Thinking Positively - INTRO"Discovery consists of

seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought."Jonathan Swift: English author and satirist

Thinking PositivelySetting goalsKeeping focusedWhy do we set goals?What are your goals?Where will you be in 5 years time?

Thinking PositivelyLet’s look “behind the scenes”1.How do we “set goals”?2.What informs the process?3.Where does the information come from?4.Where does emotional well being fit in?5.How do emotions influence our goals?6.What is the biggest thing that stops us?

Thinking PositivelyBelief systems – paradigms! These all have

their roots in the subconscious programming that occurs from the moment that life begins in the human psyche. (Culture is a group habit).

People – which leg of your pants do you put on first? Parental programming!

Thinking Positively

Thinking PositivelyIf you always do what you always do, you will

always get what you always get!If you do nothing, then the results will

continue to be the same and add to the fuel.Changing the way you think is the only

way to make positive changes in your lifeMaking choices - experimentingWhere do thoughts come from and how can

we change them?

Thinking PositivelyFears impact goals in a negative way – where

do they come from?What are paradigms?

“To ignore the power of paradigms to influence your judgement is to put yourself at risk when exploring the future” – Joel Barker (Author of “Paradigms”)

Thinking PositivelyWhat are paradigms?Paradigms are a multitude of habits – often

they are other people’s habits!Negative paradigms typically manifest as

negative results in lifePositive paradigms typically manifest as

positive results in lifeParadigms are belief systems

Thinking PositivelyHow do we think?Think about your car, your sweetheart, your home, your favourite food...

What goes on in your mind?So, let’s ask the question again... How do we think?

Thinking PositivelyWe think in pictures

You know what things look likeYou watch the pictures change as you go

through life – you adjust your paradigmCan you picture a broken leg?Can you picture a “broken” mind?

Thinking PositivelyCan you picture a mind?What does your mind look like?If you don’t know what your mind looks like,

how can you change it?What can we use to paint a picture of the

mind?

Thinking PositivelyPaint a picture with your own understanding

Only then can you change your beliefs

Thinking Positively

Thinking PositivelyThe conscious mind• Cognitive senses• Intellectual senses• Imagination

The subconscious mind• Emotions• Feelings• Paradigms (behaviour patterns)

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What’s the single biggest difference between the conscious mind and the

subconscious mind?

Thinking Positively

The subconscious mind can’t tell the difference

between what is imagined and what is real.

(It’s why simulators work!)

Thinking PositivelyThe Auto-pilot (subconscious mind)

Learning to ride a bikeLearning to driveLearning to flyLearning to swimGetting dressedEating... Etc... Etc...

Positive ThinkingTo create a picture of the mindFirst create a picture in the conscious mindThen imprint it on our subconscious mindProgramme the subconscious “auto-pilot”Thought – emotion – chemical response in

body – action or reaction in outer worldMentally build a better self image – the rest

will follow

Positive Thinking

Positive ThinkingPARADIGMS

Imagine you earn £10,000paNow try thinking you earn £100,000pa

The autopilot rejects the ideaIt doesn’t “fit”Belief system reinforced

Thinking PositivelyTo change the way you think you have to go back and understand how you learned...

To drive a carTo walkTo swim

You had to establish a paradigm so your subconscious could take over (auto-pilot)

Positive Thinking

Positive ThinkingIt is the conscious mind that created the paradigm in the first place.

What influences the conscious mind?• Seeing• Hearing• Taste• Touch• Smell

Positive ThinkingExternal stimuli impacts on all the

sensesThese stimuli create paradigmsIn turn produce automatic responsesResponses produce a chemical

reaction in the bodyThe body reacts in the outer world

Thinking PositivelyWhat other factors influence the conscious mind?• Reason• Will – concentration and focus• Memory – a mental muscle• Imagination• Perception• Intuition – pick up energy from others

Thinking PositivelyImagination is the most powerful force in the world – if you can imagine it, you can make it happen!

Everything in the world today is the result of someone’s imagination – every invention in the world began with just a single imaginative thought!

Thinking Positively

Thinking PositivelyNegatively charged paradigms:

Low self-esteemLow self-confidenceSelf doubtsFearsAnxiety and worry

Thinking PositivelyThey are all life denying: Fear becomes internalised

• Fear• Anxiety• Suppression of desire• Depression• Dis-ease• Disintegration

Thinking Positively

Positively charged paradigmsKnowledgeUnderstandingFaithGratitude and Thankfulness

Thinking PositivelyThey are life affirming: Sources of creation

Well BeingAnticipationAccelerated DesireAt-easeCreation

Thinking PositivelyQuestions:

1.What is the most powerful force in the world?

2.What is the nature of the subconscious mind?

Thinking PositivelyAnswers

1.The imagination2.The subconscious mind can’t tell the

difference between what is imagined and what is realWho can think of implications for this in sport, for example?

Thinking PositivelyThe subconscious mind is an emotional mindThoughts cause feelingsEverything just “is” until we decide to make

it what it is (one person’s pleasure is another person’s poison)

It’s all about our paradigm perceptions

Thinking PositivelyPARADIGMS

What is their nature?How are we going to change them?How do we convince the subconscious mind

that what we now think is “real”?

Thinking Positively

Thinking PositivelyThoughts – Feelings – Actions – Reactions

Reactions cause changes – altering conditions, circumstances and the environment of your outer world

You think about a goalYou get emotionally involved – excited,

motivatedYou carry out your plan successfully

Thinking PositivelyYou get the rewards (increased income, for

example)Never change the goal – change the plan!Keep experimentingAnalyse all your resources so you learn “what

works”Do you think the greatest inventors ever got it right the first time?

Thinking PositivelySUCCESS:Success comes from good judgementGood judgement comes from experienceExperience comes from mistakesMistakes come from bad judgement

Thinking PositivelyPeople Look at goals in 3 ways:

1.What they know – repeat performances and stay in the same paradigm

2.What they think they can do3.In terms of what they want

Which of these has emotional content?Which of these stand a better chance of being successful?

Thinking PositivelyGoals are about increasing your aspirations –

they are about growthThree stages to creation:

Fantasy – ideas, thoughts, mental images, motivation

Theory – using your conscious faculties; setting a goal and making a plan

Fact – successful resolution; achieving the goal

Thinking PositivelySteps to Success• Picture a goal• Feel what it is like to have achieved the goal• Own the goal as if it has already happened• Feel the emotional response in your body as

you “own” the goal• Make a plan• Change the plan• Achieve the goal

Thinking PositivelyUntil you make an image of your goal you

cannot challenge your paradigm within.Get excited – get enthusiastic – think

positive!Success leaves a trail! All the most successful

people in the world create goalsSome create goals dailyWhat goal will you set to reach each day?

Thinking PositivelySetting mini-goalsFirst have the prime goal in mindThen work towards it in easy steps

This leads us into the “planning” stage...

Thinking PositivelyPlanning

1.Set a goal – decide where you want to go2.Plan a way of getting there3.Take action4.Review the plan5.Take action6.Repeat 4 and 5 then reach the goal

Thinking PositivelyBefore you do anything:Understand yourself and what barriers you

subconsciously put in the wayUnderstand paradigmsIf you focus on the doubts and fears, you

won’t get thereFocus on the goal and doors will open for youThen recognise the doors when they open

Thinking Positively“Financial success has a lot to do with being in

the right place at the right time” - is quoted frequently – but there is another factor:

You have to be AWARE that you are in the right place at the right time!

Thinking PositivelyJFK: “What will it take to take someone to the moon, land them there and safely

return them to Earth?”

Thinking Positively

NASA (Dr Werner von Braun):

“The will to do it”

Thinking Positively“There is a difference between WISHING for a thing and being READY to receive it. No-one is ready for anything until they believe they can acquire it. The state of mind must be BELIEF, not mere hope or wish. Open-mindedness is essential for belief. Closed minds do not inspire faith, courage or belief.” “Remember, no more effort is required to aim high in life, to demand abundance and prosperity, than is required to accept misery and poverty.” Think & Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill

Thinking Positively“There is only one corner of

the universe you can be certain of improving and that

is yourself.”

Aldus Huxley

Thinking PositivelyThank you for watching!

Check out this site for more:http://www.stealamillion.com

Graham Nichollsgraham@plymouthseo.net