The question people often ask me is-when their self-development work and personal growth finally "takes," is this when will they stop having negative thoughts-I wish I knew. Although I'm afraid the answer could be never.
I play CDs with positive subliminal messages while I sleep each night. I start each day by reading something positive, and end each night the same way. I have many positive, success-oriented people in my life. I feast regularly on positive books, tapes and other programs. But I have an embarrassing confession to make . . .
I've had lots of negative thoughts. Sometimes ten a day. As rich, successful, healthy and happy as I've become, I have often still had fear-based thoughts. Looking back now, I see a lot of things I did, thinking they were prosperous, but I see now they were fear-based.
When I bought a bike, I bought a titanium professional race bike for $3,000. I remember thinking then that if things got bad, I could always sell it for some quick cash.
Well I bought three Vipers at the same time, I felt secure, knowing I could always sell one or two and scrape together a hundred grand.
Coming from the place I did, I always felt like I was somehow cheating destiny. That God, or the universe, or someone was going to wake up one day and discover that I had acquired wealth by mistake. I still had that niggling thought in the back of my mind-the defensive, better-prepare-for-the-really-bad-scenario, and have my options covered-just in case. And not get my hopes up too high-because then I was setting myself up for a great disappointment.
And like I told you, I've had those kinds of thoughts recently, as many as ten a day. But here's the difference . . .
I notice every one of them now. Immediately. And I often laugh about how silly they are. Best of all, I see the progression of my mindset.
First, I had hundreds of negative thoughts a day, and noticed none of them.
Then I graduated to the point that I had lots of negative thoughts a day and noticed some of them.
From there I got to the point that I had less negative thoughts a day and I noticed a lot of them.
And gradually over time, I started having less and less of them. Some days I have none. And now when I do have them, I catch myself right away.
I used to wear a rubber band on my wrist, and snap it when I had a lack thought. Now I no longer need to do that. I just tap my fingers on my forehead. That's the signal to my mind, and I instantly reject that thought, and replace it with another one. And once that happens. The world changes.
So when do the negative thoughts end? I doubt they ever do. The sheer enormity of how much negative and lack programming you will be assaulted with over the course of a lifetime makes that seem unlikely. (But let's not affirm that.)
In any event, if you keep counter-programming-you will win the fight. Because once you control the programming-you control the mindset. And once you control the mindset-you control your destiny!
Start a life journal and track your negative lack and limitation thoughts and tally them. At the end of each day, spend some time thinking about this subject.
When you really analyze the day and think about this regularly-you will start to notice these thoughts. And once you do that, they lose most of their power.
And your mindset starts to change . . .
You change your core fundamental beliefs. You believe you are supposed to be healthy, happy and prosperous. You believe you are worthy. And when you are confronted with dozens of situations each day, most minor, some bigger, and even some that are major-you expect good things to happen to you!
And because you expect good things to happen to you-you approach life differently. You approach it expecting to end up on top. And because you believe it-that's exactly what happens! Ain't it great?
* Excerpted from Randy Gage's BreakthroughU.com Daily Awakening
For more than 15 years, Randy Gage has been helping people transform self-limiting beliefs into self-fulfilling breakthroughs to achieve their dreams. Randy Gage is a modern day explorer in the field of body-mind development and personal growth. He is the author of the best-selling albums, Dynamic Development and Prosperity and director of www.BreakthroughU.com . For more resources and to subscribe to Randy's free ezine newsletters visit www.RandyGage.com