Three Steps to Getting Focused on What You Want

By Lori Hanson

Last week I woke up the couch to the tune of an eerie yet powerful ballad. The song so sweet, the singer so incredible I turned my head to see who it was. In my half-asleep fog, I saw the spotlight on a young man with a hat and sunglasses. He was singing from the heart, there were no other lights on the stage except the spotlight that shown on him and illuminated his profile. The backup singers joined in the chorus to add the most incredible melody and chord progression I’ve heard in a long time.

By Monday, I had to go look for the video of the performance so I could hear it again and see how much of it I had actually watched, and how much I soaked in through my subconscious while snoozing. The song again drew me in and I was blown away by the talent of this young man, Bruno Mars and his performance of “Young Wild Girls,” on Saturday Night Life.

All week long I’ve heard the song. I can’t seem to get it out of my head. Whenever my thoughts aren’t preoccupied and focused on a task, I’m hearing the beautiful ballad in my head. I realized what a powerful real-life portrayal this is of something I teach my clients and share with my audiences every time I speak. The only way to:

• Add new thought processes
• Create a new habit
• Or lose an old one
• Get focused on something you really want to happen is to feed the information into your subconscious mind.

And last thing before you go to bed, and first thing when you wake up is the best time to do it, because you’re not fully conscious.

If you focus all of your unattended thoughts on worrying about:

• Aa situation
• A person
• Your weight
• Your test at school
• Having an accident
• Getting fired
• How you’re going to pay the bills

That is where all your energy and focus go and your sub-conscious makes that the center of your universe and you’ll see more of what you’ve been focusing on.

By contrast if you train your mind by repeatedly focusing on what you WANT, your subconscious will spend all your energy and unattended thoughts on the new thoughts and soon you’ll begin to see different results based on what your constant focus is and where you put your undivided attention.

So how do you convince yourself you can, when you think you can’t?

How do you think positive, when you’re scared?

How can you become optimistic when all you’ve ever done is worry?

By using affirmations to put new thoughts into your subconscious (or habitual) mind. As I learned from mentor Arlene Taylor, “Affirmations are the programming language of the subconscious mind.”

This is a powerful took you have to get different results in your life, whether you just want to be happy, stop being a chronic worrier, get accepted to the college or grad school of your dreams, get promoted, start your own business, or find that incredible relationship you’ve been longing for.

Here’s three steps to get you started focusing on what you want (best done when you first wake up and before bed):

1. Sit and close your eyes

2. Take five deep breaths. Inhale and exhale slowly. Feel yourself reaching a more relaxed state

3. Repeat your affirmation(s) three to five times

You affirmations should start with “I am….” Affirmations must be stated in the present, like you’re already there NOW and enjoying whatever it is you want.

4. Bonus – Repeat your affirmation(s) as often during the day as you can. Repetition builds it solidly into your subconscious.

If you need help learning how to create affirmations and getting started, contact me. I’m here to help.

© 2012