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I don’t know about you, but I have an inner voice that speaks to me. Its great when he’s my best friend, but sometimes I don’t think I would be that hard on someone I don’t even like! So what is going on in our Mind.
Seriously though, it is so important that we have a sense of positivity. I’m sure that we have heard of or read about positive affirmations. … I don’t know, does that feel a little false to you? Yet we know it is not only important, but critical that we are nice to ourselves. In fact, if you have read about or watched the docu-movie on The Secret; some would say it is the key difference in what a person can achieve. If you have ever read the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, he calls this out based on the research that he did.
Our strength of Mind. is clearly key.
But how do we get to the point where we truly unlock the power of our Mind.?
As I have said before, I absolutely believe in the coordinated power of the Mind. Body. & Soul. Looking specifically at the Mind., for me the starting point is meditation and hypnosis – either self or guided.
I first discovered Hypnosis over 30 years ago back in LA. Where I used it to help me improve my confidence … It’s a bit of a back story, so I will save that for another time … and I know people who have used it to lose weight, stop smoking, get over a fear of flying, etc… the list is endless. I was hooked the power of hypnosis so I kept reading and learning as much as I could.
Fast forward, I recently read about and saw a Ted talk from someone who reversed their chronic illness through hypnosis. As I say, over the years I have studied it more and more and started applying it in my life on a regular, if not daily, basis. I have now developed my own techniques that I apply regularly.
My MMN first presented in December 1999 and I was finally diagnosed in March 2002. At that point in my life, I was heavily into fitness and extreme sports. So the impact that MMN had and continued to have on my mobility was devastating. I needed a strong Mind. more than ever… so at that point I also started to read and learn about meditation. Again I have been learning and practicing meditation ever since.
From my personal experience, I don’t think it is possible to be mentally strong when you feel physically weak. I don’t care if you have a chronic neuropathy like I do or you simply have the flu! When you are physically weak, you struggle to be your most positive self. So you need to have tools to help move you forward out of the fog back into the light. At the best of times, it gives you the clarity of thought and strength of mind to make great strides forward. If you need convincing, just watch The Secret or read Think and Grow Rich.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t personally think that either meditation of hypnosis is a miracle cure for my illness. Similarly, I don’t think that it will make people walk around on laughing gas. But I do believe they offer a few tools that can be applied to help. I would always say that they are good to have in your personal tool box to help you through challenges and as you strive for greatness. Whatever that may mean to you.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” – Man’s Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl.