, establishing itself as data. Once the brain becomes convinced that you are healthy, happy and successful, it will strive tirelessly and very effectively on your behalf to make that your reality - whether the belief is initially “true” or not. Quite simply, your brain will do whatever it is programmed to do. 

            So, if your subconscious controls you, and programming controls your subconscious, then who or what controls your programming? Well, if you’re like most people the answer is everyone and no one in particular. Unless you consciously take charge of the information fed into your subconscious mind, it will be left to chance. And statistically, chances are much of this random programming will be negative and will work against you everyday of your life.  

Reprogramming the Mind

            The good news is that you can take charge of your programming any time you decide to. You can change how you feel, what you do, what you are and what you accomplish in your life by changing what you think and believe. By replacing negative thought patterns with positive ones, you can literally reprogram yourself and re-create your reality.

            According to Siimon Reynolds, author of Become Happy in Eight Minutes (Plume/Penguin), “The power of belief on the human body and mind is awesome. In 1920, Dr. Emil Coué reported over five times the average success rate in curing patients by simply changing their beliefs. His main method? Getting them to say often, ‘Every day in every way I am getting better and better.’ Incredibly, that was enough to gradually change their beliefs, which in turn gradually changed their physical condition.”  

            When you apply the positive thinking techniques taught in this book, you actually convince your subconscious mind, by means of repetition and visualization, of a new truth. In the words of Dr. Eccles and Sir Sherrinton, “...since the subconscious cannot distinguish a real from an imagined experience, perfect mental practice can change or correct imperfect electrical patterns grooved there.” This means that you can actually reprogram your subconscious mind simply by practicing the right mental techniques.

            These grooved patterns in the brain are the physical building blocks of your beliefs. By intentionally creating new patterns in the brain tissue you can control or change your beliefs, and by determining and improving your beliefs you determine and improve the way in which your mind directs your thoughts, attitudes, feelings and behavior - in other words, your life.

            There is a system of cause and effect that clearly connects your achievements to your mental programming. It goes like this:

            What you achieve from day to day and from year to year is a direct result of your actions. If you act correctly in any given situation, if you do the right thing, you are more likely to achieve the right result than if you act incorrectly.

            How you act is largely directed by your feelings. The way you feel about something determines or affects what you do and how well you do it. Your feelings about yourself, your money, your health, your family and your job all cause you to behave as you do in these areas of your life. Good, positive feelings foster positive action and results. Negative feelings do the opposite.

            Your feelings are formed and controlled by your attitudes, the way in which you view the world. A good attitude towards your job, for example, will create in you good feelings at work, which in turn cause you to act and perform well. Naturally, the results of your work will reflect this. 

            Attitudes are generated by beliefs, that which your subconscious holds to be true. If you believe that you are attractive to the opposite sex, your attitude towards them will be confident, because you just assume they are interested in you. When you socialize, your positive, belief-generated attitude will make you feel secure about yourself and so you will tend to act relaxed and open, easily presenting your best side. The result is that people will tend to feel at ease and comfortable with you, which makes you an attractive companion. Their attraction is the end result of your belief.

            Beliefs are created by mental programming. All that information about yourself and the world that you’ve been mentally recording and storing all your life is the material from which your beliefs are constructed. If it was drilled into you at an early age that “money is the root of all evil,” then that belief will be stimulated - that “file” will be “accessed” - wherever money is concerned in your life. Even if you really want more money, the belief that money is evil will subtly affect your attitudes, feelings and actions toward having more money, and can seriously hamper your efforts to achieve financial goals - without your even being aware of it.  

            All attitudes, feelings and actions are expressions of thought. All thoughts originate in, and are filtered through, the belief system that your subconscious has manufactured. And what your subconscious believes is what it has been programmed to believe.

            So, that’s how it works: Programming creates beliefs, beliefs create attitudes, attitudes create feelings, feelings direct actions, and actions create results. Clearly, if you can control or change your programming, you can control and change your results. Positive thinking techniques are designed to give you direct control over this natural process. They enable you to alter or delete old, negative programs and replace them with new, positive instructions to your subconscious “computer”, reprogramming yourself with information and instructions of your choosing.  

            In a nutshell, this is the secret to the power of positive thinking: Your mind directs and controls you according to the instructions it receives. This is how and why positive thinking works on you. However, the beneficial effects of a positive belief system extend even further.  

Positive Projection

            Once you believe something good about yourself, people around you tend to accept it as true by the sheer confidence you exude, by the way you act and by the things you do. They are naturally attracted by your positive energy and will tend to help you towards your goals. Even people who previously hampered your progress, or else had no interest in you at all, suddenly become your allies. They are impelled to assist you by the positive effect you have on their feelings. This is one extended effect of positive thinking.  

            There is yet another effect of deep-seated belief that is, perhaps, harder to comprehend. Yet it is nonetheless real. Consider thought as a form of energy, which it is. Thoughts can actually be detected as electrical impulses within the living brain. Outside the tissue of the brain, these electrical impulses - these thoughts - are projected as brain waves, also measurable by laboratory instruments. Powerful thoughts, particularly emotionally charged thoughts, produce powerful energy waves. Your subconscious mind transmits these subtle waves of energy outward into the atmosphere, like radio waves from a transmission antenna.  

            When the mind holds a belief, the energy that thought emits is like the low frequency “song” of a whale at sea that carries over incredible distances. The subconscious mind continuously projects its beliefs into the “ocean” of energy, the life force that permeates every atom of the universe, and (and this is the magic and the mystery of it) all of creation responds by helping manifest those thought images, by making them so in the physical world. Intangible yet infinitely powerful forces conspire to guide and support your efforts. Doors open and opportunities arise, seemingly “out of the blue.” Good things begin to flow toward rather than away from you. Ultimately, that which you wanted and focused upon comes to pass. This response to belief, the uncanny way that good things begin to happen as you apply the techniques of positive thinking, is perhaps the greatest power of positive thinking.  

            This act - stimulating the universe so that it manifests a positive belief - is called positive projection. You can actually project your present and future reality. You are like an artist with a blank canvas, and you can put anything you want on it! Your belief is your cosmic paint brush, guided and limited only by your imagination, giving you the power to paint yourself into a wonderful picture, to reconstruct your present reality, to design your own future, to have or become whatever you want and to be happy and successful doing it.  

            The ultimate power of positive thinking is the ability to re-create reality by re-programming your subconscious mind. This power lies within every single human being, including you. Ironically, it works whether you believe it or not - whether you even know it or not - as it is working at this very moment and has been throughout your life. The difference is, starting now you can decide how it will work for you, what it will do. Learning to choose and project your reality is one of the greatest, most useful lessons of life on earth - and one of the most rewarding.  

            Positive thinking is not a passive endeavor. It requires a certain amount of discipline and action. This is one of the things that separate positive thinking from wishful thinking. It also requires persistence. Buddha is reputed to have said, “The secret to success is to begin and to continue.” Apply this to the techniques of positive thinking and you will succeed at everything.

            So, make up your mind to begin now. Decide to take control of your life in a way you have never done before. You possess the absolute power to change anything and everything for the better. Start practicing the techniques of positive thinking and stick with it. You will be absolutely amazed at what you will accomplish.  

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THE TECHNIQUES OF POSITIVE THINKING

Take the First Steps

            Nearly all of us have things about ourselves or our lives that we’d like to change. Whether it’s better health, a more loving relationship, a promotion at work, a slimmer figure, a fatter bank account, or more free time; it is human nature to have desires. But if you take the wrong action, or no action at all, to make your desires a reality, then your chances of achieving them are not very good. Turning a desire into a reality, getting the right results, requires right action. As we have seen, action and results are a direct product of how you think, how you think is controlled by your subconscious beliefs, and your beliefs are created by mental programming. 

            So, if you feel your life isn’t all it could be, you need to solve the problem at its source. You need to change your programming. Applying the techniques of positive thinking will change how you think and act, from the bottom up. The first step to accessing the power of positive thinking and positive projection is to realize that you need to improve your way of thinking. The second step is to decide that you will do it. The third step is to begin and the fourth is to continue.

            Once you admit to yourself that you need to change your old way of thinking, and you’re ready to create some new patterns that will dramatically improve your life, then you can begin practicing the arts and crafts of positive thinking and positive projection.

Choose Your Goals

            Without a goal you have no direction, and without direction you don’t get anywhere useful. It’s kind of like practicing archery without a target. If you want to score, you’ve got to have a bull's-eye to aim at, and you’ve got to see it clearly.

            Any desire is, or can become, a goal. It’s up to you to decide which ones are worthy of your effort; which ones will best contribute to your overall happiness or the happiness of someone else. You can make a goal out of nearly anything that is lacking in your life, but choose your goals carefully. A Hindu Swami once said, “Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.” Be certain that the object of your desire is for your greatest good, or for the greatest good of another. Positive thinking gives you an awesome power. Use it wisely and with discretion. It’s all right to help yourself, but not at the expense of another. Abusing this creative power would inevitably backfire and you’d only wind up harming yourself.  

            Only you can decide what is most important to you. Let your heart be your guide. Perhaps you desperately long to improve your health, or to loose weight. You could quit smoking or get a promotion, a better job, a happier domestic life, true love, or a new home for your family. Perhaps you’d like to start a business, earn more money, get more organized, score higher grades in school, close more sales, have more energy, slow down your pace, liven up your life, be more assertive, be less aggressive, overcome a hot temper, have more free time, help others, look better, feel happier, be more confident, excel in sports, get more done, become more creative, reduce stress, stop worrying, overcome loneliness or depression, travel abroad, be more successful or achieve higher self-esteem. Or, maybe you’d like to help someone you care about attain one or more of these goals. There is virtually no limit to what you can accomplish with positive thinking and positive projection.

Take time now to think about what it is you most want to achieve. It might help to make a short list of your greatest desires, and then gradually narrow it down to the one or two that are most important to you and begin with that.

State Your Goal

            Once you’ve decided on a goal, one of the best ways to pin it down is to write it down. Writing down your goal forces you to think it through and state it clearly. You don’t have to be “good at writing” to state your goals. Just write them down in your own words, exactly as you would say them, to describe the way you’d like things to be. Take some time doing this because it is important. Here are some guidelines worth following when you state a goal:

Be brief. Summarize your goal in a few sentences or a short paragraph.

Be specific. Describe what you want in detail. Remember, you’re going to get exactly what you ask for. You are painting a complete new picture of yourself and the way you want things to be, presenting it to your subconscious and saying, “This is the reality I want you to create.”

Set a date. Set a reasonable deadline for accomplishing your goal. Remember, a goal without a deadline is only a wish.

Paint yourself into the picture. Describe yourself and your feelings as if you have already accomplished your goal: What is different for you? What is your involvement in this scenario? What are you doing with your achievement? Your subconscious mind needs to be told how and where you fit into the new reality it must create.  

Deal with every issue that has any bearing on the goal. You usually have to fix more than just the symptoms of a problem to truly solve it. Take a hard, honest look at yourself and get at the causes, the reasons that this area of your life has not been all you’d like it to be. Try to see past your superficial, rational excuses for the situation. Ask yourself what old programming created the problem in the first place. Many people who have trouble acquiring or keeping money, love, friends and a multitude of other things, are suffering from a lack of self-esteem. Deep down inside, they (their subconscious) believe they are not worthy of success; that they don’t deserve it or that they’re not smart enough or good enough to have it. Before your subconscious can fully devote itself to a new program, you have to erase or alter the old, contradictory programs, the ones that have been working against you. Include in your stated goal the idea that you deserve it, that you are worthy of having it, that you’re smart enough to get it, that you’re willing to go after it and that you are easily capable of achieving it. This is what you need to tell your subconscious mind to give it permission to succeed.  

Use the present tense. Describe what you want to accomplish as if it is already a reality; as if it has already taken place. It doesn’t matter that you know it hasn’t happened yet. You are telling your subconscious mind exactly what it must create. Saying things like, “I’m going to...,” “I will...,” “I should...,” “I’d like to...,” “I wish...,” and “I want...,” does not tell the subconscious to do anything now. It will believe you and it will record the statement, but it won’t take any action. When stating your goal, say “I am...,” or, “It is...” This challenges the subconscious to bring your external reality into accord with the belief.  

            However, if you feel more comfortable with a future tense statement, then put a specific date or time limit on the action, such as “I will move to the mountains by May 1st.”

Specify how you are accomplishing this goal. State your plan. What can you do to attain the goal, to help make it a reality? Fortune helps those who help themselves. As the new programming takes hold, your subconscious mind will guide you and help you take the appropriate actions to realize your goal. Meanwhile, let it know that you are willing. Any specific ideas you have of actions that you can undertake to help achieve your goal will give your mind something concrete on which to focus.  

Say it’s easy. Unless you want to work really hard for something, include in your written goal the statement or idea that this is easy for you to accomplish. Let your mind know that it shouldn’t make this a difficult process for you.

Limit the use of negative words when stating your goal, especially the word “not” and its derivative “n’t” words like “won’t”, “isn’t” and “can’t”. The subconscious mind responds more positively to a positive statement. Instead of saying, “I am not poor,” say “I am rich,” “I am free of debt and I have money in the bank,” or “I have all the money I need.” When stating goals, and for that matter whenever you speak, get in the habit of turning negative statements into positive ones.

            That said, a strong, negative affirmation can sometimes be very effective for reinforcing determination to quit a bad habit. “I do not smoke! I never smoke!” is an example.

Here is a sample of a written goal: 

Our New Home

“My family and I are moving into a 3-bedroom house in a safe, quiet neighborhood (or in your favorite part of town, or wherever), with friendly neighbors, a beach nearby, lots of trees in the yard and a tire swing for the kids. The house has a front porch, a large living room with a fireplace, a game room for the kids, a den, a bright, new kitchen, and three bedrooms. We love this house! It’s perfect for us and we’re all very happy to be here! We’re good people, we’ve worked hard and we deserve to have this fine house. I can easily afford this house. I earn more money now than ever before. I have more than enough money for the down payment. I’m a good provider. I love my family and I’m confident and proud that I can provide this wonderful home for us. To make the house even more affordable, I study and learn more and more everyday about creative real estate purchasing and financing.”  

            Notice that this goal statement fulfills all of the basic requirements: It is brief; it is specific; it paints you into the picture, it deals with related issues (you’re good, you work hard, you deserve, you provide, you love, you’re confident, you’re proud); it is in the present tense; it specifies how you accomplish it (you can afford, you earn, you have money, you study); it says it’s easy (“I can easily afford...”); and it contains no negative words.

            You can have any number of goals. Using 3x5 or 4x6 index cards, or quarter sheets of paper, make up your own card deck for multiple goals, one statement per card. If you don’t have a specific goal in mind at this time, but would like to experiment with the power of positive thinking, you might make it your goal to do everything as well as you can; to be a top performer. Or, decide that you do at least one thing everyday to help another human being. Or simply choose to feel happy and energetic everyday. 

            Statements that assert basic truths or facts are called affirmations. In positive thinking, positive affirmations are used to boost self-image and resolve. They’re often included within goal statements, but positive affirmations can also stand on their own so that the qualities affirmed are themselves the goal.

            Here’s a positive affirmation of better health and an all-around better life: “Every day in every way I get better and better. I am in perfect physical condition. I enjoy perfect health. I feel strong, healthy and energetic all the time. My life is going great! Every morning I wake up full of energy, excited about the terrific day I’m about to enjoy; and I stay that way all day. I like myself; I like who I am. I’m successful, confident and content. I easily accomplish everything I set out to do. I turn my desires into goals, I picture my goals clearly and often, and I achieve them! I smile a lot because I’m happy and I make the people around me happy. I’m a very fortunate person. Life is good!”  

            Remember, affirmations and goal statements are descriptions of what you want to become, what you want to achieve, or the way you'd like things to be. They can be the complete opposite of how things actually seem to be right now. They describe the reality you desire. We’ll look at some more examples of affirmations and goal statements further on. 

            Stop reading now and take some time to write down your number one goal. If it takes an hour, or several hours over the next few days, that's OK. Just follow the guidelines above and work at it until it says exactly what you want it to say.

Boost Your Self-Image

            Your self-image is the total picture of yourself as your subconscious mind believes you to be. It is a subconscious belief, a product of lifelong programming that in turn creates or negates self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-worth. Self-image also takes into account how capable your mind thinks you are; how smart, attractive, popular, assertive and successful. It holds an opinion of your proper level or place in society, your state of health, your degree of wealth, your overall state of mind and the image you present to the world around you. Your self-image, the way in which your subconscious mind “sees” you, is the person your mind is constantly working to create and maintain. Some of this benefits you; some of it probably doesn’t.  

            When you want to achieve a goal, solve a problem or change some aspect of your reality, you must remember that who, what and where you are is an image already held firmly by your subconscious mind. It has taken a lifetime to create, nurture and refine this program. Chances are, many facets of this old self-image have conspired to create the very situation that you now want to change.

            For example, if you want to be financially secure, to attract and have more money, you need to figure out and change the areas of your self-image that have tended to restrict your income until now. Remember, you are where you are because of you! It is you that you need to change. Do that and the rest of the world will fall into place; the money will come. You may need to convince your subconscious that you are worthy, deserving, capable, willing and smart enough to have lots of money. You may have to overcome an old, “I’m just a common working man” program that has been holding you back. Find these “poor” self-images and change them.  Otherwise, these old programs will continue working against you even while you are entering a new, “I have money” program. 

            If you look hard enough you will find, more often than not, that a poor self-image is at the root of many common complaints: lack of money, poor health, obesity, drug addiction, sexual disorders, lack of love and habitual worry to name a few. One of the goals of traditional psychoanalysis is to discover and expose these old, deeply seated negative beliefs in your own inadequacy. It’s perfectly all right, and sometimes very beneficial, to combine psychoanalysis with positive thinking. But with or without outside help, you must dig deeply into yourself to find and face your hidden issues. Drag these ancient lies out where you can see them. They’re nothing but bad programming. Once you recognize they are there, you can replace them with much more positive images.  

            Among your goal statements, include an affirmation for improving your self-image - even if you think you’re all right. The sample given below, like all sample statements in this book, is just a guide. You’ll probably want to alter it to suit yourself. For example, if you feel like you’re unattractive or unpopular, add something like, “I am very attractive. People like me and like being with me. I’m good company and fun to be with.” The idea is to include programming aimed at building up the low points in your self-image, while leaving the good opinions intact.

            Not everyone says things the same way. Wherever the wording seems awkward or unnatural to you, change it so that it sounds more normal. Work with these samples; make them your own. Start with this one right now. Copy it onto a piece of paper, and then change it to suit yourself. Take all the time you need to convert it, word by word and phrase by phrase, into your own statement.

Self-Image

“I am a very special person. I am unique in all the history of the world. There is no one else in this world quite like me. I like who I am. I feel really good about myself. I am exceptional! I have special talents, skills and abilities. I’m capable of easily doing anything I set my mind to. I’ve learned many things in my life, and I’m learning more and more all the time. In fact, I keep getting better and better everyday in every way. I am proud of myself. I’m proud of who I am. I’m very happy with myself. I like how I feel, I like how I think, and I like how I do things. I am intelligent. My mind is quick and alert and clever. I think good, positive thoughts and my mind always makes things work right for me. I am in complete control of my life. I create my goals, I see them clearly and often in my mind, and I achieve them. I enjoy a wonderful life and I deserve all the good things life has to offer. I am a good, positive person. I am worthy of my successes now, and I deserve the greater successes I will enjoy in the future. I can do anything! Life is wonderful! I feel great!”  

            Your subconscious mind will help or hinder your efforts to succeed depending on how success fits in with its image of you. It is your self-image that is guiding you now as you set your goals. Be careful you don’t short-change yourself by asking too little of life - just because some old programs are whispering to you, “you don’t deserve to have more than this.” Remember this: It is just as easy to create a program for a million dollars as it is to set a goal for a thousand. Which you choose is largely a matter of what you believe you‘re worth. For that reason, it may be wise to postpone setting your goals until after you have treated yourself to a few weeks of positive self-image programming.

            Now, let's consider how to use the positive goal statement or affirmation you've created.

Repeat Your Goal Often

            Now that you have your goal clearly stated on paper, make a half-dozen copies of the written statement, using index cards or quarter-sheets of writing paper. Tape up one copy next to your bed, where you can see it from your pillow. Tape another copy in a corner of your bathroom mirror, and others on the refrigerator, on the dashboard of your car, and on your desk or at your work place, and carry one copy in your wallet. Every time you see one of these notes, read it. You can say it silently if you’re in a crowd, or out loud to yourself when you’re alone. Do this often, many times a day, everyday. Say it with conviction, as if you’re stating a certain fact. 

            In addition to using notes as reminders, if your goal is an object or can be represented graphically, find or make a photograph or a precise drawing of it. Put it up where you’ll see it most often. A picture is a very direct way to fix a goal clearly in your mind. Every time you look at the picture, say to yourself, “I have that! That is mine!,” or whatever your goal is regarding the object.

            Repetition is the key to reprogramming. The subconscious records everything, but it believes whatever it hears over and over again. The more you repeat your goals, the more your subconscious mind will do to manifest them. Don’t stop repeating the goal until you have achieved it. Remember, the secret to success is to begin and to continue.  

Supercharge Your Statement

            When you repeat your goal, say it with strong feeling. Nothing gives more force to a thought than powerful, passionate emotion. If you feel an obsessive, ardent, urgent, burning desire to achieve your goal, that emotion will supercharge the thought, implanting it deeply into your subconscious, and from there into the world around you with unstoppable momentum. You are not making a wish here. You are creating your dream. Project it powerfully!

Visualize Your Goal

            Visualization is another powerful technique for fixing your goal in your subconscious mind. Visualization is like controlled daydreaming. It’s fun! Create in your mind’s eye a vivid picture of your goal as if you had just accomplished it. Be very specific. See the colors, hear the sounds, notice all of the details of possessing or achieving the object of your desire. See the people you want to include in this event. Hear their happy conversations. It is very important to put yourself in the picture, too. Seeing yourself enjoying the achievement of your goal is the whole point of the exercise. You are giving instructions to your subconscious mind, telling it exactly what it must accomplish for you.

            As with the verbal goal repetition technique, practice this visualization often, many times a day. Supercharge the picture with your burning desire! If you’re wishy-washy about wanting it, your subconscious is going to be wishy-washy about arranging it. See the fulfillment of your quest, feel the excitement of your accomplishment, taste the sweetness of success. Know that you have this coming!

Fight Your Old Programming

            As you start practicing these techniques, you may find your mind resisting you, trying to inject doubts and pictures of failure during your goal repetition and visualization exercises. Your mind may not want to give up its old, negative habits without a struggle. After all, they’ve been in control for a long time. But remember, you must control your mind to control your reality. Be gentle, yet firm. Set those negative thoughts aside to be purged later, and concentrate on the positive statement.  

            Here is a visualization exercise for purging old, destructive, negative thought patterns and replacing them with new, positive ones. At least once a day, sit or lie quietly and close your eyes. Relax. Take three deep breaths, exhaling slowly each time. Now, visualize your new, positive thoughts as a white light penetrating deep into your mind, driving out the old, black, negative thought patterns that have been polluting your thinking and fouling up your life. See this white light first entering through the top or crown of your head, then seeping into your brain. See it sparkle as it cleans out the dark, sooty negativity and flushes the debris away. What is left behind, inside your brain, is the clean, clear white light of positive thinking.

            Another purging technique is to personalize your mind, to talk to it as though it were a person. Say to it, “You, you old, negative thoughts and beliefs, no longer control me! You are false and I don’t believe in you anymore. I have a new way of thinking that is helping me achieve my goals. I am positive and all my thoughts and beliefs are positive. I only have thoughts that work for me and help me achieve my goals.”  

            As with all mental reprogramming techniques, repetition and emotion are the keys to entering the new program. The more often and more forcefully you do the exercise, the more strongly it takes hold.

            Try these exercises now. Sit quietly, close your eyes, take a few long, deep breaths, and visualize the white light cleansing your mind. Then repeat the purging affirmation above with feeling. It's easy to do. Now you have taken another big step in the direction of making your desires a reality.

Enter The Twilight Zone

            There is a very special moment that occurs between sleep and wakefulness. Just at the point when you are beginning to wake up, and also just when you are starting to drift off to sleep, your subconscious mind is particularly susceptible to suggestion. At that moment, there is an open door through which you can send your message more effectively than at any other time.

            Every morning, when you first realize that you’re no longer asleep, but before you open your eyes or move or get up, repeat your goal just as you have written it. Feel your burning desire to achieve it. Visualize it clearly in your mind, in full detail and living color. Put yourself in the picture. Make this a habit, so that you automatically perform this brief ritual every single morning. Then again, every evening after you have gone to bed and closed your eyes, just at that moment when you feel yourself about to slip off into sleep, repeat your goal, passionately and with the certainty that this is what is happening. Fall asleep with that thought and image clear in your mind. Even if you don’t practice any other positive thinking techniques, practice this at the Twilight Zone times!  

            During the rest of the day, keep repeating and visualizing your goal every time you’re reminded of it, prompted by the notes you have put up

Listen to What You Say

            Programming includes not only what you say or picture silently inside your mind, but also anything you say out loud, whether it is to yourself or to someone else. Your subconscious listens to and records every spoken word, accepting the repeated statements as instructions. Get in the habit of listening to what you say whenever you speak. Ask yourself, “Is this what I want my subconscious mind to be recording? Is this what I want to be or become?”

            In particular, pay attention to those little, self-deprecating one-liners people often say half-jokingly, like, “I’m too old for this,” “I never win anything,” or, “What do I look like, a millionaire?” Stay alert for these negative statements. Stop yourself every time you catch yourself saying one of them and replace it with something positive.  

Talk To Yourself

            Self-conversation is the technique of actually talking to yourself out loud and holding down both sides of the conversation. To avoid feeling self-conscious, you might prefer to practice this technique when you’re alone, such as in the shower, on a walk or driving in your car. You can use self-conversation to give yourself a pep talk every morning. It might go something like this:

            “Hey, good morning, good lookin’! Looks like another great day today! How are you feeling?”

            “Man, I feel terrific! I had a good night’s sleep, I gave my subconscious mind a healthy dose of my goals before I got out of bed this morning, and now I’m getting ready for a great day today!”

            “Yeah, well you sure are looking good. Haven’t you lost a little weight lately?”

            “You bet! I am a lean, serene winning machine!”

            And so on. Just make it up as you go along and play with it. Imagine starting every day with someone telling you how great you look, how energetic you feel, and what a great day you’re going to have! You’ll step out into the world feeling fantastic, and that sets you’re mood for the entire day. Self-conversation can be a little bit silly and a lot of fun. Best of all, it tells your subconscious mind how things are so your mind knows what it is expected to project for you.

            Self-conversation can also be more serious. It is a good technique for working out a problem. Discussing a problem with yourself has several benefits. For one thing, you can say anything that comes to mind with no fear of being judged or embarrassed. You’re free to be completely open, and you’re talking to someone who knows you inside out. You can be honest and straightforward with your questions and your answers. Talking out loud forces you to put your thoughts into words. This alone helps you to pinpoint issues, to get specific and clarify your thinking. We’ll take a closer look at other specific problem-solving techniques a bit further on.

Reprogram Yourself Instantly

            Have you ever noticed how a little incident can sometimes get under your skin and upset you more than it should? When you let something trivial get you down or make you angry or upset, it can ruin your whole day. In part, that’s because emotions impact you physically as well as mentally. They stimulate glandular activity, causing chemical changes that can affect you long after the incident is past.

            There is an easy way to change how you’re feeling. Instant reprogramming is on-the-spot programming that changes how you feel about, and how you respond to, what is happening at that moment. Used often enough, it will also create a permanent change in the way you feel and think, but just brightening your mood for the moment is always worthwhile. Not only will you feel better right away, but you’ll also carry some of that good mood with you during the rest of the day. As surely as negative emotions will cling to you for hours, so too will positive feelings. One little victory over negativity can make your whole day!  

            Instant reprogramming is usually a single thought expressed in a few words. For example, just before starting a chore you’re not really looking forward to (like cleaning up or exercising), say to yourself, “This is going to be fun! I’m going to have a good time doing this today. I really enjoy __(seeing my room clean, keeping in shape, or whatever)__!” You’ll be surprised at the improvement this little technique makes in how you feel about the chore.

            Every morning, after you’ve done your goal repetition and visualization, sit up in bed, put your feet on the floor, and say out loud, “Oh, boy, this is going to be a great day!” And as you say it, clap your hands together once loudly on the word great! This simple, silly act will get you going on the right foot every day. Just doing it can’t help but bring a smile to your face!

            In the course of your normal day, whenever someone asks, “How are you?” or “How’s it going?”, always answer, “Great!” or “Fantastic!” no matter how things seem at that precise moment. Remember, if you tell a lie often enough, you start to believe it. And once you believe it, it becomes true for you. This is an easy habit to cultivate and it will have a significant, beneficial impact on you.  

            Whenever you catch yourself feeling upset or angry, when something sets you off, relax your muscles, open your hands, and say, “I don’t like the way I’m feeling. This feeling is not doing me or anyone else any good. I’m not angry for the reasons I think. Now, I want a new, positive way of looking at this situation.” Your anger will abate. If it doesn’t, take three deep breaths, each time exhaling slowly, and repeat the exercise with more determination.

            If traffic jams or stoplights normally annoy you, say to yourself, “I don’t mind traffic. It gives me a chance to slow down, think about other things and get my thoughts organized. I’m not in any special hurry anyway. This is valuable time for me and I enjoy taking advantage of it.” Or you might say, “I like stopping at traffic lights. They give me an opportunity to practice my deep breathing exercises, which make me feel peaceful and relaxed. The more red lights, the better I feel!”

            You can talk yourself out of a bad mood and into a good one. If you’re feeling blue, say to yourself, “I am happy and I’m thinking positive!” Say it with enthusiasm, several times. Then take a deep breath and exhale it sharply, expelling the sadness from your heart and lungs. It’s amazing how this simple affirmation dissolves depression, especially once you’ve gotten in the habit of doing it. The more often you do this, the more you practice instant reprogramming, the faster and more complete will be the change.  

            All of these exercises are twice as effective if, in addition, you do three simple things: (1) Form a great big smile with your mouth - the kind that crinkles the corners of your eyes. Even if you don’t feel like smiling at all, make the face. (2) At the same time, press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, and (3) tap the middle of your chest solidly with your finger tips. Do this for about one minute. The smile and the tongue position actually send biochemical signals to the brain that stimulate feelings of pleasure and happiness. The chest tapping stimulates the thymus gland, which releases chemicals into the bloodstream that create feelings of pleasure. Take a minute and try this right now. See, it really works! The more you use this technique, the faster and more noticeable is its effect.

            Instant reprogramming is a powerful, practical positive thinking tool for your everyday use. Anytime you feel yourself getting annoyed or upset over some minor inconvenience, make up something positive to say about it. Remember, it doesn’t have to be true; it only has to be something you’d prefer to be true. Your subconscious mind will get the message.

            It is entirely up to you whether to feel bad or feel good in your daily life. It’s your choice. How do you want to feel?  

Make Audiotapes

            The audiocassette recorder is surely modern technology’s greatest contribution to the practice of positive thinking. Properly used, audiotapes can be an extremely effective tool for programming the subconscious mind. They can create a fictitious “other person” that tirelessly repeats your goal statements and positive affirmations to your subconscious.

            You can make your own positive thinking tapes. It’s fun and easy, and you don’t have to be a professional announcer to do it. The tapes are for your personal use only so it doesn’t matter if they sound homemade. And don’t worry if you think your voice sounds odd on tape. Practically everybody feels that way when they first hear their recorded voice played back. Just do it. It’s absolutely astonishing how effective these tapes are in creating changes in you!  

            To make tapes of your goal statements and positive affirmations, invest in a small audiocassette recorder. To begin with, you can make a positive thinking audiotape by simply recording your statements verbatim, reading them directly from your written notes. But the best tape-recorded goal statements differ slightly from the written version, so you’ll probably want to re-state your goals for recording. Here’s how:

            Use the third person on tape. Just take your written statements and replace the word “I” with “you”, “mine” with “yours”, “myself” with “yourself” and so on, as if you’re saying all this about someone else. The subconscious listens not only to what you say about yourself, but also to everything others say about you. By using the third person pronoun on your tapes, you create a message in which “someone else” is saying these positive things to you and about you. This is a good balance to the “I am” statements in your written affirmations, and the subconscious mind will readily accept this third person input.

            Speak slowly and clearly when you record. Pause between each sentence and phrase. Repeat the important points two or three times. Remember, repetition is the key to programming the subconscious.

            Once you’ve got the feel of it, you may want to expand a written statement a bit. However, each recorded goal should be no more than fifteen or twenty phrases or sentences that paint the complete picture you want your subconscious to receive. By adding more goals and affirmations you may increase the length of the tape, up to around 20 minutes. Any longer than that may challenge your mind’s attention span.

            Listen to your tape often, at least a few times a day. With a small, battery-powered recorder, you can play the tape during your twilight zone time, while you’re dressing in the morning or commuting to work, during a break or on a walk. Use headphones if you prefer to listen in privacy. If, after awhile, you find you’re getting bored hearing the same tape over and over again, re-record it. Even if the text is the same, the new voice inflections will make it seem fresh.

            You don’t necessarily have to just sit and listen when the tape is playing. You can busy yourself with other things: brushing your teeth, cooking, cleaning up, driving a car, or whatever. You can even play it while you're napping! Your subconscious is listening and recording the information on the tape, even when you don’t think you’re paying attention. If you have pleasant instrumental music playing in the background, it may make the mind even more receptive to the messages on the tape. At times when you are paying attention, you may want to add your visualization exercise to the audiocassette listening session, seeing and feeling in your mind the images the tape is describing. 

            Audiotapes are a wonderful tool for programming the subconscious mind. They’re affordable, easy to use and extremely effective. Here are two sample goal statements for taping that you can alter to suit yourself, and then record. Remember to use the third person “you”, and to repeat key phrases:

Quit Smoking

You do not smoke. You never smoke.

Your lungs and throat are strong, clear and healthy.

You are able to breathe deeply; you feel great!

You are a non-smoker and you are proud of yourself for quitting.

When you see a cigarette, or even think of one, you immediately say the words, “I do not smoke!” - and you don’t!

If you ever pick up a cigarette, you immediately break it in half and discard it.

You see smoking as being foolish, stupid-looking, debasing, low-class, dirty and destructive.

You have no harmful habits controlling you. You are free of tobacco.

If you ever feel a need to fill an emptiness inside of you, you take several deep breaths of clean, fresh air.

You do not smoke. You never smoke.

You do not gain any unwanted weight as a non-smoker. Your body is trim, firm and healthy. You eat only modest amounts of fresh, healthy, low fat foods.

Instead of eating snacks, you drink large glasses of pure, clear water. You do not overeat and you do not smoke.

Every time you think you want a cigarette, you say, “I do not smoke!,” and you don’t!

You really enjoy breathing clean, fresh air and being healthy.

You are living a very long life in perfect health because you never smoke. You are a permanent non-smoker.

Being a non-smoker is easy for you.

You like how you feel. All your senses are clear and alive. Your sense of smell and your sense of taste are especially keen. You have more energy and stamina than ever before. You feel great!

You are free of the killer tobacco forever! You do not smoke! You never smoke!  

Money

You are wealthy. You have all the money you need to do everything you want to do in your life.

You like money. Money is good. Money makes life more fun!

You like having lots of money tucked away in savings and investments.

You always have plenty of pocket money for spending cash.

You attract money. Money comes easily to you.

You always have plenty of money available to you, and you can always get plenty more whenever you want it.

You deserve the best. You are a good person and you are entitled to wealth.

You are generous with your bounty. You like to help others less fortunate than you.

You give yourself permission to have financial wealth. Money is good for you! Money gives you the freedom and the power to live the way you choose to live.

You earn money by working at jobs or projects of your own choosing. You are very capable and very productive when you work, and everything you do is extraordinarily profitable. You have the Midas touch!

You work smart, not hard. You are exceptionally creative and talented.

You enjoy your work. You get great satisfaction and pleasure from a job well done.

You study and read books about acquiring wealth and you learn more and more every day.

You constantly recognize and take advantage of new opportunities to earn more money.

You create your goals, you reprogram yourself with them, and you achieve everything you aim for.

You are wealthy and you love it! You have plenty of money. Life is great!

Practice Hypnosis and Self-Hypnosis

            Hypnosis is a shortcut to the subconscious mind. It is a state of deep relaxation in which the subconscious is especially open to suggestion, similar to the positive thinking Twilight Zone mentioned earlier. A goal statement or affirmation given to you under hypnosis will have the same powerful reprogramming effect as many regular repetitions. 

If you can find and afford a good hypnotherapist, you can speed up your reprogramming significantly by having him or her feed you your own positive statements while you are hypnotized. You can avail yourself of the same shortcut to reprogramming your subconscious mind by making and using your own self-hypnosis tapes. They’re really not much different than the positive thinking audiotapes we’ve already discussed, except they lead you into a state of deep relaxation to enhance your receptivity. Unlike affirmation audio tapes, you must never use hypnosis tapes while you’re driving. In fact, you must be doing nothing other than sitting or lying down by yourself where you won’t be disturbed by people, pets or telephones.

            A self-hypnosis tape, if properly composed, is self-explanatory. You simply lie still and follow the instructions. Because a hypnosis tape is long, around 20- to 30-minutes, the sample written text takes up many pages in this book. For that reason, the self-hypnosis tape sample text and the recording instructions are located at the back of this book, after the summary. You can flip to the back now to look it over, if you like.

            Self-hypnosis tapes are among the fastest-acting and most effective positive reprogramming tools available to you. Use them regularly and you’ll achieve your goals sooner, and in some cases you will experience instant results.

Breathe Deeply

            Several positive thinking exercises, including self-hypnosis, call for deep breathing to relax you. Deep breathing is a simple practice of enormous value to the body, mind and spirit. You would do well to get in the habit of practicing deep breathing many times each day: sometimes only for a minute or two while you’re engaged in other activities, and at least once a day for a dedicated, 15- to 20-minute session. 

            To practice deep breathing, first loosen your belt or waistband. Inhale through the nose and as you do, gently push out your stomach. This makes room for the lower lungs to expand more than usual so they can fill completely. Continue to inhale, filling first the lower lungs, then the middle and upper lungs, until the lungs are completely full. Then, exhale very, very slowly through the mouth, taking as long as you can to expel all the air - first from the upper lungs, then from the lower lungs by gently pulling your stomach back in to help compress the lower lungs and force out all the carbon dioxide.

            As you repeat the process, you’ll become more and more relaxed and tranquil. Just concentrate on the breathing and you’ll soon be at peace. You’ll also notice that your heart rate and your entire metabolism have slowed way down, so that after awhile you only need to take one breath every minute or so. It’s very restful and healthful, both physically and mentally.

            Try it right now. In a few minutes, you’ll feel very peaceful.

Don’t Worry; Be Happy

            Worry is a self-perpetuating, habitual form of negative thinking created by fear and self-doubt. It blocks the flow of positive thinking and positive projection. It can sap your energy, cloud your thinking and lock you into a downward spiral of depression and inaction. Worry is a leading cause of many illnesses: ulcers, heart disease, high blood pressure, skin disorders - the list is a long one. The old saying, “I am sick with worry,” is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Worry really can make you ill.

            But worry is nothing more than a negative thought pattern, and as we have already discussed thought patterns can be changed.

            Your first step in freeing yourself of worry is to practice emptying the mind of it. Whenever you feel burdened with worry, or before retiring at night, sit or lie quietly and practice your deep breathing. After several long, deep breaths, start to consciously relax your body, beginning with your face. Let the muscles go slack in your forehead, your eyes, your nostrils, cheeks and jaw. Concentrate on each muscle group until it is completely relaxed before moving on to the next. Continue slowly down to your neck, your shoulders, along your arms and through your hands. Make the muscles go limp right out to the tips of your fingers. Take your time. Don’t move on to the next part of your body until each muscle is completely loose. Now do the same with your chest, stomach, groin, legs and feet, right down to the toes. This process may take you 5 or 10 minutes or longer. Don’t rush it. Feel your whole body melting into earth’s gravity. Let it go.

            Now, as you continue your deep breathing, mentally say to yourself, “I am emptying my mind of all worry.” Repeat this statement over and over each time you exhale, picturing all the tension blowing out and away like a dark mist vaporizing. Let it all go out of you.

            Continue taking long, deep breaths of fresh air and exhaling very slowly until you’ve exhaled all worry and stress from your body. Then say to yourself three times, “My body and mind are now completely empty of all worry and anxiety. I am completely relaxed. I am at peace.” 

            The mind will not stay empty for long, however. So as you lie there, completely relaxed, fill it with positive, hopeful affirmations: “I am victorious over all my troubles. I have the power to project good things for myself and for others, and to make them real. I can solve all problems through positive thinking and the good things that result from positive thinking. I can overcome all obstacles. I have complete faith in my ability to do this, with courage and strength and peace of mind. Therefore, I have nothing to fear. My mind is at peace. It is free of all worries. I am at peace.”

            If you are getting up after the worry release exercise, first stretch your body’s muscles to start the circulation moving a bit. Get up slowly and just sit a moment until you feel ready to move. You always want to bring yourself gently back from deep relaxation. If you’re ready to go to sleep for the night after the worry release exercise, then commence your nightly, Twilight Zone goal repetition and visualization exercises. Your goal is a pleasant, positive message with no anxiety attached to it at all. Just the happy picture of your dreams achieved, and the deep, burning desire that you feel for this achievement. Sleep well! Your worries are gone and your goals are materializing.  

            Releasing worry is a good first step, but it’s a temporary fix; it treats only the symptom of the problem. To eliminate worry permanently from your life, you’ve got to get at the root of the problem or problems causing it. If you ask yourself what’s causing your worries, you may make the mistake of thinking it’s the subject of your worrying, the thing or things you’re worrying about. But situations are not responsible for habitual worrying; they merely provide a target, a focus for expressing anxiety. As soon as one situation is resolved, people who are prone to worrying just find something else to worry about.

            Worry is actually created by fear and self-doubt, which are nothing more or less than negative mental programs. You have fear and you doubt yourself when you lack the mental programming for self-confidence and self-esteem. Self-confidence and self-esteem are beliefs. In order to banish worry, you need to believe in yourself and in your ability to meet life’s challenges and to handle everything that’s thrown at you, to overcome all obstacles and emerge victorious from every conflict. Once you believe that you can do that, you won’t worry. Self-confidence and self-esteem are perhaps the most all-around beneficial programs you can install in your mental computer. With them you can handle anything; without them you’ll tend to find a lot to worry about.  

            If you worry a lot, write affirmations to build your self-confidence and self-esteem, and put them to work for you. Refer to the sample “Self-Image” affirmation given earlier, and develop your own from that. You can also write a goal statement to rid yourself of needless worry and anxiety.

            Of course, not all problems are imaginary and not all worries are unfounded. So now, let’s take a look at the other remedy for worry.

Solve Problems

            Norman Vincent Peale, the father of positive thinking, said, “Problems are to the mind what exercise is to the muscles.” Problems, to the positive thinker, are merely opportunities to strengthen the mind and to find solutions. There is a solution for every problem. You may not know what it is yet, but it’s there and you can find it using positive thinking.

            Sometimes in life, problems seem to pile up until we don’t know where to turn or how to deal with them. Lumped together, they appear huge and overwhelming. So, a good first step to dealing with PROBLEMS is to separate and identify them. 

            Sit quietly and take several long, deep breaths. Then, write down each problem as you see it. Don’t dramatize, just list the facts, but be very specific about the details, the apparent causes and the effects of each problem. Be objective, as if it’s someone else’s difficulty you’re reviewing.

            Now take just one of the problems and turn it over in your mind. Look at it from another angle. Look at it from someone else’s point of view. Poke at it; find it’s weak spots. Consider how others have solved similar problems. Most importantly, ask yourself what old, negative programming is creating the problem in the first place.

            See yourself as a detective or a scientist in a laboratory. Write down your observations. Laying out and dissecting a problem takes some time and thought. But doing so, and writing it down, provides you with a clear picture of the problem. When you see a problem for what it really is, it often looses much of its magnitude.  

            As you’re reviewing a problem, keep telling yourself that it is not nearly as great as you’ve been thinking it is. Sometimes it helps to put a problem in perspective by remembering that in a year or in a hundred years it really won’t matter. Problems, even real, physical ones, get most of their power over us from the manner in which we perceive them. Make it less in your mind, and it will be less to overcome. Your mind has the ability to make a problem large, permanent and unyielding, or small, temporary and beatable.

            Now, whittle away at the problem from the edges, removing the lesser, most manageable parts of it until you have the core of it clearly stated on the paper before you. Take your time; take it easy. Don’t try to force answers. Let them come.  

            Once you recognize what the core of the problem is, and have shaved it down to size on paper and in your own mind, one of two things will happen. One is that the solution becomes apparent under the harsh light of scrutiny. In this case, write down the solution as a goal that you are going to achieve, and set out to project that solution using the techniques of applied positive thinking. v

            The other possibility is that you still do not see a solution to the problem, but at least the problem itself is less intimidating now. If the solution to the problem is still not apparent, then make it your goal to find a solution and apply the positive thinking techniques to that goal. Do that and you will find the solution.

            Use this simple problem evaluation technique on each of your problems with the certainty that you can and will overcome every single one of them. When you think victory, you get victory.  

            How you think about a problem is often more important than the problem itself - or even the solution. Webster’s dictionary defines “problem” as, “any question or matter involving doubt, uncertainty or difficulty.” That’s not so bad. Doubt and uncertainty are functions of the mind, and by now you’ve got a pretty good idea how to change your mind to remove doubt and uncertainty. Difficulty, too, is a matter of one’s point of view, one’s attitude, which is another mental function. Hey, maybe problems are mostly in our minds! Now wouldn’t that be something! (“Yeah, but my problems are real,” says the negative thinker. “Ah, but what controls your reality?” responds the positive thinker.)

            The problem is, most of us see a problem as an obstacle, something blocking us from achieving a goal. An obstacle is a negative thing, annoying at best, frustrating or even insurmountable at worst. But suppose you were to change your program, replacing the word “problem” in your vocabulary with the word, “challenge”. According to Webster, one definition of a challenge is a “difficulty in a job or an undertaking that is stimulating to one engaged in it.”  We can take that a little further and say that a challenge (and, therefore, a problem) is no more or less than a stimulating opportunity to set and achieve a new goal. Isn’t this is a much more constructive, positive attitude towards problems? Remember, a problem blocks a goal; a challenge creates a goal. Whittle each problem down to size on paper, call it a challenge in your mind, state it as a goal and apply positive thinking and positive projection techniques, and you will succeed in overcoming every problem.  

Avoid Negativity

            It’s amazing how much negative input you can receive from people around you, even family and friends who really care for you. Many people, perhaps even most people, are to some extent slaves to their own negative beliefs. They can pollute your thinking without even being aware that they’re doing it. 

            You want to develop your awareness of this threat to positive development, to guard yourself against the daily negative bombardment. As you become more adept at thinking positively, you will begin to recognize this negativity in all its subtle forms. For example, how often do you hear people say things like:

            “Wouldn’t you know it? It’s my day off and, sure enough, it rains!”

            “With my luck, ...(something negative)...”

            “Don’t get your hopes up.”

            “I wouldn’t count on it.”

            “Why bother, I know what’ll happen.”

            “Well, I’ll be damned.”

            “I’m such a klutz!”

            “I could never do that.”

            “I hate that!”

            “I’m sick and tired of ______!”

            “I wish ______.”

            “I never was any good at ______.”

            “Darn! I knew this would happen!”

            “Some people have all the luck!”

            “I must be getting old.”

            “I must be losing my mind!”

            “I’m just being realistic.”

            Recognize these phrases? Have you ever said them, or something like them, yourself? Each of these quotes affirms and projects a negative idea. The last one, “I’m just being realistic,” is a favorite rationalization of the negative thinker. Unfortunately, for such a person, the statement is true.  

            If you pay attention, you’ll learn to notice negative attitudes around you. Become aware of them so that you can avoid being influenced by them. Catch yourself if you’re starting to speak or think a negative thought. Stop and find a more positive way of expressing yourself. Your subconscious mind is listening to everything you think and say.

            While you are learning to reconstruct your own thinking patterns, avoid the company of negative thinkers. They’ll drag you down with them if you let them, not necessarily out of any conscious ill will, but simply because negativity loves company. Negative thinking can be contagious if you’re over-exposed to it.

            By the same token, exposure to positivity is also infectious. Seek out positive thinkers and winners and spend your time with them. They will encourage you and help you achieve your goals. As your own positive thinking patterns become more fixed in your mind, you may be able to go back to your more negative friends and uplift them, perhaps show them a better way, without being brought down by their negativity.  

            Meanwhile, if you find yourself involved in a conversation with people saying negative or worrisome things, don’t join them in their negativity. Instead, inject some positive, hopeful points into the conversation. You will cheer up yourself and maybe everyone else.

Program Others

            Once you experience the awesome changes positive thinking brings about in your life, it’s natural to want to share your revelation with people you care about. Friends and family members will probably notice the positive changes in you, so your example will attract their interest anyway. Do them and yourself a favor and introduce them to a better life through positive thinking. They will thank you forever after! Anyone open to the idea of self-improvement will benefit by reading this book, or by learning from you some of the techniques explained here.

            If you are a parent, you owe it to your children to help them get a positive start in life. Program them to succeed. Correct them using positive reinforcement rather than negative statements: Instead of saying, “Your room is always such a mess,” or “You never pick up after yourself,” say to them, “When you put your things away, you do it so well. You’re the best room-cleaner I’ve ever seen! I’m really proud of the way you can clean up a room!”  

            Consider making positive thinking audiotapes for your young children, perhaps with some of their favorite music playing in the background. On it, tell them repeatedly that they are good, smart, happy, kind, loving, brave, generous, popular, good looking and capable of doing anything they want to in their life. Tell them how much they are loved and how proud of them you are. Create in their minds the image of what you want them to become. You can play the tape while the kids are playing with their toys and even while they’re napping. Their subconscious minds will absorb the message even if they’re not “paying attention.”

            The programming you give your children now will determine much of how they live the rest of their lives. Paint them a bright picture. Give them confidence, self-esteem, optimism, self-control - everything you want programmed into your own mind to create a happier, healthier life.

            Finally, teach your kids to set goals and program themselves. Give them a “Yes, I can!” self-image. 

Commit Yourself to Succeeding

            By now you have a goal clearly stated and you have begun and are continuing the repetition, visualization and audiotape techniques. You are on your way to achieving your goal. Now, start acting like it!

            Make plans, do the groundwork as if your goal is about to become a reality. If, for example, your goal is a new house, start researching the real estate market in earnest, because you are really getting ready to buy your new home. Read the “houses for sale” ads, and go see the homes that sound like what you’re looking for. Get a book on creative real estate financing and read it with the intention of using that knowledge to help you pay for your new home. Tell real estate brokers about your plans and ask them what they can do to help you get your house.

            Talk about your goal like it’s a done deal. Rather than saying, “I’m hoping to get a house someday,” or “I’m trying to figure out how to buy a house,” say, “I’m getting ready to buy our dream house. I’m so excited about it, I’ve already chosen the paint colors I want!” Tell it to family and friends, but only discuss it with those who are supportive. Don’t listen to “realistic advice” from negative thinkers. When someone starts telling you why you can’t possibly accomplish what you’re planning, just smile to yourself and go inspect another house - a 3-bedroom house in a safe, quiet neighborhood with friendly neighbors, a beach nearby, lots of trees in the yard and a tire swing for the kids.

            Acting as if you have already succeeded creates a peculiar, reciprocal relationship between cause and effect. By acting as though your goal is already achieved, you reaffirm and encourage your mind’s belief in it; you give it a shove in the right direction. It’s like saying to your subconscious, “Hey, this is what’s happening. I’m already doing it. What are you waiting for? Get with the program!” By bolstering your mind’s belief, you strengthen its ability to guide your actions towards achieving the goal. Your subconscious will work even harder to create the reality you are portraying, which in turn will cause you to act this way even more. So, your actions are both a cause and an effect of your belief, and your belief is both a cause and an effect of your actions. You are creating a positive, constructive, self-perpetuating cycle that can only spiral to one conclusion. Eventually, you’ll get the house!  

               Commit yourself completely to your goal. Leave no room for failure; no “easy out”, no safety net. Go for the goal with determination and certainty. If you’re afraid or unable to do that, then you first need to go back and work on reprogramming your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Try - and You’ll Fail

            Never, never try to do something. When someone says, “I’m trying to do such and such,” it really means, “I’m leaving plenty of room in my mind for failure. I don’t really believe I’ll succeed. When I do eventually fail, you can’t blame me - because I tried!”

            Trying is the farthest thing from positive thinking. Starting now, commit yourself to removing the word “try” from your vocabulary. Literally, don’t say that word anymore. Replace “I’ll try” with “I will” or “I won’t”.

            In the words of Yoda, the mythical Jedi Master of the Star Wars series, “There is no try! Do it or do it not!” Truer words were never spoken.

Pray and Meditate

            The art of applied positive thinking and positive projection is universal. It is non-sectarian and non-denominational. It works with any religion, or without any religion. In an effort to avoid offending anyone’s personal religious beliefs, this book has used words like “the universe”, “the life force”, “ocean of energy”, “all of creation”, and “infinitely powerful forces” when referring to, well, “That Which Is”. But you can just as easily insert the word God (or Spirit, or Allah). Positive thinking does not conflict with any truth-seeking religious teachings. On the contrary, it enhances and compliments faith in the Almighty, and better enables you to serve Him or Her or It, if that is your goal.  

            If you believe in a personal God, there is an immensely powerful positive thinking technique available to you in the form of prayer. The power of prayer is well documented. It works in direct proportion to one’s belief, as does positive thinking. In fact, positive thinking and positive projection are truly a form of prayer, scientifically and systematically applied.

            If you practice mantra meditation - the art of emptying or stilling the conscious mind - you may want to include a little positive thinking in the process. This is a time when your subconscious mind is very impressionable and open to programming. It may also be a time when you feel at one with the universe, giving you a very direct connection to all that is - an excellent moment to visualize and project. At the end of your meditation, when you are relaxed and returning to full consciousness, repeat your goal statement and perform your visualization just as you do in the Twilight Zone each morning and evening.  

~

SUMMARY

Positive thinking can be mastered by anyone. It requires only that you begin and continue applying the techniques, and that you possess a strong desire to succeed. Following is a brief review of what we have discussed in this book:  

POSITIVE THINKING

What It Is and How It Works

The Human Computer

            The human brain - your brain - is the world’s most powerful computer. Your conscious mind, your “awareness”, does your rational thinking. The subconscious is the mind’s “memory bank”. It records and stores experiences and information, and directs your thinking and actions based on this stored data.  

Programming the Mind

            The subconscious mind is controlled by its programming, the information it has received since birth and is still receiving now. It has recorded and “believed” a great deal of negative input and misinformation. This negativity misdirects our thoughts and actions, and adversely affects our lives.

The Subconscious Mind Hears and Obeys

            The subconscious does not judge the information it receives. It accepts as true anything it is hears repeatedly. It strives to create or bring about that which it believes. It will do whatever it is repeatedly told to do.

Reprogramming the Mind

            It is possible to correct or replace negative thought patterns with positive ones, creating a more positive, constructive belief system in the subconscious. This in turn benefits your attitudes, feelings, actions and results.

Positive Projection

            Once your subconscious holds a belief, it projects the belief outward. Your attitude and actions motivate people to assist you. Beyond that, the belief is transmitted into the atmosphere and all of creation responds by helping make the idea materialize in the “real” world.

THE TECHNIQUES of Positive Thinking

1)    Realize That You Need Reprogramming  
2)    Choose Your Goal  
3)    State Your Goal  
4)    Boost Your Self-Image  
5)    Repeat Your Goal Often  
6)    Supercharge Your Statement  
7)    Visualize Your Goal  
8)    Fight Your Old Programming  
9)    Enter The Twilight Zone  
10)  Listen to What You Say  
11)  Talk to Yourself  
12)  Reprogram Yourself Instantly  
13)  Make Audio Tapes  
14)  Practice Hypnosis and Self-Hypnosis  
15)  Breathe Deeply  
16)  Don’t Worry; Be Happy  
17)  Solve Problems  
18)  Avoid Negativity  
19)  Program Others  
20)  Commit Yourself to Succeeding  
21)  Try - and You’ll Fail  
22)  Pray and Meditate

Now, do it and be happy.  

~

MAKING YOUR OWN SELF-HYPNOSIS TAPES

Making your own self-hypnosis tapes is easy to do if you follow the guidelines set forth in the following example. Composing the script for these tapes only requires three qualities: basic common sense, a bit of creativity and an understanding of what a goal statement or positive affirmation is, what it’s supposed to accomplish. Hopefully, you already possessed the first two attributes, and have gained the third from reading this book.

            If you prefer not to make your own tapes, but would like to avail yourself of the wonderful benefits of self-hypnosis, you can purchase cassette tapes from a variety of sources on the Internet. Just type in “self hypnosis tapes” at your favorite search engine and take your pick. Large book stores are another likely place to find tapes.

            The following text sample for a “Weight Loss Through Self-Hypnosis” tape contains general instructions and phrases that can be included in every self-hypnosis tape you make, no matter what the subject is. They are the basic hypnosis instructions.

            On the other hand, the specific positive thinking message - in this case weight loss and suggestions relating to weight loss - can be changed on each tape to describe whatever you’re striving to accomplish. Just refer back to your original goal statements for those key phrases. You can make a self-hypnosis tape to quit smoking, overcome a fear, earn more money, build up your self-image - any positive goal or affirmation. Just follow the pattern of this sample script, changing the appropriate phrases.

            Different people often say the same thing using different words. You may change any wording that sounds peculiar or unnatural to you. This sample is only meant to provide a general guide to the structure of a hypnosis tape. Anything that makes it work better for you is OK. Just remember that this is powerful stuff, so exercise your good judgment.

            A hypnosis tape devotes its entire length, around 20 to 30-minutes, to one message. That's a fairly long script to read and even for a professional announcer, it may take you several attempts until you get it right when making your own tapes. For most, each time the reader makes a mistake, it’s easier to stop the recording, back up to the last pause, and re-start, recording over the mistake and continuing on until you finally have a complete, smooth-sounding tape.

            You can make the tape yourself, or you can have a trusted friend record it for you, reading from your written text. Read the text slowly in a normal, comfortable, relaxed voice except when you see “!” at the end of a sentence. Read those parts with enthusiasm and excitement.

            Pause briefly after each line or group of lines. Leave a long pause wherever you see “.....” at the end of a line.

Weight Loss Through Self-Hypnosis

This cassette is for weight loss through hypnosis.

I will be with you for the next 25 minutes or so.

Now, just lay back and make yourself comfortable...........

Close your eyes, separate your hands and legs, and just let your whole body relax and go limp...................

The only things you need to do now is be where you are, listen to my instructions, and use your natural imagination.

With your eyes closed, I want you to imagine your eyelids feeling heavier. Just imagine that they feel so heavy that you couldn’t possibly open them; you wouldn’t want to.....

Your eyelids are so heavy; they feel so good being closed.....

Now,  just imagine your eyes are glued shut. It feels good. Just imagine that. Imagine your eyes are glued shut......

You feel very relaxed. As you relax and let go, the sound of my voice and words will lead you deeper and deeper into a wonderful, relaxed state.......

Your subconscious is very accepting. It can believe anything it records. Then it can direct your thoughts, your feelings and you actions. It can help you achieve anything you want in life. So, let’s guide your subconscious mind now with good, positive messages so that it can work for you all the time.....

Now, take a few moments to focus on your breathing. Take a few deep breaths.

Now, take a deep breath, inhaling through your nose.  You can take a deep, deep breath, breathing in confidence and security, and then slowly breathing out fears, doubts and uncertainties.

As you breathe in the fresh air, let your stomach rise up slightly, making room for your lower lungs to fill and expand - making room for the air to fill your lungs completely. The air will fill up your lungs like a balloon.

Now, when your lungs are full, let the air out through your mouth very slowly…very slowly. Blow out all of your fears, all of your worries. Blow out all of your negativity - all your stress, all your anger.

That’s right. Just let your body be completely relaxed....

Now, in order to let yourself be even more relaxed, you can take in another deep breath. Just breathe in through your nose. That’s it, inhale through your nose, let your stomach rise a little so your lower lungs get filled, and then your upper lungs become full, like a balloon....

Now, after your lungs are as full as they can get, blow the air out through your mouth very slowly. Go ahead, blow out all that fear, all that worry. Blow it out. All the negativity, all your stress, all your anger. Blow it out. Good! That’s good.

Now, just let your body be completely relaxed........................

(20 second pause)

Continue to breathe deeply again. Take in fresh air through your nose, filling your lungs from the bottom up. Fill them up completely with clean, fresh air.

Now blow it out through your mouth slowly. Slowly. Take a long time letting the air out of your lungs. Feel all your tension leaving you as you exhale. Just let it all go. It’s easy.......

Relax all your muscles, your whole body. Feel the top of your head relax, the muscles in your forehead and your eyes. Let them relax completely.

Relax your mouth and your jaw. Let them go slack....

Completely relaxed.

Now, feel your neck muscles relax. Let them go. Your shoulders...., your arms...., your hands....

Let them relax completely. Let your hands go. Your fingers. Let them relax right out to your fingertips....

Relax your chest and your stomach muscles. Just let them go slack.... Let your thighs go slack. And your calves....

Feel your feet relaxing. Let them go, right out to the tips of your toes........... Everything relaxed.

Every time you take a deep breath and blow it out, you can feel the tension and stress leaving your body. Feel your whole body becoming more and more relaxed. Feel yourself going deeper and deeper into relaxation with every breath.

Now, take another wonderful, deep breath. Go ahead, inhale that pure, fresh air in through your nose. Fill your lungs. Fill your lungs completely. That’s it....

Now, blow the air out through your mouth very slowly, for about 10 seconds:

One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, one thousand four, one thousand five, one thousand six, one thousand seven, one thousand eight, one thousand nine, one thousand ten. Blow it all out. Empty your lungs.

Feel your body relaxing more and more. Feel it sinking into gravity. Feel your body sinking. Deeper. Deeper. So relaxed

And again. breathe in....

Fill your lungs completely....

Now, breathe out. Slowly. Slowly. Blow that fear away! Blow that tension and stress away! You can control your weight! You can control your weight! Blow the fear away!.....

Relax. Relax......

Now, breathe in again. Deeply. Deeper this time. Breathe in. Fill your lungs with pure air. Fill them up! Fill them up!....

Now, exhale. Slowly. You can control your weight! Yes, you can! You are slender! You are thin! You love looking  firm and fit. You love to exercise every day! You look forward to exercising every day! You love to exercise! You enjoy it! You feel so good because you exercise everyday! You look forward to it everyday!

You can control your weight! You can! Everyday! You can do it!

You only eat food that helps you maintain your ideal weight. You only want to eat at mealtime and you only want to eat foods that are healthy. Whenever you think about a snack, you say, “I am slim. I only eat fresh, healthy foods.” And that’s what you do!

You can reach and maintain your ideal weight. Let go of the fear. You can! When you exercise, you can feel the fat being burned up! You are trim and fit! You love being trim and fit! You can do it!

Let your body relax now. You are completely relaxed.....

If you fall asleep during this tape, it’s all right. My voice will reach you even if you’re asleep. Your subconscious will receive this message whether you’re asleep or awake. So just relax..... Relax.....

You love to exercise. You like to go for a long, fast walk after every meal, especially after your evening meal. You love to walk for 45-minutes, or an hour, walking fast. You love to do it everyday!

Losing weight is easy for you! You can lose weight and you can control your weight. It’s easy! It’s easy! It’s easy for you to lose weight and it’s easy for you to keep extra weight off! You love it! It’s easy for you!

You know when you’re hungry and when you’re full. Feeling full is uncomfortable. You don’t want to fill up your stomach.

As soon as you feel you’ve had enough food, you stop eating. You stop eating. You do not have to finish all the food on your plate. The rest of the food on your plate is fat! It’s not food, it’s fat! You just say, “No! No more fat!” and you stop eating. You can do it! It’s easy for you! You can control your weight!....

Every day in every way you are getting better and better. You practice deep breathing everyday for at least 20 minutes. You love deep breathing. You practice it everyday.

Every day, controlling your weight feels good.

Everyday you eat small meals. You take only small mouthfuls of food and you chew each mouthful very thoroughly before swallowing.

You love the taste of fruits and vegetables. Fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. You love them. You love the taste of baked foods. You love the taste of boiled foods.

You love the taste of water. Water is the only drink that really quenches your thirst. Pure, clear, wonderful water. It’s the only really good drink. Water!

Imagine yourself getting trimmer everyday. You can feel your muscles firming up. You can see the fat burning away! You have nothing to fear! You love it! It’s easy for you!

You like to drink a gallon of water every day. Pure, clear water. You drink a large glass of water eight times a day.

Water tastes just right. It’s not sweet like soft drinks. Soft drinks are too sweet. Pepsi and Coke are too sweet! Diet soft drinks taste too flat. Caffeine is too strong. You drink water. Water tastes right. Only water quenches your thirst. Water washes away the fat. Flushes it away....

The sound of my voice is easing you deeper and deeper into relaxation. You are floating. You are so relaxed.

Repeat after me now:

“Everyday in every way I’m getting better and better.....”

“I can control my weight. I can do it.....”

“Staying slim is easy for me.....”

“I control my food intake. I love to snack on fresh fruit.....”

“I never stuff myself with food at meal time.....”

“I love fresh, low-fat foods. I breathe deeply. I drink water. I just say, ‘Yes!’ to healthy foods.......”

“I love to go for long, fast walks after a meal, especially after supper.....”

“I love the taste of water. That’s the only drink that really quenches my thirst.......”

“I love to exercise everyday.....”

Very good. You enjoy perfect health, you are firm and fit and  healthy and energetic. It really is easy for you now.

You enjoy eating only small portions of fresh, healthy foods.

You keep your body in perfect condition by exercising every day. You love to exercise.

You love being healthy and you love looking good.

You love being slender.

You are successful. You can do anything you set your mind to.

You control your life and you control your reality.

You have the power to choose.

You have chosen to eat only fresh, healthy foods.

You have chosen to have a healthy, trim body.

You have chosen to say “No!” to fattening snacks.

You have chosen to drink one gallon of water every day.

You are a good person. You deserve to have a healthy, trim figure. You deserve to look your best. You are beautiful inside and you are beautiful outside.....

Believe in yourself. You are confident. You control your life. You set your goals, your subconscious mind wants to achieve those goals and succeed. You can do anything!

Let’s take a moment, now. Imagine putting a wad of greasy meat into your mouth. Greasy bacon or hamburger. Greasy French fries. Greasy chicken skin. It tastes like lard to you. It’s disgusting. It isn’t food! It’s fat! You don’t want to swallow that!

Imagine that - trying to swallow that pure grease. Disgusting! Grease is pure fat!

Anytime you put any fried junk food in your mouth - French fries, potato chips, sausage - you remember it’s soaked in grease. It’s a mouth-full of fat. Disgusting!

You don’t enjoy the taste of it like you used to. It’s too greasy.

You don’t feel like swallowing it!

Grease turns into pure fat on your body. Don’t eat it! You don’t want to eat greasy fried foods anymore!

Now imagine trying to swallow pure sugar. It’s so sweet it’s disgusting. Imagine a mouth-full of sugar.

You don’t like the taste of it. It’s much too sweet. Sugar turns into pure fat on your body. You don’t want to eat sweet, sugary foods. Sweet foods don’t taste good anymore....

White bread is pure dough! A mouth full of mush! Pure dough! Doughnuts, cookies, cakes, rolls - they’re all just wads of dough and sugar. Imagine trying to swallow a big mouth-full of mushy dough. It’s disgusting. You don’t want that! You don’t want to put dough and sugar and grease in your mouth! It’s disgusting. It’s pure fat!.......

Relax. Relax completely....

Every morning when you wake up, when you first realize you’re awake, but before you get up, the very first think you think to yourself is: “I am slim and trim and fit. My body has no extra fat. I control my weight. It’s easy. Controlling my weight is easy for me. I do not eat greasy foods. They’re disgusting to eat! I do not eat sweet foods. They’re disgusting to eat! I do not eat dough. Dough is pure mush. I love to eat snacks of fresh fruit. I drink a large glass of pure water eight times a day. I love pure water. I feel great! I am thin and beautiful! I’m very proud of myself. I love being trim and healthy. I am living a long, healthy, fat-free life! At mealtime, I love to eat small amounts of fresh, raw, baked and boiled foods. Most of all, I love to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. I always eat slowly and I always chew my food completely. Everyday in every way, I’m getting better and better! I enjoy exercising everyday. I enjoy going for long, fast walks after meals. I am thin and trim and I look and feel wonderful!!”....

Every evening in bed you will do your deep breathing exercise for about 5 minutes. Long, deep, slow breathing. Then, just before you drift off to sleep, you repeat that same statement to yourself. Repeat it with all your feeling, with all your emotion. You can be thin because you really want to be thin! You have an urgent, burning desire to be thin and to control your eating and your weight!

You can do it! It’s easy! You can control your weight!.......

As you hear my voice now, you are completely relaxed.

Focus on your deep breathing for two or three minutes. Fill your lungs with fresh air, then let it out slowly, slowly....

That’s it. You know how to do it now....

While you are breathing, just relax and listen....

Everyday, you will want to do least 20 minutes of deep breathing. It doesn’t have to be all at once.

A few deep breaths whenever you think of it.

A few minutes of complete relaxation when you can fit it in.

And whenever you breathe, you repeat to yourself: “I am firm and fit. My body has no extra fat. I control my weight. It’s easy. Controlling my weight is easy for me. I do not eat greasy foods. I do not want to eat them!  I do not eat sweet foods. They’re disgusting to eat! I do not eat dough. Dough is pure mush. I do not eat snacks except for fresh fruit. Instead, I drink a large glass of pure water eight times a day. I love pure water. I feel great! I am thin and beautiful! I’m very proud of myself. I love being thin and healthy. I am living a long, healthy, fat-free life! At mealtime, I love to eat small amounts of fresh, raw, baked and boiled foods. Most of all, I love to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. I always eat slowly and I always chew my food completely. Everyday in every way, I’m getting better and better! I enjoy exercising everyday. I enjoy going for long, fast walks after meals. I am thin and trim and I look and feel wonderful!!”....

Now, go ahead and take another deep breath.

Inhale that pure, fresh air, in through your nose. Fill your lungs. Fill your lungs completely. That’s it....

Now, blow the air out through your mouth very slowly, for 10 seconds:

One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, one thousand four, one thousand five, one thousand six, one thousand seven, one thousand eight, one thousand nine, one thousand ten. Blow it all out. Empty your lungs.

Anytime you feel tense or nervous, you can take two or three deep breaths this way. You fill your lungs up with fresh air, then blow the tension out or your body, slowly for ten seconds. You blow the fear away.

Now, on your own, for the next two minutes, practice your deep breathing. Right now. Inhale through your nose. Remember to let your stomach rise a little with each inhalation so you can fill your lower lungs with fresh air.

That’s it. Then let the air out very slowly through your mouth.

Very slowly, until your lungs are completely empty. Then fill them again.

This will put you into a deeper relaxed state. Go ahead. Do it now, on your own...................

(Let two minutes of time pass silently on the tape)

Come back to my voice now....

You may listen to this tape as often as you can during the next few days, and during the next few weeks. Give it a chance to install this message into your subconscious.

You can now bring yourself back to the present. As soon as you open your eyes, you will feel refreshed and invigorated. You will know absolutely that you can control your weight. Everyday you’re getting better and better. Your desire to over-eat decreases everyday. You’ll only want to eat fresh, healthy foods and only in small amounts. You always stop eating before you’re full. You don’t want to be full and fat. You love being thin and feeling good.

Now, if you want to keep your eyes closed and drift off into a wonderful, peaceful sleep, that’s OK. You can do that now.

If you want to get up after this tape, you can open you eyes in a minute or so.

Whenever you get up, you will feel refreshed and you’ll feel very good about yourself. You are already doing it! You are controlling your weight!....

~

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