Gain Control of Your Habits Once and For All
Guest Post by James A.
I had the good fortune to sit with a foot surgeon today who told me that every Tuesday, the day he performs surgery, he”visualizes every step of the surgery done` perfectly. It's a psycho-kinetic exercise.”
I had never before heard the phrase “psycho-kinetic,” but after some thought, and a trip to the dictionary, it struck me as a perfect way to address a change in habit.
Kinetic: “of or relating to the motion of material bodies and the forces and energy associated therewith.” (Merriam Webster)
Positive changes in habit happen in reality, with force of will, and require a dedication to seeing oneself changed for the better. Regarding the surgery, it's a deep meditation on the execution of important movement to repair an injury (the physical surgery itself), but also within the body's movement (the visualization of the operation's choreography the Dr. engages in before picking up a scalpel).
If we are to change our habits, is it not then a psycho-kinetic exercise as well? To direct force and energy within ourselves to behave in a certain way?
This concept of how to change applies to mindfulness and money management–where Compounding Joy resides–as well as any area of life! But most of us lack a set of tools to bring about lasting change in our lives in any area.
Yogic philosophy and tools encourage the individual to change in relation to their highest potential vs. the western concept of comparing to the average. I'll keep coming back to different Yogis in the weeks ahead, but in this example, the Dr. visualizes the performance of surgery perfectly (highest potential) and engages in a strategy that enables success at a crucial level—
a bit better than thinking the average surgery contains two mistakes, and I am hoping to only make one today.
So much for philosophy! Nothing matters until it enters the realm of what to DO. So if you're looking to save more money, pay off your debt, stop smoking, take a walk every day or WHATEVER, start with activities that support and reinforce positive habits.
AFFIRMATIONS
Affirmations are activities that can really get your mindfulness practice into high gear. Being mindful is the first step in cultivating good habits or changing bad habits. If you accept that what you do throughout each day is at its core a conscious choice, you are on your way to making better choices! Affirmations work on a subliminal/ subconscious level and are obvious on their surface too.
My favorite book of Affirmations!
A GREAT place to start doing something—simple repetition–that can really turn your thought patterns around. Yogananda includes a specific section on changing habits; that control of habits really equates to freedom. Isn't freedom the ultimate goal of financial independence?
Bring your awareness to ensure every choice you make aligns with your goals.
Affirmations also can help one realize that much of our limitation is self-imposed. Repeating “I am whole” will not only make you feel good but will also help you when you are tempted to buy something that you know you shouldn't. If you know you are whole right now you won't need that thing and you are one step closer to freedom!
Words can point, but
Be conscious and mindful of your choices and you will gain control of your habits!
Peace
