Autosuggestion is “the medium for influencing the subconscious mind” which is the third step towards riches says Napoleon hill in his amazing book “Think and grow rich“. It is the form of communication between the conscious and the unconscious mind.
No thought can enter the unconscious mind unless it was first suggested by the conscious mind, whether that thought is either negative or positive.
Since whatever enters the unconscious mind will eventually manifest itself in our lives, a clear understanding of this principle, and how yo use it will help us implant positive ideas into our unconscious and change our life for the better.
Here are some autosuggestion techniques you can start using even today, and how to apply them. If you practice them long enough and with discipline, I can assure you a positive change in your life.
1. Self-Affirmation
This is a kind of auto-suggestions technique whereby you come up with a self-motivating mantra. The message in the mantra should be positive, motivating, and in present tense. An example can be “I am the wonderfully and beautifully made”. This message should be repeated to self verbally and on a daily or regular basis.
2. Visualization
Visualization is one of the most effective auto-suggestion techniques. It is known as the language of the unconscious mind. What you visualize is absorbed into the unconscious. It is important to note that the conscious mind only sets a goal, but it is the unconscious mind that directs the rest of the body to go and achieve the goal. Therefore, for effectiveness, it should be done in a quiet place where one can be able to relax and get in touch with their mental picture.
Some of the top actors, athletes, and executives admittedly use visualization prior to an act or an important occasion. This helps to program the mind for success. Usually, when an executive is going to address a board meeting, they use this auto-suggestion technique to visualize the possible outcome of the board meeting. This helps to input the seeds of the desired goal in mind. Secondly, it connects the desired goal of the meeting with the positive emotions expected. This helps to motivate the brain for improved productivity.
3. Anchoring
Anchoring is a great auto-suggestion technique that helps in goal setting. Most people are used to setting vague goals and after some time the motivation to pursue the goal fades away. Anchoring helps to crystallize the goals, visualize them and connect the goal with positive emotions. According to Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich, the reason auto-suggestions do not work with most people is because they do not understand the importance of mixing positive emotions with the thought patterns.
Anchoring, therefore, helps to mix the thoughts about the desired goal with positive emotions. To do this, one is to write down the general goal, for example, get a promotion. Next, narrow down the goal by making the goal SMART. Meaning it should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. For example; getting promoted from an intern to an entry level position, by the end of the first quarter of the year.
After getting the specific goal one should write it down and write down about a specific day after the first quarter of the year when they will be promoted. Write about how the day will be and all the positive emotions they will be feeling because of being promoted. One should involve all the five senses in this exercise in order to make the experience as real as possible, and read and re-read the goal card as much as possible, until the belief of attaining it is real in his mind.
This exercise posts the auto-suggested message into the unconscious. The unconscious does not know how to differentiate between the imagined and the real. Therefore, the unconscious will align your behaviors at work and your motivations towards ensuring that the goal is manifested.
4. Physical Autosuggestion
This is another autosuggestion technique used to alter the unconscious state of the mind and thereby influencing positive feedback. A good example of a positive physical autosuggestion is the sitting posture. How one sits sends a certain message to the brain. This message is interpreted a certain way thereby influencing how a person behaves. It also communicates a message to the unconscious mind of the onlookers. This alters their behavior towards one which results in a different outcome.
For example, sitting in an upright position when one is occupying adequate space communicates readiness and attention to the brain. This tells the brain that whatever one is doing or listening is important. This boosts the retention capacity of the brain. It also communicates confidence to the audience.
Another opposite example is if we sit holding our head bending forward, looking at the floor this signals the brains that something bad has happened, or that we feel negative in some way.
5. Filtering Negative Autosuggestion
Most people are struggling with failure, self-esteem issues or depression because of the things they were suggesting to self. How many times have you said to yourself; I am a very terrible person, I think am sick, this will fail and other self-defeating thoughts.
The unconscious takes these things and alters the behavior of a person in such a way that the auto –suggested message expresses itself. People have learned to communicate the self-defeating and self-destructive words and thought patterns over a long period of time. Therefore, changing the habit is challenging. However, for success one has to program himself to filter out these negative comments.
The method to eliminate negative auto-suggestion is not as difficult as it might seem. Instead, and it is simply stop focusing on the negative and start to focus on the positive. The more you concentrate on NOT doing something, the more you do it. This is because the brain is incapable of interpreting the negative which is NOT. Therefore, instead of concentrating on how NOT to bring yourself down, concentrate on how TO build yourself through positive auto-suggestions.
Conclusion
Much of a person’s ability to use autosuggestion effectively depends on his ability to concentrate on a given desire until the desire becomes an obsession. Therefore, for success in a person’s life, one must concentrate on the specific success. Concentrate on it so much until one can almost see and touch-mentally’ the thing he wants in his life. This should be repeated daily. This is because repetition is the trick to plant a seed into the unconscious. Eventually, these auto-suggestions techniques will turn one’s desires into a reality.
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