Hi everyone,
Up til now I have had a hard time changing the way I think about things. After reading the book and doing some of the labs and listening to the audios, I have become more aware of the way I think and have been changing that for the better.

However, at some times during the day I have caught myself letting the old way of thinking creep back into my mind.

To beat this I am reading the SOGR every day, even if I only get to read a chapter at a time. As I do the housework I listen to the audios over and over. I do not listen to or watch the news or read the newspapers anymore. I figure if there is something that will affect me, someone will let me know about it.

I have to totally saturate my mind with the "certain way" of thinking because I now know this is the truth.

have a great day
DINA

Hello All!

You folks have hit the problem right on the head - how do you keep the negative out of your mind (and your life). I don't know the psychology behind it, but it does seem that most people would much rather talk about negative things than positive things. You see it everywhere around you - at work, on TV, even on the highways. The weird thing is that the human body (and the brain) are not negative by nature. Negative influences on any living thing brings about pain, withdrawal, and usually a strong desire to avoid or get away from the negative source.

But, for some reason, most humans are drawn to wallow in negativity. It's kind of like the crab in the bucket story. If you throw one crab in a bucket, it will figure out a way to crawl out. But, if you add other crabs, they will spend all of their time fighting with themselves and pulling each other back to the bottom of the bucket. Maybe they'd rather be together in agony than alone in victory. I don't know.

One thing that I found helpful is an image given to me a few years ago. Someone said to visualize your mind like a large container (which it really is). WHatever you fill that container with is what comes out when you shake it. If you fill it with negative thoughts, negative thoughts will spill out. If you fill it with positive thoughts, positive thoughts will spill out. ("out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks" - Luke 6:45) So you want to continually fill it with as much positive as possible.

One other thing he said, though, is that once a though enters the mind, it stays there. You can't really get rid of it, but you can dilute it with enough good thoughts that it becomes insignificant. Its like a drop of black paint in a bucket. If you add white paint, the black does not go away, but with enough white the black will fade to grey and eventually be so dilute that you can't tell it is there.

So keep immersing your mind in positive things. It's the only way to take away the negative things already there.

Richard

>> After reading the book and doing some of the labs and listening to the aud ios, I have become more aware of the way I think and have been changing that for the better.<<



So true Dina! I would have described myself as a 'positive,' 'up' person, yet I have been absolutely astounded at the number of times I have caught myself sinking into a negative frame of mind. The awareness alone that I have gained from doing this work is already bringing wonderful change.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cheryl D:
I totally agree with you when you state that it is difficult to completely rearrange your thought patterns. I find for me that this is one of the most difficult things to do especially since I work in an office where negativity is so entrenched in the minds of my co-workers.

I'm sure I'll probably get some responses that the reason why the negative attitudes of my coworkers bothers me so much is that I am subconsciously still harboring those thoughts myself. And my response to that is yes, absolutely, I have been harboring those self-limiting thoughts, but this is the very reason why I am here posting at this board.

Because I do not want to keep those thoughts with me any longer and I know there is a better way, this is why I have signed on for this course.

It is one of my goals that one day what someone does or says (or doesn't do or say) does not affect me one way or another, but it is a process and since I've harbored these negative thoughts of lack for such a long time, it will take time and a supreme effort on my part to reverse that cycle of thinking, but I know the rewards will be well worth the effort I make.

So now what I try to do when someone starts talking negatively at work I either excuse myself and say I've got to get back to work or that I've got to go to the bathroom, or just change the subject of the conversation. Of course, sometimes I'm less successful at doing this than at other times, but at least now I am more acutely aware of what governs my thoughts, and what comes out of my mouth.

---

Cheryl D

Just say, silently "I do not know what is going on here, but please forgive me" And walk away.

I totally agree with you when you state that it is difficult to completely rearrange your thought patterns. I find for me that this is one of the most difficult things to do especially since I work in an office where negativity is so entrenched in the minds of my co-workers.

I'm sure I'll probably get some responses that the reason why the negative attitudes of my coworkers bothers me so much is that I am subconsciously still harboring those thoughts myself. And my response to that is yes, absolutely, I have been harboring those self-limiting thoughts, but this is the very reason why I am here posting at this board.

Because I do not want to keep those thoughts with me any longer and I know there is a better way, this is why I have signed on for this course.

It is one of my goals that one day what someone does or says (or doesn't do or say) does not affect me one way or another, but it is a process and since I've harbored these negative thoughts of lack for such a long time, it will take time and a supreme effort on my part to reverse that cycle of thinking, but I know the rewards will be well worth the effort I make.

So now what I try to do when someone starts talking negatively at work I either excuse myself and say I've got to get back to work or that I've got to go to the bathroom, or just change the subject of the conversation. Of course, sometimes I'm less successful at doing this than at other times, but at least now I am more acutely aware of what governs my thoughts, and what comes out of my mouth.

Hello Dina:

You are right! The old way of thinking is difficult to eradicate, maybe because (up until now) we have trained ourselves to think in the negative, "old" way. I keep thinking, if it was soooooo easy to continue thinking negatively until it became chronic and engrained, it must be just as easy to think in another way until THAT WAY becomes chronic and engrained in my thoughts (although I must realize that I have to give it TIME, so I must encourage myself constantly). Like Rebecca mentioned in the session 2 audio (or page 2 printout of audio), "Mr. Wattles spends more than 15% of the book assuring us that wanting to be rich is OK, that it's natural, that it's good. He returns to that theme again and again. And the reason he does that is clear........." Then we go on to read that your subconscious mind receives any idea (negative or positive) and begins to develop it. It accepts it as REAL. I have experienced this first-hand, as I am sure everyone has. When I have a bad dream or nightmare, I wake up terrified and my body is responding to fear - but it was only a dream! Yet my subconsious must have thought it was real; otherwise I would not be so terrified. In this scenario, my body responds to my mind, as if it is actually so.

I am with you and know that this is a difficult challenge at times, especially since a thought movement can spread. Anyone that has a job, especially an office job, will see that negativity is pervasive. One person will start something negative, and it will, proverbially, "spread like wildfire." Mostly because people want to "fit in" and be accepted, so they gossip together and knowingly or not, create negative thinking. If you go to work everyday, then this can be entrenched in your mind everyday. It is very difficult to separate your mind from these everyday situations, but LET'S KEEP TRYING!

Thanks for reminding me of my journey!
Best wishes for a life of happiness & prosperity,

Lori
~~~~