This is part two of what should really be numerous posts, ‘cos it’s such a vast subject.  Maybe we’ll talk about it more at a later date.  Meantime, I think we basically covered the reason that our dreams haven’t yet come true: it’s because our subconscious is programmed with stuff that’s not in alignment with them.

We’ve become aware.  That’s a good thing.

BUT how about achieving anything?

We think that once we become consciously aware of a problem it’s been solved.

Sadly, our little subconscious recorder has no inkling of this happy event. Choosing and determining what we want is using our conscious mind, and that’s good. Our conscious mind is doing it’s job as the chooser.

Aaah now we can relax, can’t we?

Not so fast. We have to put the implementer to work at the same time…our subconscious…our habit mind.

Talking to yourself about improving life, telling yourself you can do better, you can achieve anything, won’t make much of a difference. Until we rewrite our programming, the habit mind must keep replaying the recording.

How recording really works

The other night I recorded a show I wanted to watch. I programmed it and it played the exact same show back to me.  It did it’s job.

Imagine if today I sat in front of the dvr and simply said, okay that was really rubbish, and now I’ve decided I’d like to watch something totally uplifting and inspiring, so would you please play that instead.

What’s likely to happen?  You’re right, exactly nothing. The dvr can’t hear me, it’s going to keep on playing that same show unless and until I delete it or override it with some new programming. Same with our habit mind.

We now know we’re only using 5% of our minds consciously and the rest of the time our old and often lousy programming is in charge.  We need to change this if we’re to start living the life we’ve dreamed of.

So you wonderful beings, there are plenty of techniques, and courses and personal development books out there that can help you re-programme your habit mind.

I’m not reinventing the wheel, or creating anything new and fabulous here, I’m just sharing four techniques that I’ve used at different times, with pretty good results.

Please don’t overload yourself…it won’t work.  Pick one and begin.  Pick one that resonates, that feels good to you because for it to have any influence it needs to be something that gets repeated.  You might use one technique for a week and another one the next and so on.

All that matters is you being conscious of what you want and getting the support of your greatest ally, your habit mind.

1. Begin with your dreams

So you want to make more money, maybe a heck of a lot more money, or you want to let go of all those extra pounds, or you want to build really great relationships, or live a more enlightened life.

Cool.  Let’s get started…because it doesn’t matter what you desire, your subconscious will play back everything once it’s recorded.

Put your dreams first, every single day. Maybe you have a hundred or more desires that haven’t been experienced yet…choose one at the beginning of the day and imagine having it, being it, experiencing it.

Write it down and contemplate the wonder of it.  If you can give yourself even five minutes first thing each morning, you’re putting yourself into a wonderful creative state from which the rest of the day can unfold.

Whatever else happens that day, you’ve done something to make your dreams come true before the distractions of the day take over.

2. Repetition

Our subconscious is programmed through repetition. Repetition of words, of behaviour, of beliefs, even of moods.

And affirmations are a great way to go.

I know, I know, a lot of people believe they just don’t work.  But think about it for a minute, you’re using them all the time.  Each time you say to yourself, I can’t do that, I can’t eat that, I can’t have that, I never have enough money.  They’re affirmations and they work pretty darn well.

Remember that we’ve learned all kinds of things through repetition.  We learned a language through repetition, we learned to dress ourselves.  I learned to type when I was at school, my Darling One on the other hand taught himself to type with two fingers.  Both techniques are programmed into our subconscious minds, but between you and me, I’m much faster.

If you want to turbo charge your affirmations, and this is definitely something I do, connect them to an emotion.

I use my early morning walks for my affirmations and usually do them for four minutes each, timing them on my phone.  It’s a great way for me to create new pathways into my subconscious and I like to use phrases such as I love that I have x, y, z…..or I’m so happy and grateful that I now… You get the picture.

3. Create a recipe

I have a list of my desires written in a book.  As many as I could come up with.  And then I create my recipe. I write a full description of my desire.  Not how I’m going to get it, that’s not my job.  Simply the description. Written on separate lines, because each line is an ingredient to make my recipe.

Since we’re on the subject of cars, maybe you want a new car.  So you’d create a page in your book:

My New Car

I have an ideal new or like new car.

My car is silver.

My car has a grey interior.

The seats are leather.

My car is an Audi A6.

It has a great speaker system.

It was easily paid for.

You get the picture.  Whatever it is you require, write it down. Do this for every desire/dream you have.  I open my book at whatever page I want to put my attention on that day and keep it on my desk so I can see it often.  You’ll be amazed at how quickly things begin to move.  Look for signs of land…signs that things are coming into view.

4. Vision or dream boards

We all know what these are, so I probably don’t have to go into too much detail.  Basically get a board onto which you’re going to glue or pin pictures of your desires and then place it somewhere prominent so that you’ll see it often.  We usually keep ours in the bathroom so we get to see it frequently.

My Darling One had a board that simply had a picture of a very expensive watch on it and yes, it took a while but he got it!

I used a vision board to live in the vibration of my best and last romance, the love of my life…and here he is, one of the reasons I’m the happiest woman on the planet.

If you want to know more about making a board, just google vision boards…there’s a lot of sites that help.

One more thing…sleep

Sleep is the doorway to the subconscious so we should be very conscious of the thoughts we fall asleep in.  I tend to fall asleep in an affirmation confirming how the power that created the universe dwells in me, or how joyful my life is.

Something that feels good, or powerful works for me.

But there are times when I choose something different.

After a holiday in Kauai I fell asleep imagining I lived there, I saw myself on my bed in Kauai and I could hear the gentle rain that often fell in the evening.  And yes, we ended up owning a condo there.  Sorry, would let you stay there, but we sold it a few years back!

We did the same with the house we currently live in.  So if you’d like a new place to live, try falling asleep as though you’re already there.  It doesn’t have to be about houses though, fall asleep in anything that you’d like to experience as though it’s happened already.

Keep me posted.  I’d love to hear of your successes.

And give yourself a break

Being conscious of the process tends to mean we’ll see ourself repeating a lot of the old habits long after we’ve become aware of them. It isn’t the easiest time in the world, and for some of us we feel like it’s impossible, or too hard for us to do it differently.

Now’s not the time to give up, now’s the time to be kind to yourself.

Give yourself a blooming great pat on the back, you’re seeing the world from an entirely new perspective…you’ve become aware, awake.  That’s truly a wonderful thing.

Be patient, be as compassionate with you as you would be with another who was struggling to be free from clinging to old patterns.

Awakening is huge hurdle and your awareness is a signal everything’s about to change.  So keep your chin up, you’ll soon find yourself responding in new ways.

Have you used any of these techniques?  Do you have some of your own that have made a difference in your life?  I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Encourage one another.

Love Elle

xox

Elle Sommer
Elle Sommer is the author of 4 books and a workbook. Her latest publications are a series called The Power of Consciousness, and you will find all three books in this trilogy now available on Kindle. She shares quotes, inspiration and positive vibes on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. And her greatest desire is to encourage and inspire others to create not just a good life, but a phenomenal life.

44 Comments

  1. This was a great post Elle. I especially like how you said just pick a technique and try it! It’s the doing nothing that gets in our way. I have a friend that needs to research it completely, which is fine. The problem is she never finishes researching so never starts. I like the idea of giving things a test drive. You never know which one will work best for you until you give it a try. After all what do you have to lose?

    • Nice to see you here Melissa and what a great perspective you have. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.

      It’s so true about those of us who study everything, and take every class, until we’re so overloaded with information we really don’t know where to start. Speaking for myself, it’s different practices for different desires and of course the ones in the post just skim the surface. But since we’re talking about overwhelm here, it didn’t seem a good idea to have every technique in one post. 🙂

  2. Hi Elle,
    I have a favorite affirmation, one which leaves the details up to the Universe: “May we prosper in all things, especially financially.” I used to say it All. The. Time. Got out of the habit when our finances eased up, but I definitely need to start again! Thank you for the timely reminder!

    • Welcome to the conversation Cathie. Now that’s a great affirmation…at the end of the day it’s totally out of our hands as to HOW things show up, our job is to put in our order and I’ve noticed in my world when I try to ‘mess’ in the middle so to speak and get involved in the how of things, I often really mess up the whole process!

      Are you aware of what you’re affirming to yourself, since you haven’t been deliberately choosing a prosperity affirmation? Just curious. 😀

      • Hi Elle!
        Yes, lately my affirmations have been in the form of a song, “Where I Sit Is Holy.” Each verse states a different aspect of that, “where I sit,” “who I am,” “what I do.”

        • Ooooh I like that Cathie…sounds very powerful and I thank you for sharing. 🙂

        • I really like that. I am going to use it in all things . Thank you for sharing

  3. Elle,
    I took some notes. I love the idea of falling asleep. Tonight I’m going to image my mastermind groups and women’s retreat full. I’ll be front and center, sharing my wisdom and having a good time:)

    • What a great idea Tess. I have so many more techniques that I dip into and have used successfully, maybe another post in the not too distant future – I think the more ability we have to play with ways to stay conscious in our life experience the more we benefit not only us, but our world. I’m going to imagine you experiencing joyous success too Tess.

      Do you have any other ways to support your conscious mind be operating more fully in the present? Would love to hear them. Or if you’d like a post on another aspect of operating our unlimited power, I’d love to hear that too. 🙂

  4. Joseph Appaloosa Reply

    Another chapter for your book, Elle ?
    The way you present this material is concise, right to the point and so very understandable. As I’ve revealed before, I’ve been a “student” of Neville for years but I must say you handle/present the same material in a much more accessible manner. Your style of writing lightens some heavy subject matter.
    The four techniques are marvelous ! Thank you !
    Write on, Elle !
    (sorry I missed out on the Kauai house !)

    • You make me laugh Joseph…I’m beginning to wonder if you’re my conscience in disguise. It would be so easy just to take a bunch of posts and bundle them into an e-book. Hmm food for thought. 🙂

    • I can just see you now Sandi, cooking up a storm…I’m currently looking at one of the pages in my recipe book and its on a fabulous vacation…that’s what I’m cooking up today. Yesterday I opened it on my financial abundance page…who knows about tomorrow. It’s sort of a fun way to keep things on the front burner. Glad you liked it. Now nosey parker me wants to know what you’re going to start with. 🙂

  5. Elle, I really love how you fell into sleep into your vision and then it became a reality. We really can’t have too many tools for manifesting – can we? I have a vision board and I do some imagining first thing in the morning. It sets my day off right – with a smile.
    Lori

    • So true Lori…I have a lot more tools at my disposal and it all depends on the project, not to mention how much resistance I can feel once I begin! Don’t have a current vision board…but I’m feeling it for my latest and greatest desire…now I just need to sit with the magazines.

      What a great way to start your day, with a smile. That’s why I love my early morning walks…sun rising, birds singing and joy in my heart, no wonder those affirmations come to pass so quickly.

      Got any other tips for us Lori? 🙂

  6. Wow, your explanation of the habit mind is so true I got chills. No kidding. So much of what I talk about in my 10 Steps presentations is about exactly this–creating new mind habits to replace the old negative ones. It takes some commitment and diligence at the beginning. After all, those old habits have created deep ruts over many years. But it absolutely can be done. You and I and so many others are proof of that.

    As for the specific lists and visions, I find that as I get older, I don’t have so much in the way of specific dreams, or at least specific dreams about things I want in this world. I keep coming back to what Buddha said about being awake. That is what I want.

    This is a great series. We have so much power to change…

    • I do hear people say, I don’t have time for such a commitment Galen, and I always think to myself, wow…here we are presented with the gift of creative power, to make and unmake if necessary the life we lead and we don’t have time. Sounds like you and I have chosen different priorities in our life, that of expansion. Every physical thing I manifest is less about the thing itself and more about being in harmony with the divine.

      Every desire, in my book, is from God. So we can express our inner being in greater ways all the time.

      Am fascinated to know if you can see how much more awake you are this year than last, or a couple of years ago? How does it manifest in your world Galen. 🙂

      • Oh, yes, I absolutely can tell a difference. I can tell in little ways, like how I think about my day and the people and situations I encounter. And I can tell in big ways, like how I handle major challenges. It manifests generally as a deep sense of peace and joy and gratitude.

        • Love that Galen…how fabulous that you live in such a wonderful space on a daily basis. Just think of all the good vibrations you’re radiating out to the rest of us. 🙂

  7. Hi Elle
    I had a kind of car I wanted years back. I could see in my mind and when I seen the same car on the road I said that was my car. It took 6 months but was finally in a position to purchase that car. Still have it and love it.
    Recently I wanted caring and harmony. I did get it, but how I got it seemed rather extreme. I fell on cement and ended up with a broken wrist. But I guess it was a price I had to pay to achieve it. Of course I did gain so much more than that by having to slow down. It has given me time to get focused on the next journey, which should be a good one.
    I think about moving to a nicer house 4 hours away and this is on my mind daily and now things are in place to actually be able to see that it could be possible.
    Thanks for another way of making things happen.
    Mary

    • Thanks for joining the conversation Mary – getting your caring and harmony by breaking your wrist…hmmm sounds like a couple of differing beliefs going on there. I don’t have room to talk about that. I remember the time when I’d say okay you can hit me over the head with a 2×4 if I don’t get the message after three attempts. Who would do that you might ask. That’d be me.

      Then I had an aha that I could experience my desires through joyful means so much so that I learned to add that request to my recipe!

      You know that sleeping in my new house worked really well for me…maybe it’ll speed things up for you too.

      What techniques have you used that have worked well for you – sounds like you’re pretty good at experiencing what you want.

      • I guess out of desperation I didn’t think I also needed to add…”in a pleasant way”. May be next time I need to word things completely.
        The car: well I seen myself sitting in it and driving it. So it was foremost on my mind.
        For the house to move to: Since I don’t exactly know which house but am game for anything bigger than what I have and bigger piece of property. Do know that I want on the east side of I-5 and not by a river. Got the name of one of the cities up there on my wall and the zip code. But I guess now I need to find a house that has been on the market for awhile that fits a lot of the criteria and start “sleeping” in it every night!
        I am doing stuff to the house I am in now to get ready for a move. Such as throwing out stuff, donating things and doing repairs.
        Yeah, I think things happen if we set the stage for it to take place.
        Thanks for the tip.
        Mary

        • There’s a wonderful story about digging ditches Mary – you probably know it already, so I won’t bore you… but basically that’s what you’re doing with organizing yourself for the move. That’s exactly what you would be doing if you had a date for moving, and in actuality you do…you’ve consciously decided that it’s a done deal. Great going. Don’t you just love this stuff? 🙂

  8. hi Elle,
    One sure route to achieving your desires is to comprehend the power ofyour thought.Once we do that a lot of our creative power is loosened for better ,fruitful purposes.How do we comprehend this?
    Wee one way to work though analogies.
    When we work for one boss and we find we are under-compensated ,the natural urge is to start searching for a different master.Someone who can pay us better.Why don’t we this apply analogy to our attitudes and habitual thinking patterns as well?Why don’t we approach another “boss” of attitudes,and thought processes when we clearly understand that our old master is under-compensating us?Not bringing us the results we need?

    Now it’s pretty much up to us what we do with our thinking.We can simply tip the balance in our favour with a little moderation in our thinking process,a tiny bit of control applied at the appropriate moments in life.Effectively,learning to serve a different master,a different set of attitudes,a new set of thoughts.The results that follow will be for you to see,they might astound you.
    You can simply release the old habituated patterns of thinking,you can top up your thinking with the most positive insights that serve you well.Only you need to re-dedicate yourself to a different “boss”,a new master.Soon you will find yourself in charge of life.
    Thanks
    mona

    • Awareness is totally key here Mona, you are so right. Until we become aware that we only operate consciously 5% of the time we’re never going to be in a position to ask the right questions of ourself. And unless we pay attention we’re playing the habits and thoughts that don’t really belong to us, they’re just the ones we downloaded as kids. And since these patterns are invisible we don’t even ‘see’ that we’re shooting ourselves in the foot.

      And even then, for many, it’s too much like hard work to begin to live even remotely more consciously. Yes as you so obviously know, if everyone would just pick one little thing, something as simple as looking for happy things throughout the day, we’d be operating from a life affirming consciousness for those moments and boy what a big life difference that can make.

      As always Mona, it’s a real blessing to have you participate in the conversation. I thank you with all my heart. 🙂

  9. Elle I can’t thank you enough for this list. I love how you’ve broken it down. I find I’m enjoying the repetition method. been doing it while doing the dishes these past two days. funny how the dishes seem to finish quicker now lol. awesome post.

    • Hi Vanita…how happy I feel to hear this. I know exactly what you mean about how quickly things are done when you’re focused on something lovely. I have a friend who doesn’t talk about doing housework, she calls it loving her house. Just a tiny shift in perception, but it makes all the difference in seeing what some might call ‘chores’ as an act of love. 🙂

  10. More good stuff Elle–and all excellent reminder for even those of us who’ve been doing it a while. My husband and I happen to use the vision board quite consistently with awesome results. We made one about 4 years ago and hung it in the garage right next to the door so that every single time we go in from the garage we see it. 99% of everything we put on that board has now been manifest in our lives…it works! And the sleep one is also very powerful. My husband had me make a recorded loop of all his affirmations–about 20 minute–and every night for years he went to sleep with it playing on his ipod. What’s the old saying? It works if you work it! ~Kathy

    • We do need reminding Kathy, well speaking for myself I know I do. And I think I often write about what I need reminders of. Love the idea your husband had of falling asleep in recordings of his affirmations. My hubby has dvds I’ve recorded for him of lots of Neville lectures and chapters from his books, apparently he likes my accent!

      And another great idea you’ve shared here, hanging your board in the garage. It’s so great to have so many wonderful souls sharing their tips and techniques with each other. Thank you Kathy for joining in and sharing your wonderful perspectives. You’re a blessing to our global community. 🙂

  11. The subconscious mind is powerful indeed. Isn’t it amazing to know that we’re only using 5% of our minds consciously and the rest of the time our old and often lousy programming is in charge?

    I like the idea of beginning with our dreams. There’s not much that in terms of material goods, but I love focusing on peace, harmony, and happiness.

    • Hi Sandra, it seems to me dwelling in peace harmony and happiness will bring a lot of great things into your life. It’s all about greater expression and expansion isn’t it really? And whatever the desires, be they of a physical, spiritual or emotional nature, they’re all gifts from God. 🙂

  12. Hi Elle,

    Love this post as well. The idea of visualizing your dream as you fall asleep is a good one – will give that a try. It is worth the effort to break some of the old programming! Thanks for a great post!

    • And thank you Cathy for stopping by and joining in. Keep us posted on what happens with falling asleep in your desires being fulfilled. We love success stories of using these principles.

  13. I love your tool Elle, I am going to use this especially falling asleep each night in our new home. Brilliant I am making a new vision board- Like that your Darling One just has one image- maybe he will see that bently sooner than you think 🙂
    You have inspired me to make a desire book with the recipe idea- my mind is already looking at ways i can combine some of what i do and bring it together
    thank you
    love
    suzie xx

    • I can’t wait to hear of your successes with these tools Suzie. Will you share? I bet, with your imagination you achieve incredible success. And I’d love to see your book of desires, I bet it’s beautiful. 🙂

  14. Lovely post Elle. I can’t wait to try the “falling asleep” technique. It is always good to mix it up a little with one’s subconscious, since our brains can get bored of the same techniques. I love that this technique uses our emotions, and the literal gateway into the unconscious.
    Looking forward to more from you.
    Kara

    • Hi Kara and thank you for taking the time to join in the conversation. Now that’s one true statement about our mind gets bored with the same old stuff. I’m looking forward to you sharing more of your insights with us. 🙂

  15. Hello, dear Elle, I hope you remember me, although I haven’t written in a long time 🙂 thank you for this post so much, I needed it. I live in a rented apartment with my beloved man, and I am very happy, I love our little nest, flaws and all (it’s a bit cold and damp), but I programmed myself to fall asleep in a warm and cozy state of mind, I bought a nice fluffy bathrobe to keep me warm and to get the sensation of wearing a big hug all the time. And from this blissful state of love and security and “huginess” I woke up one morning to find mold in every room in the house. I was so confused, but then a window opened and we found a new place in a building nearby, so there is a solution, but still, how did I attract such an ugly manifestation? Or… is it just me who labels the event as ugly and bad? Maybe my falling asleep in a warm and cozy state of mind attracted our new home, and the mold is just one of the dominoes in the chain of events that will lead us to something new and better for us? Maybe it’s a blessing in a form of black smelly dots on our walls? 🙂 I found that remembering what state of mind I was in when something happened helps me with dealing with fear of what will the change bring. After all, it already turned out that we will pay less and have more space, and that it will be easier in the winter, and that there will be more light, and that there is a balcony, and a place for our massage table… see? All pluses 🙂 Maybe the fear of leaving the place that holds such lovely memories (it was our first apartment, first place where we lived together) will make place for joy about new possibilities? I just needed a little encouragement, and thank you for giving it to me 🙂

    • How lovely to see you again Ana, as always with insightful perspectives. I too have discovered over the years that the ‘means’ of delivering my desires is not always quite what I expected, especially when it’s a combination of so many of our beliefs such as “nothing comes easily”, or a belief in loss or whatever other beliefs we hold…we have so many of them.. And how lovely that you received a home with more space and more comfort. Sounds like a perfect match to the feelings you fell asleep in. 🙂

  16. Positive thoughts are everything! I am where I am because of them and I do my best not to let negative thoughts get me down. I think most often about how lucky I am and I am thankful for what I have! Of course, I still dream bigger! Thanks, Elle!

  17. Elle, I Ioved the comment about writing your dreams down….I had never thought of doing that, plus it really makes you think about what they specifically are. I do lost of lists for other things, why wouldn’t I do that for my dreams?? Great post.

    • Hi Rae, you are so right, we make all kinds of lists to remind ourselves of things we need to do, and fulfilling our dreams needs to be right up there. 🙂

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