Tag Archives: Law of Attraction

Affirmative Prayer

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Affirmative prayer is not like the sort of prayers that many of us grew up with. It is not about pleading with a G_d to do something for us, but directing our self-talk to our inner selves in a positive and life-enhancing way.

We know there is an Intelligence in the universe that shapes energy into matter and responds when we direct our attention to it – in recent decades scientists (quantum physicists) have confirmed that this is so. We are an integral part of this Intelligence. We are each an individualized expression of the whole, like musical notes contributing to a complete composition. Our aim is to express more of the attributes of this Intelligence – life, love, joy, wholeness, harmony, freedom, abundance, peace and so on. But it does not come from ‘out there,’ but from ‘in here’.

Iris Murdoch called prayer, ‘the most essential of human activities.’ Why? As the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard said, ‘Prayer does not change G_d, but it always changes the one who prays.’

Just as everything in the universe – including you – is energy in vibration, prayer is energy too. Prayer-energy is a form of higher vibration. So pray often, whenever you feel a need. Pray in silence and feel that inner peace. Pray in the morning, before your mind has turned to other things, to start the day in a centred, peaceful frame of mind. Pray in the evening, to wind down and go to sleep.

How to pray

Affirm and deny. There are two main mechanisms:

  • Denials – in this context, letting go: releasing the energy you have been putting into the appearance of spiritual lack.
  • Affirmations – establishing in your mind the attributes you wish to acquire and thinking, speaking and inwardly feeling them taking form.

Affirmations and denials can produce immediate changes in the mind, especially if the word ‘now’ is included.

Example of denials

Use the word ‘release’ in denials and ‘establish’ in affirmations as reminders of the changes you want. Identify and be clear on the mental and emotional conditions you want to release and those you wish to establish, and be conscious of what you are denying and affirming.

‘I now release from my life all negativity, all lack, all sickness, resentment, jealousy, fear…..’ and so on.

Examples of affirmations

‘I now establish in my life perfect health, forgiveness, courage, strength, prosperity, happiness, love and peace. I am whole and free, and I am grateful……’

‘The vitalising energy now floods my whole consciousness.’

‘I am now aware of the Presence in me that is whole and complete, that heals, and inspires and harmonises. It is the source of my Inner Power and my power to think, my power to achieve and the glory of all my accomplishments.  This is the Truth, and it is now done.

  1. Pray regularly

Set aside time every day for quiet prayer.

2. Pray in the silence

Enter the silence and mentally relax. Go to a place where you will be undisturbed and close the door. Quieten the mental chatter.

3. Pray to the Source

Address your prayers to the Source (however you envisage it) within. Realise that you have always been part of the Infinite Intelligence.

Remember, all visible things come from the invisible and are dependent on the unseen for their existence, and you have a part to play in this process. Prayer brings into play forces that change the character of every cell in your body.

  1. Do not become a ‘praying beggar’

Do not misunderstand the purpose and effects of prayer. It is not to get a ‘Higher Power’ to intervene in the world; this is not prayer is for; nor does it work. Instead, ask for strength, wisdom and guidance from within.

Don’t ask for solutions; ask for the wisdom to find them for yourself and the strength to put them into action.

5. Pray unceasingly

You can pray any time – indeed, every thought is a prayer in its own way. The more you pray, the more effective it is. Pray in the certain knowledge that your words will make a difference.

The words you use in affirmative prayer are like seeds planted in your mind. They bear fruit. They are prime causes that eventually create sought-after effects. Don’t take my word for it – try it for yourself!

 

©David Lawrence Preston, 29.6.2016

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The Second Law – The Law of Attraction

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The universe works on energy and attraction. The mind has a magnetic quality which attracts whatever we hold in our consciousness. Thoughts of good things attract good things: loving thoughts attract love, peaceful thoughts attract peace, thoughts of success attract success and so on. In the same way, thoughts of fear, illness, poverty and so on attract according to their kind.

This has long been recognised. The Bible attribute to King Solomon the words, ‘As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.’ The Buddha said, ‘All that we are arises with our thoughts; with our thoughts we make our world’. The Roman scholar Marcus Aurelius wrote, ‘A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it.’ William Shakespeare wrote, ‘Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so’.

The Laws of Cause and Effect and Attraction teach that success in any area of life comes from firming up our intentions, and thinking the kind of thoughts that are consistent with what we desire.

Focus on what you want, not what you don’t

Any line of thinking that you dwell and act upon takes root in your subconscious mind and influences your behaviour. When you focus our minds on what you want, you’ll get it.

Ironically, when you focus your mind on what you don’t have and don’t want, that’s also what you get!

  • The laws of flight were not discovered by people focussing on why things stay on the ground.
  • The inventor of steel ships, Brunel, was ridiculed by people who understood only why vessels sunk.
  • Early psychologists were so obsessed with mental illness they had little understanding of what made people happy.
  • Similarly, focusing on disease does little to help us live long and be healthy.

Breaking a negative cycle

To break a negative cycle, get your mind off what you don’t want, because by dwelling on this you’ll continue to attract it into your life. ‘This is just the way I am,’ is an especially dangerous thought. Change it to, ‘this is how I choose (or intend) to be.’

Nothing much is possible unless you align your thinking with success, believe you can succeed and then take the right actions. This is the I-T-I-A Formula.

See https://blog.davidlawrencepreston.co.uk/2016/03/i-t-i-a-formula/

Develop the power of concentration

Concentration is the ability to direct your thinking. It is the ability to focus your mind on one thought, image, sound or object. Concentration brings the Laws of Cause and Effect and Attraction into play.

Concentration can be learned like any other skill, but must be practised. Start by practising this simple exercise: When you notice your thoughts wandering, say STOP and then gently bring your attention back to where you want it to be. Each time it wanders, bring it back. You may need to do this dozens of times a day at first, but you will find that it gets easier if you are patient and keep at it.

©David Lawrence Preston, 2.6.2016

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The Universe is not run by blind forces

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Science tells us that the Universe is not run by blind forces. It is regulated by fields of intelligent energy. We have difficulty grasping this concept because the world appears so fickle and our untrained minds, dominated by the five senses, cannot see beyond appearances.

Consider a waterfall. Water cascades and sends spray everywhere. It appears chaotic, but every drop moves according to laws of motion which can be observed and measured.  Similarly, the universe, which appears so turbulent to the casual observer, operates according to laws which are just as timeless and reliable, and work for our good. These laws have always existed, but we have not always been aware of them. For instance, there is no more electricity in the world today than ten thousand years ago, but it could not be harnessed until someone identified the laws by which it functions.

‘Spiritual means ‘non-physical’. 

‘Law’ implies a rule which is unchanging, unyielding and continuous, established and enforced by some power. Whatever is ‘law’ today was the same yesterday and will be forever. Humans are not responsible for carrying out the laws which govern the universe, and we can do nothing to change them in any way. But we can learn about them and apply them. And just as we understand many physical laws, many spiritual laws are already understood, and no doubt others – physical and spiritual – are waiting to be discovered.

Spiritual laws apply to all and can be counted on 100%. When we honour them, we grow in wisdom, love, creativity and personal power. When we think positively, we grow in mental strength; and when act lovingly and show kindness to others, we feel fulfilled.

©David Lawrence Preston, 30.5.2016

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Napolean Hill’s 12 Things That Make People Rich

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I’m a huge admirer of Dr Napolean Hill, author of ‘Think and Grow Rich’ and ‘Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude’ and other titles in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The principles he identified are as relevant today as ever. Every great achiever has applied them, consciously or unconsciously, in many areas of activity, not just business.

I didn’t always feel this way. When I first encountered ‘Think and Grow Rich’ at a student seminar in the 1980s, I thought this was just another work extolling greed as a virtue at whatever cost (we had a British Prime Minister in those days who did just that). It is far from that. Certainly he based his findings on a study of America’s  richest men and gave many examples of men (and yes, in ‘Think and Grow Rich’ it was always men) who made a great deal of money. But he also pointed out the consequences of mishandling it.

Of course some of the examples he used are of their time and conjure up an image of the American sales rep in old black and white movies trudging from door to door in pursuit of his next sale. But life moves on, and timeless principles remain timeless.

When you read carefully, listen to his sound recordings and watch many of the clips of him on YouTube, you quickly realise that Napolean Hill’s definition of ‘riches’ went far beyond the pecuniary kind.

Here’s Napolean Hill’s list of 12 things that make us ‘rich’ in the broadest and most meaningful sense of the term:

1. A positive mental attitude

There’s just no getting away from this, it’s the key to all health, happiness and success, and it can be acquired through proper self-training.

2. Sound physical health

Worth some effort (good diet, exercise, relaxation etc.) don’t you think? It’s hard to feel good if your health is poor.

3. Harmony in human relations

Few people enjoy a happy life if they don’t get on with others and, again, most of the skills required can be learned and practised.

4. Freedom from fear

Fear is the great restrainer and demotivator, and at the root of all negative emotions.

5. The hope of future achievement

We live in the ‘now’, spurred on by the hope that our efforts will come to fruition if we persevere.

6. The capacity for applied faith

‘Faith’ in this context does not mean religious faith, but an ongoing sense of trust that if we apply the principles diligently our efforts will be rewarded.

7. Willingness to share one’s blessings with others

The Law of Attraction dictates that when we act from a consciousness of selfishness we attract the consequences of selfishness (our own and other people’s); and when we share what we have with no thought of return, others share with us too.

8. To be engaged in a labour of love

Like writing these blogs, for instance.

9. An open mind on all subjects towards all people

This requires non-judgement of others, empathy and a willingness to listen, all skills that can be developed.

10. Complete self-discipline

I suspect this is where most of us fall down. Self-discipline demand commitment, delayed gratification and good habits of thought, word and action.

11. Wisdom with which to understand people

Wisdom requires much more than knowledge, it is discernment, and comes mainly with experience and knowledge intelligently applied.

12. Financial security

Financial security is an attitude of mind – that we have enough for our needs, enough to treat ourselves, plus a little extra for a rainy day. Contrary to the popular impression, Napolean Hill listed financial security at no. 12, because it is not so much the aim but the consequence of the other eleven.

So there we have it, not so much a formula for riches, but for happiness, peace of mind and contentment.

Why not go through this list and honestly appraise your current state of being against each criterion? Then consider what you can do to improve (or rectify) any of the criteria where you feel lacking. You’ll find it very instructive.

 

©David Lawrence Preston, 9.5.2016

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Most of us think we know what makes us happy, but do we?

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I spotted a competition in a newspaper recently. ‘Change your life forever!’ it announced in huge letters. ‘Win a new home, a car, a dream holiday, £20,000 a year for life to help you maintain your new, luxurious lifestyle, and enjoy VIP treatment from celebrity experts.’ Well, obviously if you won this handsome prize your life would be different, but would you be any happier?

History suggests you would not. Possibly you would feel better for a few months, but more likely the effects would be temporary. It would still be you with these things. If you were unhappy before, happiness would still elude you.

We seek happiness by pandering to the senses, but if we knew what really made us happy, we would crave very little. Why? Because happiness cannot be earned, owned, travelled to, worn or consumed. It is the experience of living every moment with love, style, and gratitude. And it comes not from external things, but from within. Research shows that happiness is largely influenced by non-physical factors such as our values, attitudes and beliefs. For example:

  • Across all cultures, people who have a happy marriage, spend time with their families, enjoy caring friendships, a varied and rewarding social life and worthwhile goals which are enjoyable to pursue tend to be happier than average.
  • People only grow happier as they get richer if they start below the poverty line. Lottery winners, for instance, are no happier than the rest of us, and despite the massive increase in wealth in developed countries in the last fifty years, levels of happiness have not increased.
  • Age, gender, wealth, education, nationality and race are unrelated to happiness.

Spiritually inclined people are generally happier because they have a sense of meaning that brings hope, purpose and optimism, all of which are closely linked to happiness. Once, this would have surprised me since my religious programming taught me that life is suffering. But I now know that suffering is not inherent to life. We bring suffering upon ourselves through ignorance. We let our ego control our behavior and we flout the spiritual laws – Cause and Effect and Attraction. When we let go of unhealthy desires, accept ourselves and other people, and stop resisting ‘what is’, we allow life to flow.

Take responsibility for your happiness

We gain a wonderful sense of freedom when we understand that it is not events and circumstances that determine our happiness. We have no control over what others think, say or do, and if we cannot rely on these for our happiness. As the philosopher Epictetus said, ‘There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of your will.’

Happiness comes from inside. Wherever you go, you take yourself with you. If you are unhappy with yourself, you will be unhappy with what you do, where you are, who you’re with, what you achieve or what you have – with life, in fact.

Happiness is an attitude

Abraham Lincoln famously remarked that, ‘Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.’

Broadcaster Hugh Downs, concurred. ‘A happy person is not a person with a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.’

Attitudes are spectacles through which we see the world. A person with happy attitudes sees things which justify their happiness; an unhappy person sees mainly things that justify their unhappiness. Bad things happen to everybody, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be happy. It’s dwelling on the negative that wrecks lives.

Western culture spreads unhelpful beliefs about happiness. We are taught that it has to be earned, paid for and deserved, otherwise we are expecting something for nothing. Not so! Happiness is our birthright and is available to all. Claim it! This is not a selfish attitude. If you don’t have happiness, how can you share it? And how can you make anyone else happy by being miserable?

Happiness is a journey, not a destination

There’s an Eastern proverb, ‘There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way.’ It reminds us to treasure every moment.

If you believe that your happiness depends on getting somewhere, you’re mistaken. When you arrive at your destination, you find that the elation soon wears off and you’re no happier than before. Why? Because achieving your goals takes place in the future, but happiness can only exist in the present.

Take pleasure from achieving your goals, but don’t allow your happiness to depend on achieving them. Instead, enjoy the process. If you succeed – great! If you don’t, you’ve had fun trying, grown as a person and probably done some good along the way.

Some things I’ve learned about happiness

Happiness is not an absence of problems; it is faith in our ability to deal with them. Problems are part of life. Every problem has something to teach us. If you’re waiting for all your problems to be solved or hoping for a life without problems, you’ll wait in vain. Part of happiness is enjoying challenges, overcoming difficulties and learning from the process.

Don’t confuse happiness with fun. Sure, happy people have lots of fun, but happiness and fun are not the same. Happiness is a lasting and stable state of being, while fun is transitory. Fun pastimes bring pleasure for a while, but the effect wears off once the activity ends. To be happy, we don’t need everything to be fun. It’s necessary to experience tedium from time to time. I’ve laboured in factories, lifted heavy bags of stinking manure from a leaky barn onto a lorry, done mind-numbing office work and sold household products door to door. All these jobs were unpleasant but I knew they were just stepping stones.

Many people are drawn into fun activities like getting drunk, eating, drugs and sex, only to find that they merely distract them from their problems and in the long term make matters worse. Instead, focus the mind and lay down the right causes. This is the way to find enduring happiness.

Count your blessings. Look for the blessings in everything; there always are some. You may not be able to see the bigger picture, but behind the appearances all is in order. The world is a beautiful and bounteous place. Be grateful for it all.

Be cheerful. Happiness is infectious; cheerfulness attracts happy people. Be cheerful even if you’re not feeling 100% inside. Why let your physical or emotional state spoil someone else’s day?

Smile a lot. Look for the funny side in every situation. Don’t take yourself so seriously.

Laugh loud and often. Laughter is good for you. It can help deal with many things including depression and stress. It stimulates the organs as you take in more oxygen, and leaves you with a pleasantly relaxed feeling.

Buy yourself a Laughing Buddha. The Laughing Buddha is a wandering monk who symbolises happiness and smiles knowingly at the absurdity of human behaviour. According to legend, if you rub his pot belly, you will have prosperity and good luck. The Laughing Buddha reminds us that life not to be taken too seriously. Play well, but remember that much of our behaviour is a game in the wider scheme of things.

Music and song. Some music has an uplifting quality, and some (e.g. heavy metal, gangster rap, electro-disco beats etc.) has been shown to weaken the body’s immune system and bring on depression. So choose what you listen to carefully. Singing and chanting are also good for you.

The Inner Smile – not a movement of the lips, but an attitude. Imagine your whole body smiling and project the smile into the world around you. The Inner Smile dissolves inner blockages, invigorates, and enhances your ability to love and be happy. Start by relaxing your forehead and imagining your brow chakra open and smiling. Let the smile spread into your eyes, down the entire length of your body, and into your internal organs. Then let it radiate into your aura.

The ancient Masters of India and China taught special meditative techniques to enhance the Inner Smile. It is said that the enlightened Masters had incredible smiles which came from within and affected everyone in their presence.

Stop making comparisons. Commercial interests have a great deal to gain by making us feel dissatisfied. They encourage us to compare ourselves with others knowing that only an unsatisfied need motivates. Advertisers skilfully encourage us to want what others have

Happiness, though, has nothing to do with one’s appearance, wealth, achievements, possessions and so on, so why compare? What’s the point of weighing one set of delusions against another? Dropping comparisons from your thinking and speaking is guaranteed to increase your happiness and wellbeing.

Let happiness come to you. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, ‘Happiness is a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you sit down quietly, may alight on you.’

Happiness is an attitude, a state of consciousness. Have you ever tried chasing an attitude?  When we discover what makes us unhappy, stop doing those things and endeavour to act in harmony with Universal Law, happiness comes and gently sits on our shoulder.

Before he came to power, British Prime Minister David Cameron suggested that in the not too distant future, governments will be judged on how they contribute to the happiness of their electorate!* Now there’s a thought!

 

©David Lawrence Preston, 17.4.2016

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*These fine sentiments evaporated, though, once he came to power!

 

Positive Mind, Positive Questions

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The way you talk to yourself is crucial. It influences your state of mind, your mood and your behaviour, and therefore the circumstances of your life.

Frequently your self-talk – the ongoing conversation in your head – sounds like a series of questions since we habitually interrogate ourselves: ‘What should I do next?’ ‘How should I react to this?’ ‘Why did I do that?’ ‘Why was I so stupid?’ And the unconscious is designed to come up with a response, even if the question is totally groundless.

The unconscious has no intelligence. It is not capable of judging the validity of a question. Its job is to search its data files for an answer, and it always finds one. For instance, if you ask: ‘Why am I so unlucky?’ it will give you an answer even if you are not particularly unlucky, which inevitably makes you feel worse.

The answer you get depends on the ‘presupposition’ behind the question. Presupposition means ‘assumption’. Presuppositions don’t have to be deliberate or even conscious, and it’s important that you make yourself aware of them.

When you ask yourself a question with an positive presupposition, your unconscious searches its databanks and comes up with a positive answer. For example, ask:

  • How could I be happier?
  • How can I solve this problem?
  • What can I learn from this?
  • What can I do to improve?

and your unconscious looks for evidence that you will be happier, things are going well, and you are learning from your experiences and so on. Then it suggests ways of making things better.

Teachers, counsellors and coaches know this very well. They are trained to ask ‘powerful’ questions, those that interrupt their students’ and clients’ negative thinking patterns and move them forward.

One way to use this principle is to change ‘Why?’ questions to ‘How?’ ‘Why’ questions often take your mind back to the past, focus on problems, and keep you stuck there; ‘How’ questions such as ‘How can I solve this?’ move you forward.

For example, imagine a tennis player who has just lost – again – to an opponent who he knows he should be able to beat. ‘Why can’t I beat X?’ he asks, exasperated. ‘Why is he so much better than me?’ A little voice in his head responds:

  • ‘Because you’re not as talented.’
  • ‘He’s physically stronger than you.’
  • ‘He’s quicker than you.’
  • ‘He’s mentally stronger than you.’
  • ‘He’s younger/older than you.’
  • ‘You’re just not as good.’

Now he’s really down in the dumps, having convinced himself there’s no way he can ever beat him.

Now consider these questions:

  • How can I beat him next time?
  • What must I do?
  • How can I improve?
  • What are his weaknesses? How can I exploit them?

Whether you’re asking silently or out loud, ask in a firm voice that pre-supposes a helpful response. Now the mind has something constructive to work on. ‘Change your tactics… practise your second serve… hit more shots to the backhand… stay back from the net… eat right before the match … etc. etc.’

Sometimes the answer comes quickly, but not always. The unconscious rarely works to deadlines, but answers do come, often when least expected – when mowing the lawn, doing the cleaning or driving to the shops. You can develop this faculty by asking for intuitive guidance and asking for solutions to your problems. Now the unconscious has something positive to work on.

Powerful questions focus your attention on solutions rather than problems, help bring the Law of Attraction into operation, and are a characteristic of the thought processes of all happy and successful people. It’s a simple switch to make, so start now. Use the Four Step Method. Be aware of the questions you ask yourself. Stop negative questions. Replace them with positive questions. And keep doing it. I promise you, your life will quickly change for the better.

 

©David Lawrence Preston, 4.4.2016

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Told ‘No’ 100,000 times by the age of 12

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Our country is suffering from an epidemic. Every day most of us come into contact with sufferers. You may even suffer from it yourself. And yet it often goes unrecognised. The condition? Acute low self-esteem and a chronic lack of self-confidence.

Yes, low self-esteem is endemic in society and it wreaks more havoc than cancer, AIDS and heart disease put together. It is behind most crime, eating disorders, drug taking, relationship and family problems. It affects our happiness and industrial performance and is largely responsible for underachievement at school. It is at the root of most stress and illness, but unfortunately is not a physical condition. If it were, the government would declare it a national emergency and get together with the pharmaceutical companies, setting aside massive funds and organising a national publicity campaign.

We all want to be happy, healthy, successful and enjoy peace of mind, but the chances of realising any of these are remote unless you feel good about yourself. Yet many people don’t particularly like themselves and feel they’re not capable of very much. Without good self-esteem, all they can hope for is a life of quiet desperation.

What’s brought about this malaise? The answer generally lies in childhood experiences. Few parents understand the importance of communicating with their children in an uplifting and encouraging way. Some don’t even understand the importance of communicating with them at all, preferring to talk into a mobile phone while walking down the street!

Many don’t appreciate that judicious praise is one of the prime means of raising a psychologically healthy child. They take it as their duty to belittle their children, pointing out their every fault and every mistake they make, often in a disparaging, insulting or even abusive way. The problem is exacerbated for some by a religious tradition that emphasises the need for redemption and frowns on positive self-regard.

As a result, by the time they start school, these unfortunate infants are already questioning their self-worth and doubting their own abilities. The average child has already been subjected to no less than 100,000 negative injunctions by the age of 12 – ‘Don’t’, ‘You can’t’, ‘Put it down’ and so on.

Once learned these negative thinking patterns remain firmly entrenched unless firm and persistent steps are taken to eliminate them for good.

In my years of full-time education and attending business training course I don’t recall a single session on self-esteem. Personal development courses focussed on team activities and inter-personal skills, with confidence as a by-product. How misguided! You wouldn’t teach someone to play a musical instrument by hoping they find the right notes by chance. Similarly, only conscious and deliberate steps can improve confidence once the need has been detected.

The exciting thing is, no matter what your background or current level of self-esteem, you can always improve. Everyone can learn how to change their thinking and feel better about themselves. Courses in self-esteem should be part of the national curriculum taught in all schools and made available for parents and teachers. What’s the point of knowing your 12 times table if you feel rotten and worthless about yourself?

If this were given priority, we could transform the prospects of our young people from the grass-roots up within a generation. Now isn’t that exciting?

©David Lawrence Preston, 28.3.2016

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Three Easy Techniques For Becoming A Positive Thinker

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The Rubber Band Technique

This simple technique works in two stages:

First, it increases your awareness of unhelpful or negative thoughts, emotions or behaviours you want to change.

Second, it helps you replace unwanted patterns with the chosen new ones.

Wear a rubber band on your left wrist (or right if left-handed). Twang the band when you notice an unwanted thought. This sends a  slight pain to the brain and changes the way the unwanted thought is wired into your nervous system.

Having ‘twanged’, immediately replace the unwanted thought with a positive one. For example, change the thought, ‘I do not want to be ill’ to, ‘I want to be healthy, I am healthy.’ This leave a lasting positive impression in your brain.

Remember the Law of Attraction – what you think about you attract into your life. Keep your thoughts on what you want.

The Seven Day Mental Challenge

Here is another powerful tool to help you to become a habitual positive thinker. Just follow these four simple rules:

Rule One: For the next seven days, reject any negative thoughts, words and phrases. Keep your mind off anything you don’t want.

Rule Two: If you should find yourself indulging in negative thinking, stop the thought immediately. Release it and smile at its nonsense.

Rule Three: If you find yourself toying with a negative thought for more than thirty seconds, drop the thought, wait until the following morning and (no matter how far through the seven days you are) begin again. In other words, restart counting at Day One.

Rule Four: Continue until you have completed seven consecutive days. Then keep going for another seven days, then another, then another… You’ll have embedded a healthy new habit pattern into your consciousness.

Cock-a-doodle-do!

Judge Thomas Troward, a great metaphysical teacher, strengthened his thought stopping with a dose of derision. He would mockingly say, ‘Cock-a-doodle-do’ when he wanted to prevent a wayward thought influencing him!

These techniques are as effective at clearing out your mental system as a raw juice diet is at detoxing your internal organs.

There’s more in my book, ‘365 Steps to Self-Confidence’ (How To Books, 2010)

©David Lawrence Preston, 21.3.2013

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