If You're Happy and You Know It

Did you sing the song "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands!" as a child?  I know I did.  Well if I were to follow the words of that song I would be clapping non-stop.  And I would have been for at least the past couple of months.

Or have you seen the app that displays on Facebook your percentage happiness?  I see it coming up all the time for one of my friends showing numbers well below 100%.  I don't have the app myself, and I have no idea whether it has any basis in reality or is just a gimmick, but if it works and if I had it installed on my mobile I would be displaying 100% every day.

On the basis that madness is defined by deviation from normal I guess I should have been put in an asylum months ago.  I am quite sure it cannot be regarded as "normal" to be happy all day every day.  Fortunately the men in white coats haven't spotted me yet!

But why am I happy?  Not ecstatically happy, which would be rather exhausting after a while, but pleasantly happy.  Comfortably happy.  All the time.  Where does this happiness come from?

Perhaps you feel it is because I am wealthy.  Well I am not.  Depending on how you define wealth of course.  I have enough to get by.  Not as much as I would like.  Not enough to allow me to do all the things I would like to do by a long stretch.  I am working on that, but how I am doing it should be the subject of a different blog.  Wealth is relative anyway.  To someone living on the street and who doesn't have enough to feed their children, let alone themselves, a person who has a house, a job, and food in the fridge is wealthy.  By that definition I am wealthy.  But to someone who has a 10 bedroom house, a holiday home on a nice white beach that is warm all year round, and the money and time to flit between the two whenever he likes I am definitely not wealthy.  Again, I am working on it, but that is certainly not me right now.

Maybe you feel it is because I am in perfect health.  Well I am not.  I was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago.  I have been treated very successfully for it, but once you have had cancer you can never really say it is gone for good.  And the treatment itself left a few side effects.  So I certainly don't have perfect health.  In fact just after I originally wrote this article I suffered a viral throat infection.  Nothing very serious, but it did leave me with a very sore throat, unable to swallow without great difficulty, fever, and lethargy.  I did not ignore the signals my body was giving me.  I visited the doctor to make sure I was doing the right things to deal with the infection, took some paracetamol to deal with the pain, and had plenty of rest.  I have almost recovered now.  I was not pleased to be ill, but I was still happy.  And now I am even happier, knowing the infection has almost gone.

So why on earth am I happy all the time?  And is this something you can copy too?

Firstly, I recognize that happiness comes from within.  It is not something you are given.  It is not something that happens to you because of what is happening around you.  Look at some wealthy people who still seem to be miserable and you will see the truth of this.  Happiness comes from your frame of mind, nowhere else.  As long as you are looking for happiness to come from outside it will always be elusive.

Secondly, I am very grateful for what I have.  It may not be much to a lot of people, but when I look around me and see what some people have to suffer I know I can be very thankful.  Think about your own situation for a few minutes.  I challenge you to tell me that there is absolutely nothing for which you can be thankful.   The mere fact that you have the resources to be able to read this blog means you are in a better position than many people in this world.  Even the mere fact that you are alive! When you practice thankfulness you will soon find it makes you happy too.

Finally, I took a coaching course from a good, reputable company called "Frame of Mind Coaching".  They didn't show me anything radically new, but that is not really surprising.  In fact I guess I would have been worried if they had.  What they got me to focus on were things I already knew, but which perhaps I had forgotten to ensure remained fully grounded in my life.  I am quite sure my permanent change in state is very much down to the way they got me to dig deep into myself and get properly grounded again.  To me, this was what coaching should be all about and it certainly got impressive results.  If you would like to try them out, be my guest.  You can even get some free, no obligation coaching from them so you can see whether or not what they do is right for you.

Here is the link to get those free coaching sessions:

http://journal.frameofmindcoaching.com/assessment/482

Does Creative Visualization Really Work?

My last blog referred to Creative Visualization, and those readers who subscribe to my e-mails also recently received a free invitation to an online Creative Visualization event.

But does Creative Visualization really work?

If you simply do not believe in the power of the mind, nothing I can say here will convince you.  It is simply not possible to demonstrate an irrefutable causal link between a visualization and changes in circumstances that happen after that visualization.  In order to prove it scientifically I would need to demonstrate that the visualization was the simplest explanation for the causation of whatever materialized.  I cannot give you that proof.  In every case I could quote to you, and there are plenty, you could probably find another, simpler explanation.  But for me there is too much evidence that it does work, even though in each individual case I cannot prove it scientifically.

Take the actor Jim Carey, for example.  Did you know that he used Creative Visualization to bring on his Hollywood success?  In 1987 Carey was a struggling actor trying, like so many before and since, to live the Hollywood dream.  He wrote himself a cheque for $10 million, dated it eight years later, and noted on it "for acting services rendered".  In 1994, one year before the date on the cheque, Jim Carey received $10 million for his star role in "Dumb and Dumber".  Coincidence?  Skeptics will say yes.  But Carey doesn't think so.  And nor do I.

Or how about the golfer Tiger Woods?  The way he trained himself to make perfect shots was by consistently visualizing those shots internally.  Before he even picked up the golf club he had made the winning shot.  Not on the course but in his mind.  When he went on the course all he had to do was let that winning shot take over.

And then we have the oncologist (cancer doctor) Dr O Carl Simonton.  Dr Simonton was a very respected cancer specialist who founded a successful cancer treatment centre in Pacific Palisades in the 1980's.  He noticed that different patients with similar cancers and receiving the same treatment had very different outcomes.  Some were cured completely (to the extent that this can be said of any cancer), some died of the cancer, and many fell somewhere in between these two extremes.  The main difference, Dr Simonton found, was that those who had a positive outlook were far more likely to survive.  As a result, he began using lifestyle counselling, including techniques where the patients visualized themselves as fit and healthy, and he found the survival times of his patients doubled and they had greatly improved quality of life.

These could all be coincidences of course.  I do not believe they are but I am not going to argue with you if you believe they are.  It is up to you.

Does Creative Visualization work?  You decide.  Or better still, try it for yourself and see if it works for you.

The Powerful Computer

Imagine you are responsible for a very powerful computer.  A computer that will create anything you want.  Not just design it, but create it.  Lock, stock and barrel.

There are just two little problems.

The first problem is that, because it is a computer, it has no way of knowing what you meant to tell it, only what you actually told it.  Whatever instruction you give it, that is the instruction it will follow – even if what you really meant to say was something different.

The second problem is that this gives you enormous power, so you must be really certain of what it is that you do want.

In order to master this computer, what you have to do therefore is spend some time carefully working out what you want it to create for you, and then spend more time making sure you create very clear instructions so the computer knows exactly what it is you want.

Now read those five paragraphs again, but this time leave out the first word, “imagine”.  You don’t really need that word, because you really are responsible for that very powerful computer.  Some people call it the subconscious.  Some prefer to call it the Universe.  And some will say it is a deity (and that you are not giving it instructions, but praying to it).  Actually it doesn’t matter what you call it, as the principle is the same.  So perhaps we will continue to call it the computer.

In order to achieve what you want in life, whatever that may be, all you have to do is learn to practise those two simple rules:

1. Find out what it is you really want.  That may well be something quite different from what you think you want.  It often is.  Set aside some time to consider this very carefully.  Write down everything that comes into your head, no matter how unrealistic or strange it may seem.  Then study what you have written.  Start to find the pattern that is there.  See what really “clicks” for you.  Meditate on it.  Now write out the main things you know you really want, the things that have real meaning for you. 
2. Visualize yourself having achieved what it is you want.  Picture it so clearly that you know it as a reality.  This is “creative visualization”, and it is the computer language you need in order to give the right instructions to that super computer inside you.

 Most people miss out both these steps, and then wonder why they never achieve what they want to achieve.  Spend time getting them both right and you will see enormous changes in your life.

There are many ways of doing Creative Visualization.  I find it is good to use a mix of methods – as long as each method you use really works.

One method is to create your own “Mind Movie”.  This is a term coined by Natalie Ledwell, who distributes a very ingenious system to let you create it and send the right message to your inner computer.  I use this myself and can assure you it works.  To get access to the Mind Movie system, just go here:

http://www.mindmovies.com/products/order_mindmovies.php?25923

Another method is to use a pre-programmed “Mind Movie” which is already set up and ready to send the message without you having to anything other than to watch and listen to it.  This is called “Mind Movies Matrix”, as it is just like the programming used in the film “The Matrix” to make the hero perform impossible seeming tasks.  “Mind Movie Matrix” includes subliminal messaging and brainwave entrainment.  To find out more about this just go here:

http://www.mindmovies.com/mm_matrix/transform_your_life.php?25923

Finally, you can let an expert take you right through all the steps you need in order to do your Creative Visualization properly.  I have found one of the best on the market is this one:

http://mval.li/?a=84&c=949&p=r&s1=

Now you have no excuse for saying you never get what you need or want.  You have all the tools you need to get everything you ever wanted.  Just use them!

5 Simple Steps For Creating Powerful Affirmations

by

Natalie Ledwell

Do you know what the majority of the world's most successful people have in common? 

Well, besides being wealthy and sometimes famous, many of them actually use affirmations and visualization to bring their dreams and goals to reality! 

One really good example is the story of Jim Carrey. Jim used to go up every night to Mulholland Drive and sit on top of his car, look out at the city, stretch out his arms and say: "Everybody wants to work with me. I'm a really good actor. I have all kinds of great movie offers." 

He would repeat these affirmations over and over until he convinced himself that he had a couple of movies lined up. But he didn't stop there, he also wrote a check to himself for 10 million dollars, kept it in his wallet and then 6 months later he got this amount as a payment for his work on 'Dumb and Dumber'! Not bad, huh? 

As you can see, affirmations are extremely powerful and the reason is because they directly affect our conscious and subconscious mind. And by consistently repeating them with conviction and passion, they reprogram our thoughts allowing us to not only change our state of mind, but to also materialize our dreams and goals regardless of how big or crazy they may seem. 

So if you'd like to follow the footsteps of some of the most successful people in the world... 

Then follow these 5 simple tips to create powerful affirmations, and start manifesting your dreams right away! 

1. Start with the words, "I Am..." These two words are extremely powerful as your brain knows that you're referring to yourself. Starting your affirmations with these two words will give your subconscious mind clarity and belief that whatever comes after them, IS your reality.

2. Write in the present tense. When you say affirmations in present tense, you're reassuring yourself that you believe whatever is in your affirmation, is factual and real right now. 

Your mind can't tell the difference between past or future, fake or real, this is why when you imagine yourself drinking lemon juice, you start producing saliva. Also, when your words are in the present tense, your mind can visualize the image at the same time. 

3. Keep it positive. Avoid words with negative connotations like 'not to', 'don't, 'can't', 'fear', etc. Our minds focus more on these words instead of avoiding them. For example, if I asked you NOT TO think about a blue elephant, your mind will picture a blue elephant even though I asked you not to think about it. Instead of saying 'I am able to get rid of stage fright', say 'I am enjoying the excitement of speaking on stage'. 

4. Make it short and clear. Remember that the main purpose of an affirmation is for you to be able to picture it and ingrain it into your mind. So when creating an affirmation, make it direct and specific. 

5. Make it exciting. When creating affirmations, you want to create positive, self-affirming, self-empowering statements that uplift and inspire you. So make sure you add fun and exciting words like, 'I am ENJOYING making $100,000 a year.' 

Repeat your affirmations as many times a day as you can, even when you may feel you don't need to. Remember that consistency is key if you really want to make a positive and lasting change in your life. 

Now that you know one of the greatest secrets for creating wealth and success in your life, I want to share with you something that personally helped me achieve the financial success that I had always desired - which was figuring out (and removing) any mental traps that were lingering in my mind! 

To help you, I created a FREE, fun and powerful 30-second quiz. 

Take the quiz here right now << Click me! 

After just a few quick multiple choice questions, you'll get access to a free, revealing video report detailing what mental trap could be blocking you from the financial freedom and success you desire right now, PLUS how to remove it!

About the Author:

Natalie Ledwell is a Law of Attraction expert, bestselling author and speaker. She also hosts an online TV Show, The Inspiration Show, and is a co-founder of the personal development company, Mind Movies, which offers online courses and coaching programs. Natalie is passionate about helping others to achieve their greatest dreams and ambitions through personal transformation.

Find out more about Natalie and Mind Movies by visiting 

http://www.mindmovies.com/index.php?25923.