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| Accepting New Ideas - How the Mind Interferes |
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Much of the time when a new idea comes to us, we handle that idea and move on, without ever becoming consciously aware of the process. During the times when we are consciously aware of the process of handling a new idea, we often reject that idea without understanding why we rejected it, or sometimes without even understanding that we did reject it.
How can this be?
To understand this, lets briefly review the mechanics of how our minds work. When a new idea comes to us, it comes into our conscious mind. It can be as a result of our own thinking, or it can be from an outside source. Immediately, and sometimes before the new idea is even properly formed, our sub-conscious mind starts to evaluate that idea.
Now this evaluation is happening in our sub-conscious mind. That means that we are not consciously aware of it, but it is happening anyway.
So how does our sub-conscious mind evaluate an idea, sometimes before the idea is complete, and without us being aware that this is going on. To understand this we need to understand a characteristic of our sub-conscious mind.
Our sub-conscious mind has no ability to reason. If that is so, how can it evaluate a new idea? Well one way is to ask itself, does this new idea fit with what I already 'know'. If it does, then the new idea will not be immediately rejected. If it doesn't then the sub-conscious mind will send a message to the conscious mind to say that this new idea doesn't fit. Usually at this point, the conscious mind will believe what the sub-conscious mind is saying to it, and reject the idea.
There are a number of problems with this. What if the information that the sub-conscious mind is evaluating the new idea against, is wrong?
A common example of this is when a new idea comes into our conscious mind, and our sub-conscious mind starts to evaluate it. The sub-conscious mind says, 'I already know that'. Now that 'I already know that' message is sent to the conscious mind, and what happens then?
Often the conscious mind stops considering the new idea at that point, and moves on to something new. But did the sub-conscious mind really know that it knew that? Maybe sometimes, but often the new idea is not even properly formed yet, so how could the sub-conscious mind be sure that it 'knew' that.
Unfortunately when the conscious mind gets the 'I know that' message, it usually stops receiving or processing the new idea, and that means the opportunity to learn something new is lost.
What can we do about this? How can we interrupt our sub-conscious mind so that it does not stop us learning from new ideas, when we are exposed to them. I suggest that there are two easy ways.
Firstly, when we hear our sub-conscious mind saying 'That doesn't fit', or 'That can't be right', or something similar, we can simply say to our sub-conscious mind 'Thank-you for that information'. This means that we have decided not to act on the message that our sub-conscious mind was sending. Our conscious mind is then free to continue considering, reasoning and thinking about the new idea.
The second thing we can do is ask our conscious mind to think about the new idea in a way it may have not done before. Usually our conscious mind thinks 'Is this idea right?', or 'Is this idea wrong?'. Instead of those questions we could ask 'Could this idea change or improve my life in some way?'.
This allows us to look at a new idea in a completely fresh way, without being influenced by all the things that we have learnt before, or that we already 'know'.
It was Will Rogers who said many years ago that "it's not what people don't know that hurts them. It's what they do know that just ain't so."
Tony McGlinn runs personal development programs, writes and is a personal coach and consultant. You can visit him and subscribe to his newsletter at http://www.mypowerfulmind.com/page/page/1653324.htm
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| Accepting Rejected Thoughts |
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Sometimes we are in a position to look into the lives of other people. It could be through a book, or a movie, or a story we hear, or occasionally it could be someone that we meet. Sometimes when this happens, we see qualities that we truly admire, and we think that we would like to have those qualities. Perhaps we just look at the person and think that we would like to be like them. Maybe we hear what they have said and think that we would like to be able to say things like that. It could be that we would like to have what they have, or do what they do.
When this happens, what we are thinking about are our own rejected thoughts. Sometime in the past we have rejected a thought or thoughts, that the person we are admiring has accepted.
When, perhaps when we were very young, we rejected the thought that we could have what we have just been admiring in someone else, we accepted a lesser thought, and allowed that lesser thought to become part of our self image, and therefore part of our definition of ourselves.
Our self image lives in our sub-conscious mind. Because of the way the sub-conscious mind works, we can only have one self image with regard to any particular quality. If we really want to have the qualities we are admiring, and there is no reason why we can't, then we need to change our self image.
The first step is to be prepared to do just that. Think about this for a minute. Are you prepared to let go of what you have learned in the past, that you believe is true about yourself? By that I mean to examine the ideas that you 'know' are true about yourself, and then to take the new idea that you are considering, and to examine that idea, entertain that idea, to see if it will improve your view of yourself. Will accepting that new idea, and rejecting the idea that you currently 'know', result in a happier, healthier or more prosperous life. If the answer is yes, and you are prepared to do it, then you have the possibility to change your self image.
The methods we use to change our self image is outside the scope of this article, but taking the above actions is the first step.
If you are prepared to go through this process of examining what you 'know' about yourself, and deciding to reject what you 'know' and replace it with a more empowering 'fact', when you see a quality in someone else that you admire, why not do it more often?
Rather than merely listening to the messages, questions and statements that flow past you every day, why not think? Ask yourself what could this mean to me, how could I apply this idea in my life. Forget the questions you have asked in the past like 'Is this right?', or 'Is this wrong?' and ask instead 'Could accepting this idea improve my life in any way?' Tony McGlinn runs personal development programs, writes and is a personal coach and consultant. You can visit him and subscribe to his newsletter at www.mypowerfulmind.com
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| David Birgelli |
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Obtaining an online bachelors degree can be a swift and easy way to further your career,prospects and life in general. But before you enroll, there are a few important points you need to know get your head around.
Number one, you'll want to make ensure that the college that offers you a degree online is accredited. School and universities are accredited on a national or state level. This accreditation means that a relevant board of education has researched and approved the schools curriculum and course.
Secondly, you will want to make sure that the school is highly recognized and that the bachelors degree can be transfered. This will help because someday you might need to further enhance your education by completing your masters degree and you might be required to transfer your bachelors credits.
Prerequisite to obtaining your bachelors degree from a university or college, First you must have the minimum of a G.E.D or a high school diploma. It will also help to have some college or previous work experience under your belt. If you have attained previous college credits, then they can be put toward your bachelors degree program and the period of time that you will need to be enrolled in school will be shortened.
If you have not attained previous college credits, The majority of bachelors degree online programs take about thirty six months to finish. This period of time is based on a person that takes a minimum of twenty hours of course work per week. With previous college credits, or by spending a larger amount of time on course work every week, some individuals can finish their bachelors online degree program in as little as twelve months.
To choose which university or college to enroll with, it is best to decide what type of degree program you require. The majority of colleges offer these type of programs but some specialize in man varied fields. For example, an individual who wants a bachelors degree in business might decide to go with Ashworth College, while a person that wants an degree for education would want to go with Penn State University.
When you have chosen a bachelors online degree course, you need to research its class schedule. Most online programs or courses allow you to download the course work and complete it at your own leisure, but some programs insist that you log on to the Internet for virtual class sessions at a designated time a few times a week. Now you know the basics you will see that making up for lost time can be easier than you might have thought and topping up your education is a real possibility. Go on what have you got to lose?
David Birgelli is an author and webmaster and is know as an expert
in the field of distance learning mba strategies.
He is also contributor at the prestigious http://www.onlinedegreeworld.com |
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| Discovering Your Values |
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In the last newsletter we talked about ’Your Reason Why’, and how having emotional reasons for doing things gives them real power. To see this article go to www.mypowerfulmind.com/articles/article/1823709/25320.htm
The next logical thing to consider is how do we find our reason why.
In doing this I am aware that everyone is at a different place in their lives. Some have thought about these questions often, and others are only aware of what things they enjoy. The method that I will outline here is just one way that has worked for me. Feel free to take what you want from it, and leave out or change what does not feel right to you. Also be aware that this is not a process that is done once, and is finished. It evolves and changes over time. It is not necessary to do each step until you are 100 percent satisfied with it, before moving on to the next step. However, I believe it is necessary to do each step, and to write down the results of each step, and then to review and update that document periodically.
The first step is to define your vision statement. If everything was perfect, how would the world look?
For a start you may like to just define how your town would look, or how your family would be, or how your work place would be. This works best if your vision is for something bigger than just yourself, so if you need to, reduce the scope from the world, down to a manageable part of the world, or a manageable area of life. You may like to initially limit this to just thinking about something that will make you feel satisfied or fulfilled.
There are a number of questions you can ask to help you in defining your vision. Questions like:
• What do you enjoy doing?
• What are you really passionate about?
• What do you hate?
• What was the time in your life when you were most happy, and why was that?
• What difference would you like to make for yourself, for your family, community, or for the planet?
• What would you like people to say about you at your funeral?
• If you knew that you would die tonight, and everyone came to a big meeting to hear your last words, what would be in your 15 minute speech? Visualise that you are on the stage
at that meeting, see everyone’s faces, feel the atmosphere and emotion, and see the effect that your words are having on the people.
From the answers to these questions, and others like them, you can start to see what your real values are. They might be things like self discovery, love, contributing to something, creativity, or adventure. Review what you come up with to see if it is a real value, or a symptom of a value or a need. For example if you had hard work as a value, you may find when you thought about it, that this was a symptom of your desire for recognition, or of a value to be productive. Hard work may not be the actual value, and the real value may be able to be satisfied in another way.
From these values you have discovered about yourself describe your vision. What does your perfect world, or part of your perfect world, look like? You should feel yourself getting emotionally involved in that vision. If you don’t, then go back and look at it again, until you have a vision that inspires you. It is not a problem if it takes time to come up with an inspiring vision, but it is a problem to move on to the next steps if you don’t have an inspiring vision, that you feel emotionally involved with.
Once you have your vision, the next step is to decide on your role or mission in achieving that vision. How will you bring about that vision, or contribute towards bringing it about. This does not have to be very specific. It's purpose is just to act as a bridge between the inspiring vision and the specific actions and projects that you will be a part of, in contributing towards that vision. As an example, your vision might be to live in your community, where everyone there feels free to express their opinions openly and without fear. You might see your role or mission in achieving that as being to use and teach others effective communication techniques.
Now that we have our inspiring vision and our mission, it is time to define the projects that we could get involved in. There could be any number of these, but I suggest you start with at least 30. These are the things you could imagine that you might do to contribute towards your inspiring vision. They could be things like find a partner, write a book, get elected to public office, progress your career or speak to 100 people about your vision. Have fun with this. Be creative. Switch off your reality checker while you do this. Be as unrestricted and open as you can.
When you have a list of projects, group them together. One group might be career related, and another might be family related for example. This will help you to define more projects that fit in each group. If you find that one of your projects is actually several smaller projects, then record the smaller projects.
Most people that have taken the trouble to go through a goal setting exercise stop at this point and start planning the activities that each project requires. I suggest that this is the reason that many goal setting exercises don’t produce long lasting results, or really powerful results. There are still a couple of steps to follow.
To see the complete article go to www.mypowerfulmind.com/page/page/1981648.htm
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| Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler |
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A 10-Minute Self-Test
"ARE YOU THE NEXT OPRAH OR BILL GATES?"
By Dr. Jill Ammon-Wexler
© 2003
www.quantum-self.com
Discover if you’re a natural CEO...or perhaps have
John F. Kennedy, Bill Gates, or “Oprah-type leadership
skills.
Choose ONE numbered item that best describes your
leadership style. Then scroll down to the *Self Test
Answers* to learn more about your leadership style,
and maybe even your business or personal destiny!
==>(1) I like to inspire others to my beliefs, then let
them take the necessary self-directed actions.
==>(2) I am non-emotional, and like to just jump in
and drive my team to achieve the goal at hand.
==>(3) I like to develop a general overall strategy
before I assign goal-directed responsibilities.
==>(4) I like to micro-analyze the challenge and
know exactly what it will to take to achieve a goal.
==>(5) I like to set a specific long-range goal, then
use a *hands-off* approach management approach.
==>(6) I just seem to *know* when something will
work, and use *trial and error* to guide my team.
==>(7) I enjoy a lot of personal interaction with my
team, and like to receive their input as we go along
***Self-Test answers***
1. You’re a *charismatic* leader. Your strong point
is your personal magnetism. You easily communicate
inspiring ideas. Your inspiration motivates a team to
belief and action. You’re a Gandhi or Martin Luther
King-type leader!
The team identifies with your energy, and by your
commitment. You inspire others to:
=Commit to a shared purpose or goal
=Help brainstorm new approaches to challenges
=Express their beliefs
2. You’re a *goal-oriented* leader. You use logic,
reason and planned behavior tools to achieve team
success. You're mentally tough, in control, and
communicate well. Your focus is on teamwork,
and making sure goals are achieved. You’d make
a great General!
You motivate your team using:
=Schedules and coordinated action
=Clearly stated procedures
=Organization
=Detailed facts and plans
3. You’re a *strategic* leader. You have objective
left-brain leadership skills. You’re a true rational
problem solver. You love to analyze a situation,
and lay out an overall team strategy to achieve the
goal. You’re like Henry Ford – the creator of the
modern assembly-line method of manufacturing.
You manage using logical tools to:
=Analyze and compare several approaches
=Determine the most promising approach
=Set clear goals
=Decide who is best for what task
4. You’re a *task-oriented* leader with strong detail-
oriented analytical skills. You have a special talent
for micro-analyzing a problem or goal, and pre-
determining exactly how much time will be needed,
how much money will be required, etc. to ensure
success. You’re a natural Chief Financial Officer!
You tend to:
=Analyze exactly what tasks are required
=Pre-establish methods and procedures
=Assign specific tasks and guidelines
=Keep a project tightly organized
5. You’re a *visionary* leader. You like to create
a goal vision, then initiate action to achieve it.
You can start projects, but may prefer to be more
of a *hands off* manager. You seem to be a John
F. Kennedy type leader!
Visionary leaders ensure team success by:
=Creating a long-range goal
=Defining an overall strategy
=Attracting others to manage
=Keeping others inspired
6. You’re an *intuitive* leader. You don’t prefer
rational step-by-step reasoning to make decisions.
You just seem to know when something will work,
often without logical evidence. Your wisdom isn’t
explained with logic. You’re a shoot from the hip
“young Bill Gates-type” leader!
You tend to:
=Have, and follow, hunches
=React quickly and intuitively
=Use trial and error to solve problems
7) You’re an *interactive* leader. You’re deeply
aware of the feelings and emotions of others. You
have great leadership skills, and are a relationship
expert. You communicate easily, are spontaneous,
and show your feelings openly. You’re a loyalty-
inspiring *down in the trenches* type leader.
You’re an Oprah-type leader!
You tend to:
=Maintain strong relationships
=Stay in touch with your staff
=Express genuine concern for others
Leadership is at the core of business and personal
success. This is true whether you're leading a team,
OR leading your own self. The most extraordinary
leaders are those who have built a powerful, no-
limits self-concept. But no one is born this way,
it's a learned (and learnable) personal trait.
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Could YOU be the next Oprah, Bill Gates or big
internet success story? It's entirely possible! The
"10 Days to Smash Your Limits" e-course is 100%
guaranteed to take you straight into a "no-limits"
version of your most powerful, success-oriented self.
Come to:
http://www.quantum-self.com/smash_your_limits.htm.
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