MINDSET - A Choice

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Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be. -Abraham Lincoln
 
There is ONLY one thing in this world over which you can ever have complete and total control, and that is your mind.  To control your own mind is your birthright!
 
This is great news, especially since your thoughts and mental perceptions are precursors to your emotions, and your thoughts and mental perceptions are produced in and by your mind.  This means that you actually can control how you feel, if you learn to control your thoughts.  So, a huge advantage of controlling our own minds is that we can control how we feel! Oops! I just gave away the secret of The Secret :-)
 
 
Here are two quick exercises to test your power to imagine and demonstrate the point.
See if you can do these…
 
1.  Recall a time or event in your life that you rank among the best times of your life.  Focus on a specific memory during that time or event that makes you smile just thinking about it.  Revel in that memory for a few moments; let the feelings of that memory come back to you and feel them all over again; even smile... Very good!
  
2.  Ok, now think of something you want but don’t have at the moment (object or experience). Imagine receiving the thing or having the experience you want and how wonderful it feels to finally have it.  Again, feel the feeling and enjoy that vision for a minute. See if you can intensify the feeling of this mental image...
 
The strength of the feeling you got from these two exercises depends on the strength of your visualizing muscle (aka your imagination, which is a muscle you can strengthen with exercise like any of your physical muscles - so don't worry if the feeling wasn't that strong, with practice it can get stronger).  Even if the feeling wasn't that strong, you can see that you DO have the power and control to direct and dictate the thoughts that your mind generates and entertains.  YOU chose the memory or future event to see in your mind, while I merely provided prompts to follow.   The real work YOU did in the thought realm. You might be thinking, "that was easy" - but the challenge is in controlling your thoughts continually.  The more you practice this, the better you will get, the stronger your imagination will become, and the easier it will be for you to produce the positive feeling at will (this is the core magnetic principle at play in the law of attraction – the feeling).
 
Remember, mindset literally means "how your mind is set."  You can exercise your birthright and set your own mind upon the thoughts you choose (positive or negative, but I sincerely hope you opt for positive thoughts), OR you can neglect your power to set your mind, watch your muscle to imagine atrophy, and easily have your mind set for you (and we know what it means for us when outside forces control how our minds are set -- that hardly, if ever, works in our favor).  I hope you claim the gift you were given at birth and choose to set your own mind upon thoughts and images of success and happiness.
 
CHALLENGE: Build your visualizing muscle - Each day for the next week, spend the first 5 minutes (while still lying in bed) envisioning a super spectacular day.  See the events of your day unfold from the time you get out of bed until the moment you lay down again that night.  Imagine each moment of your day in vivid detail.  Feel emotionally energized as you imagine your day.  Only imagine the best things happening throughout the day, and connect emotionally to your vision (this is super important).  Before getting out of bed really feel immensely grateful that your day is going to be awesome.  Do this each day this week! 

Cheers to your success & happiness!

-Damon