I AM… 2 of the most powerful words in the English language. Why? Because what you place after them WILL shape your life. Self-Talk is your inner dialogue, learning how to use it properly will improve your life in so many ways! I wrote about self-talk in the post about Motivation Science as well.

Your subconscious mind loves goals. In fact, it is continuously striving for goals without you even being aware of it. The goals it will work towards are the things you place thoughts and focus on. This is why ‘I AM’ is such a game changer. Now those goals can be positive and uplifting or they can be negative and drag you down. This is where ‘I Am…” comes into play.

To the subconscious mind, "I Am" is a statement of truth and it will strive to maintain that truth. Whether it is in fact actually TRUE doesn’t matter. It is considered a personal truth.

What To Do Instead

In order to allow your subconscious mind to work FOR you instead of against your goals try to rephrase negative "I Am" statements to positive progressive action-oriented truths.  For example:

• "I am fat" could become "I enjoy making healthy choices"
• "I'm a bad dancer" can be reframed into "I am learning different ways to move my body to music"
• "I am a screw-up" becomes "I allow for mistakes because that is how I learn"

The new statements need to be positive, possible, and progressive. The old truth was owning a negative aspect. The new truth is owning positive change. How does your current thought pattern sabotage your goals? Which labels have you applied to yourself? How can they be reframed for positive change?

HypnoCoaching® is an excellent way to reframe and reprogram how you think about yourself. If you need some extra help, reach out to me and we can see about getting you track to feeling better!

I’ve never really understood the concept of New Years resolutions. See, in life, I tend to be a realist. Logic always wins me over.

My belief has always been that I’m either going to do something or not do something. And then stuck with that decision (for the most part). Although the procrastinator part of me has always kind of admired the justification of the “maybe next year” excuse. But that's a whole different blog post which I’ll definitely maybe do later… LOL

The dictionary defines Resolution as follows:

So, on a logical level I agree,  a resolution is simply the act of making a firm decision. I can buy into that! After all, we already know that wishy-washy decisions will never last more than a day or two. But this is where the logic ends for me! Buying a new calendar won’t magically make anyone more determined or firm in their decisions.

Statistics Don't Lie!

A 2007 study from the University of Bristol suggested that 88% of New Years Resolutions fail despite the fact that 52% were confident at the beginning. Plus, based on my own experience, I’ve always thought that my Work Calendar would be booked with Quit Smoking sessions the 1st week of January, but such was not the case. It seems that everyone wants to have-a-go at it on their own using… wait for it…. will-power! And my calendar would agree, statistically speaking... since 2010 I've seen the 3rd week being the one that really books up! Turns out that will-power resolutions don’t last long.

Those odds aren’t worth the gamble in my books! Especially if the decision you need to make is regarding your health!

Let's team Up For YOUR Success!

Instead of making your resolution based on a new calendar year, why not take advantage of the most powerful tool you have in your arsenal… your brain. Hypnosis has proven time and time again to be one of the most effective ways to empower you to get out of your own way. 

With Hypnocoaching® we'll make use of Hypnosis to super-charge your results!

You bring your motivation and resolve and I’ll help you harness the powerhouse of your subconscious mind. Let’s get you reaching your goals!

Carpe Diem!

Let's Get To The Science!

Some scientists in England decided to to a study on the best way to motivate oneself. And I don’t mean some small randomised test with 100 participants… I’m talking about over 44,000 participants participated in the study! And they found a clear winner!

They used 3 basic methods of motivation:

1. Self-Talk – Participants were instructed to use positive self-directed phrases such as “I know I can do better this time” or “I can respond faster than before”.
2. Imagery – They were asked to imagine (visualise) themselves as doing/being better, or responding faster.
3. “If-then planning” – This is what people typically use… examples might be “If Mary offers me a second dessert, then I will run screaming from the kitchen.” or “If I start feeling anxious, then I will take a walk”

Here’s what the 44,000 person trial discovered – Self Talk was the CLEAR winner, followed by Imagery and last but not least was the If-Then planning.

Words Matter!

So, what’s your take-away from this? The words we use with ourselves, the mental chatter in our minds has a very real effect on how we interact in the real world. Wherever possible, be your own cheerleader! If you’re going to have all sorts of motivational messages hidden away somewhere, get them out and about! Surround yourself with them so you see them as reminders! Become your own Hype-Man!

Speak them over yourself. And to make them even more valuable, begin to use imagery as well to further implant these positive messages.

Mistakes are a Given

If you were to read the biographies of people who are perceived to be perfect, who SEEMED to have their life in order, I’d be willing to wager there were times in their lives that they were anything but. There’ would have been times where it would have been so easy to quit. And nobody would have questioned it. Instead, they kept going, kept making mistakes and kept progressing towards their goals.

The only true way to learn is to make mistakes. As a child, when first learning how to walk, we all fell at least once, probably closer to fifty times. Then it was time to run, and we fell... AGAIN!

Then it was time to learn how to talk, and we made mistakes.

Then it was time for the bike, thank God for training wheels, because the bicycle mistakes are far less forgiving. And we all kept trying and kept learning and kept getting better.

Today, we walk, we run, we speak and we ride bikes.

Instead of worrying and focusing on the potential mistakes in life, let’s focus on the progress and keep our eyes on the end goal!

What will YOUR first step be?

Trying to lose weight? The first step might just be taking that first step out the door and going for a walk.

If it’s entrepreneurship, then perhaps the first step is that business plan you’ve been meaning to look at.

Don’t even worry about the mistakes that haven’t even happened yet. We all make them, and they are simply just a way to learn. I’ve personally been caught in this vortex myself, the hardest step you take is the first one. But it’s worth it. Every time.

Creating this blog is a perfect example. It’s not perfect, but it’s a work in progress and it’ll get better! Stay tuned!

I want the coming year to be your best year ever. So, let’s make those Resolutions stick this year! Let’s make a plan!

Now is also a good time to write out how you plan to accomplish the short-term goal. Is exercise involved? What kinds and how often? How will you make changes to your food choices? Make sure that your plan is realistic. Give yourself some flexibility. You are more likely to be successful if you choose to exercise 3-4 days a week instead of 7. And when it comes to food, it’s all about moderation, not deprivation.

Write down your goals, both Long & Short term.