The other night, I performed a hypnosis show at a high school on the other side of the state. The next day, I got a message from a young man who had been at the show, wanting to have some of my time to discuss his life situation and how hypnosis might help. I offered him a free session, and we scheduled a thirty minute phone conversation.
During that conversation, I learned that he had essentially flunked out of high school for missing too many classes; on further investigation, it became clear that there was a drug component to the issue as well.
I asked him what he wanted to do with his life. He had some exciting ideas, but he lacked any obvious enthusiasm for them. When questioned, he said he didn’t believe he could really have any of those things. Why not? Because he already proved to himself that he was a failure.
How often do we judge our capacity based on our history? How often do we label ourselves failures because of situations in our past. What a disservice! We need to remember and affirm that THE PAST DOES NOT EQUAL THE FUTURE. Just because we’ve made mistakes in the past or failed to live up to an ideal we’ve set for ourselves (or that’s been set for us) doesn’t mean we can’t rise above our previous performance to real greatness.
In the case of this young man, when he tried to break out of his situation, the discouraged, self-condemning voices in his head were so loud that they stopped him in his tracks. He was stuck in a loop of self-fulfilling prophecy.
What I told him was that there are “UnHypnosis” techniques to quiet those voices and mindfulness techniques to see them for what they are rather than buying into them. As time goes on, he’ll have to:
- Clearly visualize what he wants
- Affirm his right and ability to have it
- Gain self awareness and mastery over his beliefs
- Learn goal setting techniques and “obstacle-busters”
- Celebrate small victories along the way
- Witness his resistance without buying into it
- Live from his word, not his feelings
If you’re stuck, may I recommend the same steps. My book, UnHypnosis, goes into great detail about this process, and I highly recommend you read it to move yourself forward and live the life of your dreams. Don’t allow yourself to get stuck in failure. Don’t buy into the self-limiting voices. Recognize the power of your mind to manifest what you want!
The young man of whom I spoke has committed to taking action. In the weeks ahead, I expect to see him gaining confidence and hope as he begins to prove to himself that the voices in his head aren’t in charge and that he has the capacity to make powerful changes in his life.
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” -Henry Ford
For more, visit Dr. Steve at https://www.stevetaubman.com