This site produces what they call Alternative Motivational Posters. No stereotypical images of people climbing mountains, soaring eagles etc that you might find in the waiting room of your dentist’s office. These posters feel very street-art inspired and convey strong messages without the cheese. And they are very reasonably priced.
Great art + great message = real inspiration.
A couple of faves:
FOCUS
CREATE
If you can see it, you can be it.
What is the difference in the psychology of a winner and a loser; of one who is stressed out and one who is relaxed; of one who is angry and one who is calm; of one who is worried and one who is confident? Although it may not be possible to account for every variable, a large portion of the difference is attributed to how one views situations and what one says to themselves. Many outcomes are predetermined by our beliefs and our beliefs are influenced by our visions and our self talk.
Creative Visualization and Simulation
In examining NASA astronauts who had the “right stuff”, world class athletes, top level CEOs, the best surgeons, and the most accomplished artistic performers, researchers have found some common traits. It seems that many of these individuals prepare themselves mentally for any challenge they encounter. The performance in the face of these challenges often seems effortless. The reason it appears effortless is that these individuals have practiced the skill over and over in their mind hundreds of times. Winners are masters of the art of simulation. They have seen themselves perform flawlessly and that becomes their self fulfilling prophecy. As Dennis Waitely puts it, “Winners say, ‘Of course I can do it! I’ve practiced it mentally a thousand times.’ Losers say, ‘How can you expect me to do it? I don’t know how!’”
Watch a world class down hill skier prior to a big race and you will see them close their eyes and ski the course in their mind. On the absolute edge of their skis, they are going faster than anyone has dared to go. Watch the Olympic gymnast before the big event. They see themselves perform the most difficult maneuvers without a miss. Dismounting perfectly, they see themselves “stick it” and get the perfect 10. It is no different for the experienced sales person who negotiates the best contract or the speaker who gives the most motivational presentation. High level performers practice physically and visually over and over again. It was Thomas Jefferson who said, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it”.
Many commercial relaxation tapes use examples of guided imagery to get people to relax. If one can create a visual scene of relaxation the body will adjust accordingly. Visualization for relaxation works best when individuals are able to create their own relaxing scenes. Not everyone is relaxed by floating on waves or in the clouds. These images can be very stressful for some. If you want to use visualization for relaxation, imagine yourself being in the most relaxing environment you have ever been in. Real or imagined recreate that special place as vividly as possible.
The power of visualization is so strong that is has been found to influence our physiology at a microbiological level. Cancer patients taught to practice visualization of tumors shrinking and cancer cells dying as an adjunct to chemotherapy, got well at a significantly higher rate than a control group receiving only chemotherapy. The literature is full of examples of controlled studies where visualization has been used to enhance both physiology and performance.
Positive Affirmations
It is difficult if not impossible to visualize excellent performance if your self talk is negative. The mind will believe what you tell it. It is important to combine visualization exercises with positive affirmations. Poor performers and those with a negative self image tend to be self depreciating. If you tell yourself you can not do something you will be very surprised if you are successful and rightly so.
It can be very difficult to change negative self talk if this is part of your personality, part of who you are. Often when people try to change they end up putting themselves down even more each time they catch themselves saying something negative. For example, “I should have done better on that exam, I am so dumb sometimes. There I go criticizing myself again, I’m such a loser”. Rather than trying to eliminate negative self talk, try and reduce it by practicing saying positive things to yourself. This is not easy and often people will feel silly and phony using affirmations (i.e., Stuart Smalley from SNL, “You’re good enough, you’re smart enough and gosh darn it people like you”). If someone has spent their whole life listening to negative scripts, it is unlikely that they will immediately believe the positive statements they make. It takes time and practice.
Below are some guidelines and suggestions for the use of visualization and affirmations.
Phrase affirmations using the first person singular. Take ownership of the statement. You can not control others only yourself. For example, “I am…”, “I can…”
Phrase affirmations in the present tense when possible. You can not change the past. The future is too unpredictable to control.
Phrase affirmations in the most positive way possible. Avoid the use of words like “no”, “don’t”, and “not” in your affirmations. This is very important because your brain is not capable of visualizing a negative action. The right side of your brain is predominately visual, the left side is logical and literal. In many ways they do not communicate very well. If you are practicing self-hypnosis all suggestions should be positive. To illustrate this ask someone to do exactly as you say, then tell them to close their eyes and not think about what their hands are doing. If you ask them, they will tell you that when you asked them not to think of their hands, they thought of their hands. Your visual brain can not understand the word not. Its like when you are riding a bike and you tell yourself not to hit a rock in the road. You will inevitably run right over the rock because that is the picture you have created for your brain and your brain controls your muscles.
Sport psychologist have understood this for some time and there are lots of sports examples. Have you ever been in the classic situation playing softball or baseball? Its the last inning, your team is losing, the bases are loaded, there are two outs, with you up at bat and two strikes. If under these circumstances you say to yourself, “don’t strike out”, that is probably what will happen. What the best batters will do is visualize what part of the field they are going to hit the ball to. There is no doubt that they are going to hit it, it is a matter of where they will hit it.
If you are taking an exam, or preparing to give a speech, or going for job interview, or asking someone for a date, if you say, “don’t get stressed out”, you are creating a picture of someone who is stressed out. If you say, “I feel calm and relaxed, I am confident and alert” then you are creating an image of someone who is relaxed and confident.
The implications of this can be profound. If you are a parent, teacher, administrator or leader of any type, tell people what you want them to do. Don’t tell them what you don’t want them to do.
Make affirmations short, simple and clear. Brevity furthers. Long complex statements are more difficult to internalize.
Use as many senses as possible in affirmations and visualizations. Verbalize statements out loud after writing them down. Better yet watch yours and listen to yourself say these statements while standing in front of a mirror. When you visualize your performance, recreate as much of the scene as possible to create an accurate simulation. Imagine what it sounds like, what it feels like, smells like, etc….
Make affirmations and visualizations emotional. Imagine what it will feel like to be happy, successful, powerful, self-assured. Visualize yourself experiencing these emotions. At the same time work to eliminate statements of negative emotions from your life (e.g., I’m tired, I’m sad/depressed, I’m lonely, I’m bored, I’m overwhelmed, etc…).
In summary, create and image of someone you want to become and then continue to focus on that image. Figure out what you want to be able to say about yourself and then start saying it.
Recommended Reading:
Dennis Waitley, Ph.D. -The Psychology of Winning
W. Timothy Gallwey – The Inner Game of Tennis
~Greg Nice
Just wanted to draw your attention to an excellent blog I just discovered, Running Through Rain. Actually they discovered us, so go check it out and enjoy. They are also listed in the blogroll. Seems like its also a brand new site so I’m looking forward to seeng how it develops.
Here’s a couple of interesting posts to check out. This guy from The Momo Zone is a real character and definitely puts a unique face on personal development and all this foofy stuff we talk about!
http://runningthroughrain.wordpress.com/2007/04/20/self-manifestation-by-the-momo-zone/
http://runningthroughrain.wordpress.com/2007/04/19/figuring-out-what-you-really-want/
Filed under: affirmations, daily dose, motivation, personal growth, the collective
Money Affirmations will help you become a “money magnet”.
I am centered in the Divine Flow of money.
I accept this money with deep humility and a reverence for all life.
I am NOW open to the Universe’s flow of unlimited money.
I am fearless. I attract, accept and circulate money for the good of all concerned.
I am an irresistible magnet with the power within to attract an unlimited supply of money.
Money is good, money is God in action.
Money now flows to me easily, effortlessly and continuously in ever increasing amounts.
What I choose to mentally accept, I attract to myself, so as of this moment I CHOOSE to accept only the best life has to offer; perfect health, perfect love, perfect relationships, an unlimited supply of money and complete success.
I have enough money and what I have enough of flows to me in great abundance.
The all creating field of my intention is always working on my behalf. It is my intention to attract an unlimited supply of money into my life.
I deserve to be wealthy therefore I now accept all the money I desire for the good of all concerned.
I am fully able to create my own experiences in life. I choose to create and experience the life of my dreams.
I choose to expand and to accept only what I truly desire from life. I never settle for anything less.
I ask for money and I willingly and joyfully accept money.
I live every day as if it were a special occasion, because it is.
I stake my claim to anything and everything I desire from life and I give gratitude for it in advance.
I deserve to be happy. I deserve to experience every unbridled pleasure in life therefore, I allow myself to accept it.I accept it all.
I circulate money freely and joyously for the good of all concerned. When I do, I circulate my positive intentions throughout the entire economy.
I am free. I am free. I am eternally financially free.
I belong. It’s All Right. I now accept $1 Million or something better for the good of all concerned.
I am open to abundance.My finances are secure.I am saving more money every day.I am prosperous, health and happy.I spend only what I have.I am building a financially stable future for myself and my family.I value my time and energy.I value my money.I deserve to be prosperous.I am worthy of receiving abundance.I am the source of my abundance.I focus on what I love and draw it to me.My choices and possibilities are expanding every day.My thoughts are loving and positive.My dreams are coming true.I trust that the universe will always meet my needs.My energy is focused and directed to my goals.I am willing to accept the best life has to offer.I am open to opportunities.I honor myself at all times.I give myself permission to have what I want.I believe in unlimited possibilities.I am creative and capable.The universe always serves my higher interests.I expect and receive the very best.I accept good things into my life with gratitude.I trust that everything comes
at the perfect time and in the perfect way.I am a special, unique person with much to offer the world.I allow myself to play and enjoy life.I bring love to everything I do.I appreciate all that I have.I always do my best.I picture success for everyone.I am succeeding!I give myself permission to be and do what I want.I value myself.I learn from my challenges.I allow myself to dream.My dreams are coming true.I manage my money wisely.I am self-confident, loving and generous.My energy flows freely and easily in all areas of my life.My life is alive with vitality.I open to my inner guidance.I focus on my goals daily.I am happy, healthy, wealthy, healed and whole.My self-worth and net worth are building every day.I have wealth in every area of my life.
I am now open to receive. * Life is easy, I have an abundance of whatever I need.* I now have surplus, all my needs are being met.* I have unlimited abundance.* I now give and receive freely.* This is a rich universe and there is plenty for all of us.* I now live in a rich and loving universe.* Money comes to me easily and effortlessly.* I am always supplied with whatever I need.* I move forward with an expectancy of my greatest good.* I look for and receive a bountiful supply.* My greatest good is coming to me NOW.
Filed under: affirmations, daily dose, motivation, personal growth, the collective
I pledge to strive to understand myself and the motivations for my actions and goals as I bring my personality to my new business knowing my habits and attitude become part of my venture.
I have discovered freedom beyond my wildest dreams in the knowing that my joy does not depend on anyone or anything outside me–it is an inside job.
I love the way money comes to me effortlessly in expected and unexpected ways.
It feels so good knowing that business comes to me in all seasons.
I love the way my reputation attracts clients to me.
My desire to enhance my life and the lives of those for whom I care creates the Incentive I need, and makes my fondest Dreams come true.
I start each day with enthusiasm.
I’m the essence of success. I’m unique, valuable, and highly intelligent. Ideas come to me effortlessly, enabling me to achieve whatever I want in Life. I trust my inner guidance, and I make decisions with confidence.
I pledge myself to develop a leadership style that gets things done.
I realize that success will come through my positive efforts and the efforts I do for others.
I let myself play and have fun.
I’m comfortable in my interactions with others.
I allow support from others in my life.
To prosper, I learn to say no to unreasonable demands from employees, suppliers, and customers.
I strive to be honest in all my affairs, as I know that dishonest dealing and greed will color my ethics, diminish my self worth, and cloud my decision-making skills leading to a failing business.
I strive to avoid chaos and confusion.
I no longer equate bigness with success. I will understand that growth and success are not the same. Obsession with growth can lead me into bankruptcy.
I work to avoid actions based on my moods and emotions to create an atmosphere of stability in my company.
I do not hesitate to ask for customers and their business.
I will not wait, nor feel hesitant about selling my products or services.
I will realize a common failing is not following up on my actions.
I view cash as one of my most important assets.
I know I will never run out of money.
I ask myself before committing my money, my lifestyle, my future, and my business: if things don’t work out, can I afford the risk?
I have learned not to confuse entrepreneurship with gambling.
I seek knowledge everywhere I go.
I persistently act and move toward my goals.
I’m positive and prosperous minded.
I create powerful visions, devise fun ways to eliminate overwhelm, overcome procrastination, and do whatever is necessary to get everything done.
My will, self-esteem and spontaneity get better and better every day.
I love challenges and learn from every situation in my Life.
I use my time efficiently.
It’s fun and easy to take action toward my goals.
I feel strong, excited, passionate, and powerful.
I Contribute to the world in a meaningful way and I’m paid back a Million-fold.
I manage my money and all my other resources wisely.
I radiate warmth and friendship to all.
My happiness comes from within.
I release my past pains and frustrations and welcome the present day positive energy rushing into my life and absorb it to the fullest.
I have a wonderful, fulfilling relationship with all the people I work with. I can trust the guidance I get from others. I feel my connection with whom ever I am working with in everything I do.
My approach to creating a profitable business is remembering Success requires skill, resources, and positive behavior reinforced by maturity, honesty, and perseverance.
I pledge to avoid the temptation of laziness and will give to my business so that it is successful and prosperous one day at a time.
I realize that being organized in pursuing my goals is the foundation to building a successful business.
I work to understand that quitting too soon is planning to fail. I will stay with my business regardless of its problems as long as it is my choice.
As to luck, I think of it as dessert, not the main entrée.
The financial success and spiritual growth of the people of all ages gives meaning to the knowledge I teach and the life I live.
Love and Devotion is my Strength.
~Greg Nice
The Collective’s coaching call last night was again a very inspiring and informative one. The topic of discussion was breakdowns vs. breakthroughs. Basically, how do you take a problem, or a potentially negative situation and turn it around into an opportunity for growth.
Today I had a chance to put the concept into action. I had a conversation with a client where he aired a few criticisms/complaints. He did it in a very constructive way so we were able to have a good, productive conversation. But I could easily get defensive about what he said, and react from a fear or anger based perspective. I actually think what he said was about 75% accurate, and I’m going to use this as an opportunity for a breakthrough – a chance to provide a better service to him, and improve my system of doing things so that service to all clients will improve. It’s an opportunity to reevaluate certain things, and I’m also fortunate to have a good relationship with this client, to where he can be honest about things, and hopefully I will have the chance to show solid progress based on his feedback. In this case I can clearly see the opportunity for a breakthrough as I am now more focused on providing a good service and helping clients.
I posted a flyer from The Collective recently for their free coaching call which took place on Wednesday. It was the first in what is to be a weekly series of free calls and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how things develop. There wasn’t too much interaction this time due to noise issues and also the fact that it was introductory. But there’s definitely potential for it to become a very powerful tool. Greg and Keven are both very inspiring, and the community aspect of it, especially when callers can interact more with one another, will be especially motivating.
See this post for more info and contact details
Filed under: affirmations, daily dose, motivation, personal growth, the collective
Greg Carroll of The Collective has been kind enough to allow me to re-post his “Daily Dose” emails that he sends out. This first one explains the power of affirmations:
The Power of Affirmations
To affirm something is to declare it to be true. An affirmation is a positive statement of fact or belief, worded in the present tense, and usually beginning with the word “I.” It is well established that, if correctly practiced, affirmations will transform your hopes into life-determining beliefs.
The power of positive affirmations was first brought to the attention of the Western medical world by Emile Coue (1857-1926), who found that his patients significantly improved their health by focusing on healing rather than on the fears associated with illness. Coue’s famous affirmation was: “Everyday, and in every way, I am getting better and better.”
Affirmations are now a highly respected self-improvement technique used by physicians, psychotherapists, athletic coaches, motivational specialists, and spiritual teachers world-wide. Affirmations are the foundation of positive thinking techniques which have been demonstrated to be unequivocally effective. Affirmations work by changing your subconscious, or preconscious beliefs. Your beliefs create your reality to a tremendous extent. Limiting beliefs you have acquired in your life can hold you back in subtle but damaging ways. Freeing yourself from limiting beliefs and replacing them with beliefs that expand your potential is a focus of cutting edge psychology. Researchers have found that most beliefs about yourself lodge in your preconscious mind. Conscious beliefs are changed with education, but unconscious beliefs need to be changed in other ways, such as with affirmations. Affirmations work because they are like the “programming language” of your preconscious mind. The preconscious is highly receptive to simple, positive statements which, through repetition over time, are able to bypass deep psychological resistance.
Limiting beliefs cannot be changed by will-power alone; they must be replaced by new beliefs. Affirmations (when formulated and practiced as described in Chapter III.) can supply the substance of your new beliefs. Ultimately for affirmations to work, you have to believe them. This is where the brain state known as “alpha rhythm” comes in.
II. Brain Wave Physiology & Alpha Waves
Since the invention of the electroencephalogram (EEG) in the 1930’s, scientists have been able to measure the electrical activity of the brain. In the active waking state, brain waves vibrate between 14 and 20 cycles per second. Active waking brain waves are called beta waves. During sleep, brain waves vibrate between 2 and 8 cycles per second. Intervening between waking brain wave activity and sleeping brain waves, is a rhythmic form of brain activity known as alpha waves. Alpha rhythms (8 to 13 cps) appear when your eyes are closed and your mind is in a quiet state of relaxation.
Your brain has two sides–a right and left hemisphere. The left side of your brain is associated with logic and reason, while your right is involved with creativity and intuition. When your brain is in an alpha rhythm state, the right side is most active, while the critical censoring function performed by your left brain is “half asleep.” Thus when in the alpha state, your affirmations can more easily pass through the “gate-keeper” of your left hemisphere, unaffected by self-doubt, and into your preconscious mind. When an affirmation is successfully received by your preconscious mind it can have a significant affect on your reaction patterns.
Alpha brain waves occur naturally as you are falling asleep or day dreaming, and alpha wave activity is at its height when you first wake up. Concrete thoughts, physical activity, or light on the retina of the eye can send the brain out of alpha and into beta wave activity. Thus, the ideal time for programming the preconscious mind through affirmations in the alpha state is as you are falling asleep and as you are awakening.
Through the use of affirmations in the alpha state, the mind’s natural impressioning power can help you stick to your diet, improve your self image, or increase your motivation. Because you are more suggestible in the alpha state, new beliefs can be more easily assimilated. Repeating affirmations to your preconscious mind programs you for success. Repetition is key and the effects of alpha wave state programming are cumulative.
III. Creating and Using Affirmations
Affirmation Creation Guidelines Affirmations are most effective at changing your limiting beliefs when they are formulated according to the following principles. Your affirmation should be:
1. Positive
2. About you
3. In the first person
4. In the present tense
5. Specific but flexible
6. Spoken as a certainty
7. Meaningful
8. Believable
Affirmations work best when they are designed to effect a change on our inner state, not on external reality. In his book Change Your Mind, Change Your World (cited in the Bibliography), Dr. Richard Gillett describes the requirements for affirmations to be maximally effective:
1. Understanding and accepting that the old belief is not reality.
2. Genuine desire to change.
3. Alpha rhythm.
4. Substitution of the old belief for the new affirmation.
5. Combination of affirmation with vivid imagination.
6. Combination of affirmation with inner feeling and desire.
7. Combination of affirmation with positive action.
8. Vigilance to notice when the old habitual limiting belief is creeping back, so that the new affirmation can be substituted immediately.
It is important to imagine and feel the reality of the affirmed circumstances during the repetition of the affirmation. According to Gillett, an “affirmation is the practice of a new reality in the imagination.” Imagining a positive outcome while using affirmations is a powerful reality creation technique. If the affirmed goal seems too hard to imagine, try affirming the new reality gradually over days or weeks. For example, start with “I give myself permission to start …”, or “I am becoming …”
Affirmation Exercises
To get started making affirmations to improve your life, write down a goal that you have such as: “I am in the divine flow of abundance.” Then brainstorm related affirmations such as: “I attract all the things I desire,” or “I am open to receiving everything I ask for.” Read the affirmation ideas you brainstormed out loud and you will notice which seem most emotionally compelling and meaningful to you. Once you have chosen the best affirmation for your goal, highlight it read it as many times as possible daily especially right when you wake up and right before you go to sleep. As you are repeating your affirmations, imagine the scene in which your affirmation is realized.
To maximize the effect of a given affirmation, concentrate on saying it for at least thirty consecutive days. Repetition is very important to the effectiveness of affirmations, both during sleep and wake cycles, and also over the course of many days.
Another effective exercise is to formulate a series of affirmations that are designed as progressive steps toward a desired outcome. For example, if you are afraid of public speaking, start with an affirmation such as: “I feel confident when people are looking at me.” Then gradually move, over the course of several days, using progressively more confident affirmations, to a final statement such as: “I am an excellent public speaker” or “People love to hear me speak”.
Saying affirmations can also be used by couples to work on their relationship. You can write out joint affirmations with your partner–speak together reciting the same affirmation such as: “We are growing more intimately connected every day.” or “Our love for each other fills our hearts.”
Keven Stirdivant and Greg Carroll are doing a really good thing with their organisations The Collective and Kid Millionaires:
……………………………………….
http://www.kidmillionaires.com/
www.myspace.com/kstirdivant
http://www.collectivemission.com/ (coming soon)
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P.ositive
E.ducation
A.wakens
C.onscious
E.xcellence
“Read More, Learn More, Change the Globe…”
Greg Carroll and Keven Stirdivant hosted an event called “Touch The Sky – Master Your Mindset” last weekend. There was a small but enthusiastic audience and shows the potential for becoming a much bigger affair.
For me personally it wasn’t so much about learning new ideas and concepts, since I’ve been reading about this for quite some time, but it was a good affirmation of what I’ve been reading, and inspiration to continue working with these ideas. Plus, its always motivating to be around other people that share similar beliefs and are working on similar goals, so the community aspect of it was important for me.
The panel was one of the highlights since it featured people from the “underground” music and lifestyle community: Aloe Blacc, Nima from Digital Gravel, Danny Boy from La Coka Nostra and House of Pain, branding guru Bee Nguyen from GrandTactics, singer-songwriter Margeaux Fernandez, and pro skateboarder Stevie Williams. Each person had an inspiring story to share. I think the type of community that Carroll and Stirdivant are involved with will be important in bringing these concepts to a younger generation, and also to an entrepreneurial generation that exists outside the typical corporate business structure.
A few of my fave concepts that I took away from the event include:
“Focus on your problems, your goals disappear. But focus on your goals and your problems disappear.”
“What you see in life depends on what you are looking for”
“What you wish to experience, provide for another.”
And a couple of affirmations:
“I attract greatness and easily manifest my goals.”
“I focus my mind on what’s good.”
