So you finally did it. You stopped using the treadmill as a clothes rack and actually started walking on it (what a concept!). Or, you finally decided to quit smoking after 25 years. Or, perhaps you bought the professional-grade juicer from that TV infomercial and have vowed to start eating healthier. Whatever your goal is, you finally have what it takes: Motivation.
So after making the decision, you have a burst of excitement and you move forward at full steam…
Inevitably however, just like a steam locomotive will stop moving forward if it is not constantly filled with water and fueled with wood or coal, your big old motivation locomotive starts losing steam as your initial excitement starts to fade. When you’re too tired to go to the gym after work, or have some other excuse you convince yourself of. When you say, “Well, just one cigarette wouldn’t hurt.” When you look at that shiny new juicer and that mountain of carrots and organic produce you so enthusiastically bought and decide that a glass of milk seems almost just as healthy without all the effort of making the juice and cleaning everything up afterward (and hey, cookies have carbs and you probably need those too!)
If only you had motivational reinforcement like in the good old days. You remember the good old days, right? You know, back when you lived at home and Mom would repeatedly tell you to do your homework, force you to clean up your room despite your complaints and excuses, tell you that you are going to soccer practice whether you like it or not or slap your hand every time you started biting your nails.
Mom is like the original Life Coach!
At this point you find yourself faced with a couple of options 1) give up like you’ve done so many times before, or 2) give your motivation a kick in the pants.
How do you do that? I’m glad you asked! Let me introduce you to concept of “Magic Minutes.” Now, Magic Minutes do not have anything to do with a wand, a cape, a rabbit or a hat. Magic Minutes, as I call them, are the 30 or so minutes between when you lay down to go to sleep and when you actually fall asleep. This is a period of time where your mind begins to shift from a waking state, in to a light trance-like hypnotic state, and on to a sleeping state. That’s right, you effectively go into a light state of hypnosis before you fall in to a sleeping state.
If used effectively, just like when a pleasant story is read to children before they sleep, the mind will be filled with positive images during this hypnotic state, which helps promote overall positive thinking. And, since at the Magic Minutes stage you’re already in a light state of hypnosis, your subconscious mind is open and suggestible. Unfortunately, whenever anything is fed directly in to the subconscious mind, it will accept either positive or negative suggestions and does not judge the information being presented, it just accepts it. Unfortunately, most people use their Magic Minutes ineffectively, like watching or reading the (bad) news before going to bed, thus filling their minds with crime, tragedy and fear. Or worrying about the things that need to be done tomorrow, or worry about the things they did not do today, or worrying about pretty much anything – these are all negative suggestions that your subconscious mind goes to work on and leads to the “Woke up on the wrong side of the bed” syndrome, and more dangerously negatively affect your overall approach to life and motivation towards your goals.
So, how can effectively using these “Magic Minutes” help make motivation an unconscious habit for you? Simple. Thirty minutes before falling asleep write out:
1) Positive statements and affirmations to yourself about whatever goal or change you’d like to achieve
2) The positive reasons you would like to achieve it
3) What your life will be like once you have achieved it
Writing out reinforcing positive statements and affirmations such as this works well because it sends a strong message directly to the subconscious mind that results in unconscious motivation, a positive mood and rapid movement towards your goals.
Utilizing Magic Minutes can work with reinforcing your motivation for any goal. It can boost confidence and self-esteem, and can effectively be used to attract prosperity in to your life. Banish the excuses you use over and over to prevent you from becoming the person you know you can be. Just a few minutes of writing before going to bed each night can change your life forever!
Of course, if you’d prefer to move back in with Mom…
Consultant, Coach and Purveyor of Perspective
Keep Up With Steve!