/ Brilliant You

Brilliant You

You really are rather brilliant you know - more brilliant than you think. Trust me - I know. I've been studying this subject for over 7 years now. I've read hundreds of books on the subject, listened to many successful people tell their stories and passed on the knowledge to many, many people.

Consider your brain for a moment.

It consists of between 10 and 14 billion neurons (nerve cells).

"There is nothing either good or evil - only thinking makes it so" - William Shakespeare

The number of different connections between the neurons is equal to the number 1 followed by 15 million zeros. That's a big number; if you wrote it out, it would be over 3 miles long. Amazing. Yes, your brain is a phenomenal super computer, faster and more powerful than any computer built at any time. I doubt that it will be possible to build a computer capable of some of the things your amazing brain can do.

We all tend to talk ourselves down a lot of the time. We often do it without thinking about it - that's bad. What we need to do is tell ourselves that we are brilliant. Yes, that's right. Sounds weird doesn't it. Talking to ourselves. But do you know something - some of the most successful people in the world did it - and are doing it right now. People like the great Roman emperor Marcus Aurelias, Theodore Roosevelt, even Prince Charles was caught doing it once and I bet Tony Blair does it.

Regularly tell yourself, out loud, things like:-

• I am getting fitter, slimmer and healthier
• I am earning more and more money - more than I need in fact
• I am becoming more and more attractive to people
• I am getting better and better at my job, and becomming more and more valued by my employer

Did you notice some things all these statements had in common?

1. They were all stated as a current process, i.e. I am getting... I am becomming...
2. These statements are also very specific. There is nothing vague or ambiguous about them.
3. There's something else you've probably noticed about these affirmations - they are all stated in the positive. What do I mean by this? Well, lets take the first one - "I am getting fitter, slimmer and healthier". Notice it does not say "I am no longer a fat slob".

These three characteristics of the statements are very important. Let me explain why.

"A man is what he thinks about all day long" - Marcus Aurelias

When we say these positive things to ourselves, they are heard by our conscious mind, but also by our subconscious mind. Now the conscious and subconscious minds work in very different ways.

The conscious mind has the following characteristics:-

1. It operates only while we are awake;
2. It tends to question and rationalise most of it's input;
3. It is moderately powerful.

The subconscious mind, on the other hand, has these characteristics:-

1. It operates all the time, whether we are awake or asleep, and probably when we are unconscious;
2. It takes everything it is given unquestioningly, at face value, whether it is true or not;
3. It is stupendously powerful.
4. It does not understand negative, i.e. the words not, never etc

So the subconscious takes those statements at face value and works on them in the background. Regular positive self talk literally magnetises your mind in such a way that the thing you said will tend to happen. That statement is so powerful that I want you to say it again out loud, better still, write it in 2 inch high letters and stick it on your fridge, because, believe me, it has the power to change your life. And that's the truth.

What you need to do is identify the things in your life that you want to change and compile a few positive statements similar to those above. Then read them out to yourself, out loud, at least three times a day. First thing in the morning and last thing at night are particularly powerful times to do this.