How many self help books or passages have you read and still feel like you are in the same place as when you started? I have read countless books, websites, blogs, really anything that I could get my hands on. I would get a temporary high from what I read, then not long after, it would seem like I jumped back to square one.
I’m now starting to really see the difference in the quality of my life after years of trying to improve myself. Self improvement is one rocky road but its well worth the effort. Self improvement isn’t just reading something once and changing your life forever. You need to apply what you have learned in order to gain long lasting results to turn your ideal way of life, INTO your way of life. Education without implementation is just entertainment.
Affirm What You’ve Learned.
One of the main reasons people struggle with their personal development, is they read or learn something, then don’t apply it to their daily life. When I first started my personal development I was always waiting for that sudden moment of clarity, where everything would make sense and my life would be changed forever. I felt like a lot of the books I read, people would have this moment and everything was down hill from there. Well that doesn’t always happen. Your thinking and way of life is changed by a constant conscious effort, by daily applying what you’ve learned and creating new habits.
At times I would be so excited, so sure of what I just learned, being completely present, living in the moment, everything going perfect, then BOOM! I’d feel lost, confused, hopeless, have lack confidence, and lack any motivation to do anything about it. Even when things are going well you still need to continue bettering yourself. The reason that everything goes so well for that brief period after learning something new, is because it’s fresh in your mind, but you still have your brain hardwired the way is has been for years, likewise with your thought process. So in order to instill long lasting change you need to change the way you think. Keep in mind you won’t just be changing the way you think, you’ll be altering your brain on a physical level as well, so this will take TIME.
The most effective way to solidify what you have learned I have found, is by using affirmations. An affirmation is something you repeat often in order to affirm it in your mind. Like Budha said “The mind is everything. What you think you become.” By repeating something over and over again, you start to believe it more and more until it becomes embedded in your subconscious. What you do, slowly starts to to be effected by your new way of thinking and you slowly start to see the change in the quality of your life. The trick is to affirm whatever it is you want in the present tense, like you’ve already obtained what it is you’re affirming. Here are some examples of affirmations that I say to myself every day.
I am successful.
My life is and will continue to unfold itself in a way that is most beneficial to me.
I am abundant with money and in all other areas of my life.
I have self control.
I am in the best shape I can be to do regular exercise and a healthy diet.
At first it may seem like your lying to yourself or it’s not working. This takes TIME. I assure you that if you stick with it, read your affirmations every day and apply what you have learned, you will start to see a difference and life will continue to get better and better!
Steady Wise 