Look at any Best Seller list in bookshops today, and it will be full of works about the rich and famous. From footballers to business magnates, their stories have a common theme. They overcame the problems that came their way by maintaining an optimistic outlook. This is the only way to achieve anything we’re aiming for. We have to consume ourselves with positive beliefs, and not allow negative a foot-hold!
And so for someone attempting to reduce their weight, a positive mind-set is fundamental. Being positive is the only way to get through. An optimistic approach brings about all sorts of opportunities to achieve. It throws up possibilities we might not previously have thought of. On the other hand, a negative outlook blocks us and numbs our ‘can-do’ receptors.
This is because we have a mechanism, called the Reticular Activation System. It tells the brain what to think about. It’s normal for things that were once pressing thoughts to move to the back of our minds – that’s because thoughts that are no longer pressing are moved to our sub conscious mind.
When we attempt to do something, our RAS (Reticular Activation System) will search for anything of significance in the sub-conscious mind, and bring it to our attention. If we’re taking a walk for example, only the things that have meaning to us will be noticed.
This means that if we’ve been regularly sending messages that are positive to our sub-conscious mind, then that’s what it will transfer back. On the other hand, if our sub-conscious has been receiving a bunch of defeatist, downbeat messages, that’s also what will come back.
Achievers, it would appear, are able to manipulate the messages streaming through to their sub-conscious minds. They do this by choosing exactly what the conscious mind sends, thereby programming their RAS. This makes it an essential instrument for achieving goals, as the sub-conscious mind can’t distinguish between what’s real and what isn’t.
So it’s vital to construct an exact picture in our conscious mind of what we want. Then our RAS will transfer it to our sub conscious mind, and help us meet our goals. Because when we need to retrieve our old information on losing weight, the message is that it’s a done deal!
According to the author Napoleon Hill, if we focus positively on any practical goal, we can achieve it. Conversely, our subconscious will help us not to achieve a goal if we keep having pessimistic thoughts about it.
