Q: The ex-manager and financial director of my chamber orchestra has stolen the money of our ensemble. Unfortunately, the situation in Russia is such that I cannot use the law to prove that he has committed this crime, but I certainly know that it has happened. He says that he is not guilty and of course refuses to give back the money. I am very angry with him, but I understand that I cannot wish bad thoughts to anybody. At the moment, my immediate goal is to restore the money to our orchestra by using the affirmation, "Mr. XXX (the ex-financial director) will refund the money"; and repeating it 5 minutes for 90 days. Will it work? Will I achieve my goal? Thank you for your time!
Moscow-Russia
A: Your financial director may or may not give the money back. However, the way you are structuring the affirmation allows only one way for the ensemble to survive. A better approach would be to use affirmations and visualizations that allow many possible outcomes. For example the affirmation, "Our ensemble is fully funded," allows the possibility of either your ex-manager returning the money, or for new funding to arrive in ways you might never imagine. Don't be narrow in your requests. Allow as much flexibility and openness as possible, so the creative universe can go to work to assist you. Hope this helps.
Q: I recently discovered that I have been sabotaging my relationships with men by a subconscious belief that I would be betrayed (and then of course I am, because it's what my subconscious is manifesting for me). Can you give me an affirmation to undo the damage?
New York City
A: It's quite a revelation for us to discover that our subconscious cannot only help us to achieve our goals but also to sabotage our goals when the beliefs that we have within are counterproductive to what we are trying to achieve. As I have said many times, and I will repeat once again, any time you see reoccurring patterns in your life, whether it's in relationships, money, health, whatever, you can be quite assured that there is a subconscious imprint that is causing that, and this is where mind powers comes to your assistance in creating new beliefs.
Regarding some affirmations, since it seems that you sabotage your relationships, what you want to do is have affirmations that counteract that. Such things as, "I feel comfortable in relationships," or "I have great relationships," or "All my relationships work out well," or "I have loving relationships with partners." So program your mind to the exact opposite of what the imprint is. And let us also remember that with affirmations you don't have to believe them. All you have to do is repeat them to yourself over and over and over again and they will quite naturally make an imprint on the subconscious mind. So start creating new positive affirmations for yourself, and I look forward to hearing about your great new successful relationship.
Q: For as long as I can remember I have never been able to apply myself to my studies, nor have I been able to achieve the marks I desire, despite being gifted and having a very high IQ. I was always able to just scrape through with the bare minimum. I am now in second-year university studying physics, and the level of work has resulted in me failing. Visualizations, seeding and affirmations are not helping at all; actually my marks have dropped. Despite the desperate need to now pass, I still cannot motivate myself to study. My goal is to pass with the highest marks possible. What should I visualize, seed and affirm? Is there any thing else that I can do to reach this goal?
Johannesburg, South Africa
A: As you have stated that, "For as long as I can remember I have never been able to apply myself to my studies, nor have I been able to achieve the marks I desire..." This being the case, you have undoubtedly formed a self-image of yourself as being this type of person. This image of yourself is what is hindering you. You need to change it. So rather than simply visualizing yourself getting good marks, you need to visualize yourself being someone who studies, who has the discipline and willpower to put in the needed effort.
You cannot motivate yourself to study because you see yourself as someone who cannot motivate himself. Work on your self-image. Re-read the chapter "Self-Image" in Mind Power into the 21st Century. Our self-image is created by repeated images that we entertain within our mind. With practice you will naturally change your self-image, and with a new self-image will come the ability to study and apply yourself easily.
Q: I have used your techniques for bringing positive things into my life, and I have experienced success in school and my career because of your affirmation and visualization techniques. However, the main goal I'm concentrating on now is my love life. I repeat the statement "I am in a healthy happy relationship with a man who is loving, kind, compassionate, masculine, attractive, humorous, honest, and faithful." I daydream about this like it is real in my life right now. I FEEL this man in my life. I've been doing this for months and I still haven't even been on a date. I've even tried not seeking out a relationship and keeping myself extremely busy, so now I have an active life with no man in it. Why do some people always jump from relationship to relationship and I've been dateless for over two years? I take care of myself, have confidence, and have a lot of love to share. How can I attract the right guy?
Indiana, USA
A: Firstly, your affirmation is too long. Try shortening it. How about: "I attract men easily," or "Men enjoy my company," or "Attractive, masculine men love my company." Secondly, focus on the fact that there are millions of single men out there looking for companionship. While not all of them are suitable, probably thousands are. I don't believe in one "soul mate." It think that there are thousands of suitable partners for each of us. Use your subconscious, creativity and ingenuity to think of different ways of meeting men. Take the pressure off by not having to meet "Mr. Perfect" immediately, and think about having an active social life. Sometimes we just have to be patient, but a great guy is out there for you.
Q: Is writing out an affirmation, say for seven minutes, i.e., filling a page, a good/bad way of doing affirmations? London, U.K.
A: Writing out affirmations can be very powerful. Scott Adams, the creator of the hit cartoon strip Dilbert, attributes a lot of his success to this method. He would write out fifteen times every day what he wanted to happen. His affirmation: "I will be the most successful cartoonist in the world." He also attributes his stock market success to this method. Say affirmations out loud, internally or write them down. All these methods are effective.
Q: When I practice, after a couple of minutes it seems like there is something coming over me that gets me out of my concentration. I try to get back to it. However, I cannot relax, have to stop and come back to it later. Any tips?
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
A: Our mind is very restless and easily distracted. It is very common for us to lose our concentration, especially in the beginning of our training. A good tip is to relax the mind either through some deep breathing or some affirmations such as, "I feel relaxed and calm." If you do this for several minutes before your exercises it will help relax the mind, and doing the exercises will then be easier. Having said that, part of doing the exercises is realizing that these distractions are a normal part of the process. When you catch yourself losing concentration and focusing on something else, gently bring the mind back to its original practice and carry on. Be aware that rarely does one do these exercises without some distractions. Practice doesn't make perfect, but you will get more proficient with time.
Q: How do I increase my concentration on studies?
India
A: Our mind is very active and undisciplined and flirts from one thought to another, keeping us mesmerized by the constant internal chatter. The beginning student of mind power often finds it difficult to concentrate thought for even thirty seconds. The good news, however, is that when one starts training the mind through exercises, the power of concentration naturally increases. Reread the book Mind Power into the 21st Century. That combined with the tape "Setting up a Mind Power Program" will provide the exercises needed to enhance concentration. All the exercises, and I emphasize the word "all," will increase your powers. All the best.
Q: I only have one question, but with two parts. I would like to know if it is possible to open the mind completely, and I want to understand how this can be done. I want to learn more about the way the mind works and focus on making more use of the mind and its potential. What advice do you have?
Bakersfield, CA
A: Your first question it is sort of like asking, "Will we ever explore the entire universe?" The answer is no, especially since it is expanding outwards at the speed of light, as has been doing so since its creation. Likewise with the mind; its scope, depth and potential are unlimited. Will we ever open it "completely?" Probably not. We are presently just scratching the surface.
Your second question, "How do I make more use of the mind and its potential?" allows for a simple answer. Start an exercise programme and begin moving beyond theory and concept into a training system that allows the mind's power to reveal itself to you.