Life Is For Living: Fertilise The Garden of The Mind: Auto-Suggestion is the Key to Your Subconscious

I am still experiencing serious Internet connection problems - three weeks and counting - and I discovered that I'm not alone so that's some consolation.

My aim therefore is to get as many posts written as possible and set for automatic posting before the entire system goes down again!

I am back with the brilliant Napoleon Hill's teachings from Think and Grow Rich. This time it's on chapter 4 - Auto-Suggestion - the medium used to influence the subconscious mind. It's time to fertilise the garden of the mind people and auto-suggestion is how you go about it.

Auto-Suggestion and it's Implications

Whatever thoughts you hold in your mind which you feel strongly about and repeat incessantly to yourself is an auto-suggestion to yourself.

It doesn't matter whether the thoughts are constructive or destructive, the universe happily manifests what you asked for and brings it to you like a good puppy dog.

The more strongly you feel, the faster whatever you are thinking about manifests into your physical reality. Always remember that you are in charge of what you allow to enter your mind.

Auto-Suggestion is the agency of control through which an individual may voluntarily feed his subconscious mind on thoughts of a creative nature, or by neglect, permit thoughts of a destructive nature to find their way into this rich garden of the mind.

Although auto-suggestion is one of the shortest chapters in Think and Grow Rich, I will break it down into a three-part series to avoid it becoming too lengthy, seemingly boring and/or overwhelming. Now for some pearls of wisdom as I understand it:

Positive and destructive thoughts

1 - No thought, whether negative or positive can enter the subconscious mind without auto-suggestion, with the exception of thoughts picked up from the ether.

For example, we say things like "it just occurred to me out of the blue". That specific thought came from the ether.

2 - We are the ones who accept or reject what happens in our lives and decide whether to keep it or record it in our subconscious. I never thought about this in such terms before but that is so accurate. I got it!

There are certain experiences which individuals categorically refuse "to take on board" for various reasons based on culture, religion, experience, lifestyle, etc.

Here's a simple example: a new friend of mine told me that when she first heard of hot wine which is a typical winter drink in Europe, she thought it sounded disgusting and would not even entertain the idea of tasting it. It did not fit in with anything she knew.

Control what enters your mind

3 - The conscious mind is the gatekeeper to our subconscious. My goodness, what absolute power and control we have. Why do we not exercise it all the time?!

Hill says it's this lack of control which is responsible for people living in poverty i.e. they allow negative thoughts to take hold and control their minds and thus, their lives.

Repetition is key

4 - You have to tell yourself, repeatedly, that something is true for it to manifest and become real in your experience, even if it is only your perception which is usually based on fear.

Fertilise the garden of the subconscious mind

5 - The subconscious mind is like a fertile garden. If you don't cultivate it with seeds of desirable crops (positive thoughts), weeds (destructive thoughts) will take over.

6 - Review and re-read chapter 2 on Desire to understand that the six steps to become rich and prosperous are really auto-suggestions.

Follow the steps faithfully to anchor the message and change your thinking.

Your new thought habits formed through repetition would fire you up thereby opening a conduit to your subconscious, from which would flow solid plans leading to financial success.

Adding emotion to the mix is essential

7 - Simply reading a positive statement out loud will not have any effect unless you add emotion to the mix. If you don't feel it, work on it, visualise it, imagine it, create a vision board, fake it; do whatever it takes to smash through that blockage!

Your subconscious mind recognizes and acts upon only thoughts which have been well-mixed with emotion or feeling.

TThe majority of people who try to apply the principle of auto-suggestion do not get the desired results and believe it does not work. They simply do not understand that emotion is the key to their subconscious.

That ring any bells with you? Because that is exactly what is said these days about affirmations. And they are one and the same thing.

If you do not say the words with conviction then you cannot and will not influence the subconscious mind and that door will stay firmly shut. Adding emotion and belief into the mix is essential.

You have to feel it in order for your subconscious mind to believe it and transmit your desire to the ether. I talk about this in detail in the chapter on Faith - Have faith and get what you desire.

Persistence

8 - You must persist in your efforts to inject feelings and belief into your auto-suggestions which is why you are advised to repeat your statements every day for a minimum of twenty-one to thirty days.

The more you repeat the easier it gets, because it is difficult to inject emotion and feeling into the statements in the beginning. But one day, you suddenly discover that it all feels so good and right.

It's so easy and best of all, you get charged up when you read your auto-suggestion or affirmations. That is where you want to get to.

Abraham-Hicks say that we can all change our thinking immediately and twenty-one or thirty days are not necessary.

We can decide to change any time we like. I have done it on some issues so I know that what they say is true.

No free ride

9 - As I am sure you all know there is no free ride. Everything has a price and everyone must pay it. You cannot get something for nothing unless you are a thief and if that's the case, karma will eventually catch up with you.

The ability to reach and influence your subconscious mind has its price and you must pay it. The price of the ability to influence your subconscious is everlasting persistence in applying the principles of auto-suggestion.

Only you can decide if the prosperity consciousness for which you are striving is worth the effort. When an individual fails, it is not the method that is the problem; it's the lack of effort. Try again and again and again until you succeed. Never give up!

Your ability to use the principle of auto-suggestion will depend, very largely, upon your capacity to concentrate upon a given desire until that desire becomes a burning obsession.

Okay people, here ends part one on Auto-Suggestion - the key to your subconscious. Do write and let me know your thoughts.