Whether you’re trying to abide by the Law of Attraction, improve your attitude, or just feel better, this article will help you, but you’re going to have to do a little work.  You’ll need a pen, and some paper, preferably a notebook.

We’ve all been told at some point in our lives that we need to change our attitude.  If you’ve studied the law of attraction, you know that your mood has a huge impact on what you attract.  When you’ve lost someone close to you, you long to feel better.  And if you were suffering from depression, you’d probably give anything, or take anything to overcome it.

Most of us have also heard that our thoughts control everything about us.  The law of attraction says that thoughts attached to great emotion will bring anything into being.  The down side to that is that if you’re thinking negative thoughts combined with a bad mood, you’re attracting bad things!  So the key is to think about what you want and maintain a proper attitude.

Okay, it’s easy enough to sit for a few minutes and think positive thoughts.  I have found that writing out the thoughts I want to think makes me focus.  But how do you make yourself feel a certain way?  How do we control our moods?

Remember the old adage, “Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery?”  Well, the first thing you need to do to change your mood and attitude is first recognize and state to yourself what you’re feeling and the fact that you want to change.  It can be as simple as, “I feel bad but I want to feel good.”  Some other examples include:  I feel worthless but I want to feel in control; I feel sick but I want to feel healthy; I feel like I can’t afford anything but I want to be prosperous.  I feel fat but I want to be thin.  Identifying how you really feel in this moment and acknowledging that you want to change is crucial to getting the ball rolling.

Next, make a general statement, one that you perceive as true, that makes you feel a little bit better.  For example, “I have felt good in the past, and I will feel good again.”  Or, “This situation won’t last forever; my money problems are only temporary.”  Or maybe, “I’ve lost weight before and I can do it again.”  Just make sure that it’s a thought you truly believe.  If you make a statement too specific at first, your mind will reject it.  Trying to say, “I am healthy, wealthy, and wise,” etc., while, a nice idea a long time ago, doesn’t work when you’re in a bad mood because you’re conscious mind perceives it as completely untrue and your feelings will remain in resistance to your attempt at positive thinking.

Once you have a general thought that you believe and that makes you feel good, just focus on that thought for about 30 seconds.  The next thing that will happen is that you will start to have other thoughts similar to the general comment you just made.  With each thought that comes into your mind, judge how it makes you feel.  Is it true?  Does the thought make you feel better, or worse?  If the thought makes you feel better, continue to focus on it.  If it makes you feel worse, release it and move on to a different thought.  Write only the thoughts that make you feel better about your situation. The best statements will be the ones that give you a sense of relief from your problem.

Let me guide you through a specific example.  Let’s say that your husband of 40 years passed away recently.  You’re still feeling a huge amount of grief and you’d like some relief.  (This is normal, by the way.)  So you start out by saying, “I feel grief, but I want to feel happy again.”  Then, you make the general statement, “I remember what it’s like to feel happy.”  Now, think of a time, when your husband wasn’t in the picture, that you shared a laugh with someone.  It could be your children, friends, co-workers – anyone – but you were happy and your husband wasn’t in the scene.  If that thought makes you feel a little better, write it down.  You might even want to write out what was going on in that memory; “I remember a time when . . .”

From there, you might start listing all of the times you can remember being happy while performing activities by yourself.  Maybe while your husband was at work, or out playing golf – or whatever.  Then, you might start listing all of the things you enjoyed doing that he didn’t.  Do you enjoy gardening?  Do you like to go out to eat?  Just let your thoughts flow.  Remember, if it feels good, write it down.  If it feels bad, skip it and keep thinking.

Sometimes, a seemingly good thought will make you feel bad.  “I’m lucky to be alive” sounds like a great statement at first.  But if you’re grieving over someone, it could make you feel guilty for outliving him, or remind you that you’re alone.  So if it doesn’t feel good, don’t continue to give your focus to it and, again, don’t write it down.  Try something like, “I’m lucky to have these extra years to spend with my children and grandchildren.”

I recommend that you start with a notebook and go through this exercise at least once a day.  You can, however, do it as often and as much as you want.  The idea is to get you feeling better and if that means writing several times or several hours a day, then do that.  Once you start to get some relief, you’ll start feeling better for longer periods of time.  I remember when my father passed away; my mother and I both had moments, months and even years later (to this day) when it just “hits you.”  You will always grieve to some extent and that’s okay.  If you want to cry, then cry.  But if you want to feel better, get out your notebook and read what you’ve written before, or start writing all over again.

On a lighter note, let’s say that your goal is to make more money.  You might start out by saying, “I feel desperate and I want to be financially secure.”  Your general statement could be, “This situation is only temporary.  I have had money in the bank before and will have it again.”  As a general rule, try now to write down at least 12 statements that make you feel good.  Some examples are:  I love my work and deserve to make money from it.  I like helping people.  I like working by myself and for myself.  I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that learning something new about my job brings me.  It would feel great to become known for this.  I am completely capable of learning whatever I need to do to make an incredible amount of money – as much as the highest paid person in this profession.

See how the good feeling just continues to grow and expand?  Once you get the hang of it, you will love this exercise. 

Your Assignment

Writing 12 statements should keep you writing (and thinking positively) for approximately 12 to 15 minutes.  Take whatever time you need and it’s okay to stop short of 12 statements or stop after 5 minutes if you’re feeling good again.  After all, it’s your mood, your goal, and your life.  Make it so.

Posted under Motivation, Weight Loss