looking at attention

Habits are the key, said BrainMind. The reason we are as good as we are, is the same reason that we are only as good as we are, our habits, our patterns, our operating system program.

>HeartMind said yes, habits are the key, program me right, and I will set you free
Some things that we do, we pick and we choose, we know that it’s deductive logic we use
Most things we do, as we've done them before. These behaviors are habits, no less and no more, The way to break habits in most every case, is to find a new habit, to use to replace
The habit you had, that serves you no more. A new way better, than the old way before.
Release bad habits, give me something else to do, and I will make life a whole lot easier for you

Roy was overweight. His mother told him, his girlfriend told him, and now his doctor had told him in no uncertain terms. “Lose some weight, or you'll be asking for heart problems.” That was the last thing Roy wanted to hear. As a young boy, he had lost his father to a heart attack. Roy was heavy. About fifty or sixty pounds overweight if he wanted to be honest with himself. He used to tell himself that it was just in his belly, but lately he had to admit that he could see it in his arms and in his face as well. He was a big guy, almost six foot two, but his weight had crept up to about two hundred and forty pounds when he knew he should be under two hundred. One hundred and eighty would be ideal.

As so many others had done, Roy had tried diets. He'd tried fruit diets, water diets, liquid protein diets and even fasting. Each time he lost weight, and he gained it back, and more. He really didn't believe that some new diet was the answer. When Roy first learned about Alpha, he instantly saw its tremendous potential. “Diets are temporary, and as soon as I go off one, I always go back to the same old eating habits that necessitated the diet in the first place,” Roy said. “It seems to me that by reprogramming my habits with Alpha, the changes I make will be permanent.” By changing his eating habits, creating a physical exercise habit, and reprogramming his self image, Roy truly believed he could let go of the excess weight. He set about to do just that.

Roy closed his eyes, took a deep breath and went to his peaceful place. Roy's peaceful place was the perfect vacuum of outer space. No light, no sounds, and no gravity; therefore no weight. Roy loved to imagine that he was weightless and floating around in the peacefulness of the void. In the quiet of his mind, he asked himself a very basic question; “Why am I overweight?” He saw himself reading a book and eating a box of Cocoa Crispies Cereal.
He saw the two double cheeseburgers he had for lunch. He saw himself going to the refrigerator for beer after beer while watching TV. Inside himself he knew that going to the refrigerator was the most exercise he was going to get all week. He saw himself as a fat person who was always eating much more food than he really needed to eat, and he saw himself as a lazy person who sat around most of the time and never really exercised at all. Roy knew what the problem was. It was time to wake up and work on the solution. Roy thought about what he had to do. “If I bring it right down to the basics,” he thought, “it's about eating right, and eating less food less often. I'll choose to order less at restaurants, and leave some on my plate. I'll choose to prepare smaller portions for myself at home. Mostly,” he thought, “it's about eating right. After all those weight loss programs and diet books, I think I know what eating right means. In fact I think almost everybody in America knows what eating right means. Not very many do it though.

Well, I for one am going to be one who uses what I know. I know that much less meat and more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables would be best. I'll munch on carrots and celery more often, and make dessert a special occasional treat. I'll eat slower, take smaller bites, and chew my food better before I swallow. I'll choose to eat the right foods in the right way to achieve my ideal weight.” No matter how correctly I eat, there is no way I can release as much weight as I need, unless I get regular exercise. I'm not much of an athlete, but one thing I know I can do is walk, and that's what I'm going to do. I'll start with a brisk ten minute walk each day. Then I'll build it up to twenty minutes, and maybe later to twenty minutes twice a day. That will get my blood pumping and increase my metabolic rate so I can burn up those calories.

Another thing I need to do while releasing the weight is to change my physical self image. I'll imagine myself at one hundred and eighty pounds, looking fit, trim, healthy and attractive. I'll imagine how incredibly wonderful it is to be so light and so free, and how very, very proud of myself I am for creating it. I understand that in Alpha, passion, is the key.” So Roy went back to his peaceful place, to the feeling of floating weightless in outer space. As he relaxed, he visualized himself standing in front of a full length mirror. The reflection that looked back at him was a fit, trim, one hundred and eighty pound hunk named Roy, who looked great and felt even better. He stood proud and tall and his clothes fit him like a glove.
He was proud of his trim waistline, and of the muscle tone he could feel in his arms and legs. He was pleased with the way he looked from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. He then imagined himself at a favorite restaurant. He visualized ordering a smaller portion than he used to, and eating it much more slowly. He even imagined that he left a little on the plate and found it easy to say “no thank you” when the dessert tray rolled by. Eating was a much more relaxed experience. He finished eating when he was no longer hungry, which came he soon discovered, way before he was full.

He imagined that he was at home, preparing a meal for himself. He noticed the smaller size of the portion that he was preparing. After dinner he visualized himself reading a book and munching on a stalk of celery. He pretended that he felt as if he really had his eating habits under control. Roy imagined himself walking briskly for ten and then twenty minutes a day. He saw himself walking faster everywhere he went, and sometimes passing up the elevator and taking the stairs. He imagined that he had more energy and every day he got closer to his trim and fit body, and his ideal weight. Averaging one or two pounds a week, it took Roy almost a year to reach his ideal weight. There were some weeks with no visible progress, then suddenly a few more pounds would drop off. Over the year Roy increased his exercise program to include a few pushups, and a few sit-ups, and eventually regular tennis. Roy stuck to it, and though it took a while, he understood that it was much healthier to release the weight gradually, and that by doing this way, he would create a new set of habits. He knew that with these new eating and exercise habits, he need never put the weight back on again. In fact, six years later, he still hadn't.

Habits are often wonderful things. They free us up so that we can be inventive and creative. It would be difficult (if not impossible) to function without habits. Imagine having to decide which direction to go next with the toothbrush or which foot to use next when you are walking. For the most part, habits give us a lot of freedom. Habits are things that happen automatically. We could look at the body's autonomic processes, such as heartbeat or breathing, as habits. We could say that it is by habit that we know how to form our mouths in certain ways to pronounce tens of thousands of words. By habit we can easily remember how to return to any place where we've frequently been.

Good habits make life easy. Bad habits can wreck all the best laid plans for success. Breaking habits can be easy or difficult depending on the longevity and the intensity of the habit. The habits that are the most intense are called addictions. The intensity is determined by the number of times that you have repeated the habit and the volume of emotional amplitude you felt with each repetition. Habits create the condition where it is easier and easier to do something, and harder and harder to not do it. Perhaps the best way to break a habit is to create a new habit to take its place. Imagine that you are acting out the habitual behavior. Get in touch with what you were doing just before you began this habitual behavior. In this way you can find the thing that triggers the habit.

When you identify the trigger of the habit, you can use that same trigger to program yourself to respond in a new way. Breaking habits often isn't so much an issue of not doing something as it is an issue of doing something else instead.

QUITTING SMOKING
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and go to your peaceful place. Make this quiet peaceful place you've chosen seem as real as you can. Imagine that off in the distance you see someone light up a cigarette. For an instant you desire to have one, as you remember back to when you used to be a smoker. Instantly a very powerful feeling washes over your whole body. A warm flush of excitement rushes through you as you remember that you've quit, and you feel so proud of yourself for quitting. Every time you even think of smoking, you feel that rush of intense pride in yourself for quitting wash over you. That feeling of pride in your wonderful accomplishment brings you every bit of the satisfaction that you desire. Feel an intense burst of pride. Whenever it feels comfortable for you, take a deep breath, open your eyes, come wide awake. Then get yourself up and with passion, take your next action step.

RELEASING WEIGHT
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and go to your peaceful place. Make this quiet peaceful place you've chosen seem as real as you can. Imagine yourself sitting down to eat a meal. Notice that you are eating a little bit slower than you used to and also notice that you have put a smaller portion of food on your plate. Be aware that you have chosen to eat the kind of food that you know is right for you. Now imagine standing in front of a full length mirror and seeing your reflection looking fit and trim. Get in touch with how wonderful it feels to be in such great shape. Next, imagine yourself doing some enjoyable form of exercise and imagine that you feel the physical exertion in your body. Intensify the wonderful feelings of physical fitness and excellent overall health. Whenever it feels comfortable for you, take a deep breath, open your eyes, come wide awake. Then get yourself up and with passion, take your next action step.

PROCRASTINATION
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and go to your peaceful place. Make this quiet peaceful place you've chosen seem as real as you can. Imagine the thought of getting started early on some important project. Notice how it feels to imagine working on this project feeling as if you have all the time in the world. Get in touch with how much better the work that you do is under these ideal circumstances. Think about what rewards might come your way because of the increased quality of your work. Feel how it feels to receive those rewards. Every time you even begin to think of procrastinating, the powerful thought of those rewards for starting early come into your mind. Whenever it feels comfortable for you, take a deep breath, open your eyes, come wide awake. Then get yourself up and with passion, take your next action step.

 

REMEMBERING
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and go to your peaceful place. Make this quiet peaceful place you've chosen seem as real as you can. Imagine that you are easily able to remember something that in the past you might have forgotten, something like people's names, or special dates or perhaps your keys. Imagine what it would feel like to be able to remember this thing every single time . Imagine how it would feel always to be able to remember almost everything. Listen to all kinds of people complimenting you on your wonderful memory, asking you how you do it. Experience the benefits of a great memory and the confidence that having a great memory creates. Whenever it feels comfortable for you, take a deep breath, open your eyes, come wide awake. Then get yourself up and with passion, take your next action step.

LISTENING
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and go to your peaceful place. Imagine that you are in a situation which calls for you really to listen to someone who has something very important to say to you. Notice how much easier it is to listen than it ever was before. Observe yourself feeding back what you heard to the person that you are listening to. Listen to their comments of appreciation for your excellent listening skills. Feel proud of yourself for developing such a wonderful ability to listen and pay attention. Imagine all the different ways that this ability will benefit you in the future, and get in touch with how that feels. Whenever it feels comfortable for you, take a deep breath, open your eyes, come wide awake. Then get yourself up and with passion, take your next action step.

 

CONTROLLING YOUR TEMPER
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and go to your peaceful place. Imagine a situation where in the past you would have felt angry and lost your temper. Notice where you are and who you are with. Get in touch with the changes that happen inside you. Now imagine a similar situation in the future, but imagine that this time you get angry but are able to keep control. Your breathing stays regular and your body gets less tense. Notice how proud of yourself you are for holding your temper and for staying in control. Imagine releasing the anger in a more appropriate way. Listen to other people compliment you on your great self control. Feel the pride welling up inside for truly being in charge of your life. Whenever it feels comfortable for you, take a deep breath, open your eyes, come wide awake. Then get yourself up and with passion, take your next action step.

Focus brings to bear the power of the conscious mind, and Passion brings to bear the power of the subconscious mind. When the two minds come together in harmony, something magical happens. They create a third mind; a higher consciousness. This is literally a second level of thinking. With Focused Passion, all the power is in the second level of thinking. You get to think about your individual thoughts and feelings, and choose to empower the positive ones, and choose to release the negative ones. In this way you come to enjoy all of your thoughts and all of your feelings. Do this and you will discover that there is a side effect. It is called happiness. Happiness is not about your particular circumstances. Happiness is not about your initial thoughts. Happiness comes from what you think, about what you think.

Here is a simple and powerful technique for creating the state of Focused Passion. Focus comes when you move away from stress, just a little of the way toward sleep. Passion comes when you enjoy what you are doing.

Focus Passion is moving from divided attention (multi-tasking) to paying attention to just one special thing. Do this and you slow down your mind. You move toward stress when you feel endangered. To move into Focused Passion you need to feel safe.

Close your eyes.

Most of the input that comes in through your five senses comes in through your eyes. Close your eyes and you slow down your mind. It's the first thing you do when you want to fall asleep. Focused Passion can be reached with your eyes open, but closing your eyes cuts out many of the potential distractions.

Take a deep breath and imagine that you are in a very safe and peaceful place.

By making this safe place, a place that you love to be, you add passion to your state of focus. When you feel stressed you tighten your muscles and hold your breath. Release your muscle tension and let go of your breath and you will begin to feel safe. Choose this place with your intuition. Let it be the first safe place that comes in to your mind. Imagine that you can see this place, or that you can hear the surrounding sounds. Simply pretend and get the feeling that you are there. If your mind goes off to a different place, just notice this and then bring yourself back to your first place. Always return to this same place each time you wish to re-create this state of Focused Passion.

With Focused Passion you can solve the only two problems that you face. One problem is that you know what you want, but you don't know how to get it, and the only other problem is that you don't know what you want.

When you don't know what you want, you go to your place of Focused Passion and you ask. Then you listen for the answer. This is called meditation, introspection, reflection, or prayer. If you believe in a higher power then you might believe that the answer comes through you. If you don't believe in a higher power then you might believe that the answer comes from you. Either way the process is the same. You ask, and then you listen for the answer.

If you do know what you want, then you tell. You imagine what you do want, as if you already have it, over and over again, with GREAT PASSION! This is called mental programming, visualization, self-hypnosis, or auto-suggestion. It is an application of the amazingly powerful law of attraction.

How would you like to become better, faster, smarter, and happier,
with far less stress, and much more passion?

With Finding your SELF in Paridise, you will.

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