Advanced Thinking

Introduction

Advanced thinking is really all about using your mind...or more specifically, your brain...in the way it is meant to be used.

Each and everyone of us is the product of the things that have happened in our lives up to now. We are the product of our upbringing, our education, our environment and so on. Pretty much everything about the way we think and the way we behave has been learnt, some of it consciously, most of it unconsciously. If you think of the brain as a computer (and an incredibly powerful one at that) then it is full of thousands of programmes which are the result of past experiences. Many of these programmmes are actively running in your brain right now. And some of these programmes will be very helpful and constructive, but I can tell you that a lot of those programmes are very negative and destructive. That's because you were never taught how to use your brain at school. You were never taught how to think for yourself. If you were then you were extremely lucky to have gone to such an amazing school!

So your mind is programmed to think and behave in certain patterns, many of which are holding you back. And it will continue to do so for the rest of your life, unless you do something about it now.

But the great thing about computer programmes is this; they can be changed. The same applies to your brain. The programmes running in your brain can be changed into far more positive and beneficial ones. The potential you have within you is truly amazing...it's staggering.

You can learn new ways of thinking and new ways of behaving. You have the power within you to change. You can achieve success, whether it be in business, in terms of family and relationships or in terms of money. You can achieve great things.

The only person standing in your way is you!

You can allow yourself to stop being that person. In fact this is the basis of much of the therapy work I carry out with my clients.

Before we move on, here's something for you to think about:- Because they were created in the past, ALL of your beliefs are out now of date.

Here's a breakdown of what advanced thinking is all about:-

What is reality?

There's reality, i.e. what is really going on in the world, and your own 'map' of that reality....your reality. Your own reality of the world is unique to you, because you are unique and no-one else on the planet has had the same life as you. And your reality is important because it's what drives your thinking and your behaviour. Your reality is what determines the way you feel about yourself and the world around you. It affects your confidence, your self-esteem and even your health and wealth.

But much of that reality may be based on negative experiences or misinterpretations of past experiences. So some aspects of your reality may not be serving you well. They may be holding you back and preventing you from being happy or successful.

The really good news is that you can change your reality. Now I'm not saying this is easy because it sometimes isn't. It can be very challenging but the rewards can be truly amazing and well worth having.

The power to change meaning

When someone says something to you, what does it mean? What feelings or emotions does it set off in you? The same words that can inspire one person can upset another. When someone looks at you; gives you "that look", what does it mean? A certain look may mean one thing to you and something quite different to someone else. It's not the words or the look that are important, it's how you perceive those things that are important. And this is something you can change. Change your perception and you change your world.

Possibility

What do you think is possible for you to be able to do and to achieve in your life. Which things are impossible?

In actual fact, whatever you believe or disbelieve about what you can and cannot do, you are absolutely right. A smoker who believes they will never give up smoking is correct, but only because they tell themselves so. On the other hand, someone who believes they can take back control of their eating habits so they can lose weight is also right.

Have a think about what you believe you can and cannot do. For those things that you think you cannot do, ask yourself where that belief comes from. Challenge your beliefs and re-evaluate what is possible for you. This is one of the most powerful things that anyone can ever do in their lives, and it can open up wonderful new possibilities.

Expectation

What you expect of other people can lead to frustration and stress, particularly if they don't 'perform' or 'deliver' in the way that you would like them to. But it's very difficult to change other people and their way of thinking or behaving. It's far easier to change your reaction to other people, to change your expectations of others. It might take a little practice to do this but you can do it, and the results can mean a much more relaxed view of the world.

Excellence can be duplicated

Imagine eating a really nice cake (my favourite's chocolate, what's yours?). You might wish you could bake a cake exactly the same. The reality is, you can!

If you had the exact same ingredients and the recipe in its finest detail, and if you followed that recipe to the letter, wouldn't you get the exact same result? Wouldn't you bake an identical cake?

Yes, of course you would. The same applies to anything in life. If one person can be successful at something then so can anyone else. And that includes you!