The Art of Auto-Suggestion
“Every day in every way, I am getting better and better”
This is the mantra of late nineteenth century doctor and creator of his own brand of autosuggestion Emile Coue.
Every night before he went to bed and every morning when he just woke up he would repeat this to himself, gradually instilling new optimism in his unconcious mind.
The way we talk to ourselves internally is often treated as second importance to building will power and doing what we ought to be doing anyway. Its not uncommon to hear someone say something to the effect of:
‘Just put one foot in front of the other and learn to do it even when you don’t want to.’
While this is good advice in some sense, it doesn’t take into account the fact that most people aren’t ever going to do it. They simply won’t. When you have a meeting to go to and your fellow co-workers are all there waiting, you have a certain negative social leverage to motivate you to get dressed and show up. I.E. if you don’t they will all be very very upset with you tomorrow.
However, if your goal is to do something for yourself, such as hitting the gym more regularly or starting to write that novel you’ve been thinking about in your spare time… then the outside motivation of other people holding you accountable isn’t there. You’re going to need something more than just pure willpower.
In this instance having the right self talk is critical.
Self Talk Golf Lesson – The funniest home videos are here
Heres a few easy ways to get started with Auto-Suggestion:
-Set a timer on your watch to go off at various intervals during the day. Take this moment to become aware of your thoughts and internal voice taking careful note of the tone, volume, and attitude you normally speak to yourself with.
-Repeat the same ritual that Coue performed every morning and every night. Laying in bed repeat to yourself ‘I am getting better and better every day’ or a mantra specific to your goals. The key here is to say it like you really believe it. Smile to yourself and don’t be cynical, let the idea creep in little by little that you really are getting better.
-Place written positive affirmations/mantras all over your house or apartment and repeat the statement three times every time you see it. This is a very effective method I highly recommend to everyone who struggles with self-motivation.
-Check out the theory of Autogenic Training, a type of auto-suggestion created by a German psychiatrist named Johannes Schultz.
Hopefully with these starting points you’ll be able to get a feel for the power of autosuggestion and the difference it can make when it comes to self mastery. Start to talk to yourself like you would a friend, like someone you care about. Who knows… before you know it… you may start believing the things you tell yourself.
To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.-Oscar Wilde
-Chris
RSS Feed
Find us on Facebook
