Your mind is like a garden. When properly cultivated, it can produce flowers of beautiful, problem-solving, rational thought and fruits of sweet, goal-accomplishing success. However, when not properly cultivated, the mind – like the garden – will grow wild producing weeds which retard and strangle proper thinking while simultaneously generating, at best, partially constructive behaviors and, at worst, self-defeating behaviors.

The beauty of this contradiction, however, is that you are the chief cultivator of your mind. You can determine whether it produces beneficial flowers and bountiful fruit or useless and retarding weeds. In this process, one of your most useful cultivating tools is one which scare many people – direct mental programming or as some prefer to call it “self-hypnosis.”

You can program your mind. It is not a stage trick. Instead, when properly defined, self-hypnosis actually allows one to enter a higher stage of consciousness in which one gains a level of understanding, control and self-direction over themselves greater than most people ever imagined possible. In this higher stage of consciousness, the mind-body dialectic becomes highly open to mental suggestion. Because of this, a person is able to program his or mind with constructive thoughts, beliefs and affirmations.

Never forget that your behavior and success in any endeavor are largely based on your drive (motivation), thoughts and beliefs. These are the areas most susceptible to mental programming. You can overcome fears, addictions, procrastination, mental fatigue, depression and a host of other mental attitudes which block and retard your success in life. You can keep yourself highly motivated and clear thinking.

The process is relatively simple: Predetermine the thoughts, beliefs and affirmations which want to be dominant in your mind; identify a quiet, comfortable place to conduct your programming (self-hypnosis); enter a state of supreme relaxation by visualizing a past or intended success while counting backwards from 27 to 1; begin the repetition of your predetermined affirmation while visualizing yourself achieving your goal; count forward from 1 to 27 and gradually come out of the state of supreme relaxation; and finally do something (take a predetermined action) to supplement your mental programming. The action should be taken immediately upon coming out the state of supreme relaxation.

The keys to success are repetition and emotional intensity. Just remember: Our thoughts and beliefs determine our behavior and our most consistent behaviors determine our success in life. You are the master cultivator of your mind. Use this mental programming process properly and you will be astounded by how much you can achieve.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Robert N. Taylor is a researcher and newsletter editor. For more information about this article and other Taylor writings, visit www.freewebs.com/wealthgazette