Q:
I have been repeating the phrase you shared with me: "I am relaxed, confident and at peace while playing my trumpet for large crowds of people everywhere," twice a day (morning/night) for 5 minutes for close to a month now. I am really starting to feel this as truth, Thank-you!!
There are other circumstances that have caused me much anxiety/fear and I would like to plant another affirmation to allow me to be at peace in all situations. Instead of "I am now completely relaxed, confident, and at peace while flying on planes, driving over bridges, elevators (claustrophobia) etc.," could I use, "I am now completely relaxed, confident, and at peace with all people and in all situations?" Thanks Again!
A:
Absolutely! Wording your affirmation, "I am now completely relaxed, confident, and at peace with all people in all situations," is more powerful and all-encompassing, and as a result, a better affirmation. Coming up with this wording indicates that you understand how affirmations work. It is always good to get affirmations to "feel right" and to indicate clearly what you're trying to manifest. Sometimes this means changing the wording slightly. Well done.
Q:
Can a beginner work on two Mind Power programs simultaneously--one to overcome character weaknesses and another to peform better at work--and have about seven affirmations for each? Is doing affirmations daily, and doing visualizing, seeding and contemplating weekly acceptable, or do they all have to be done daily?
A:
You can work on more than one goal at a time. There is a Mind Power maxim that says you crawl before you walk and you walk before you run. What this means is that in beginning to work with these techniques, it is better to limit yourself to just a few things, rather than trying to create everything at once. However, working on two things simultaneously is very doable. You want to do some exercises every day. You don't have to do all of them every day, but you should always be doing some exercises daily. It is the daily repetition that builds up the energy.
Q:
John, given that the mind is a sending and receiving station of thought, and since we have two minds, which mind is doing the sending and receiving? And does it matter? As well, given that I am in “possession of an amazing instrument of power,” is this my conscious or sub-conscious mind? And again, does it matter? Thank you.
A:
I like your question and the way you worded it. Does it matter? Well... yes and no. Yes because the more you understand about how it all works, the better and more effective you will be in using Mind Power. No because, as long as you follow the system outlined in this website and my books and CDs, you will get the results. It is the subconscious mind that is the sender and receiver of thought. Your subconscious is part of the vibrating matrix of all reality, and as such has contact with everything.
The affirmation, "I am in possession of an amazing instrument of power," refers to both minds. This affirmation is given to the students of my Mind Power training, so you have either trained with me personally or you have a copy of the Mind Power Home Study Program. Either way you hold powerful information. So when you are using this affirmation you can think about the conscious mind, which is the guardian to the gates of the subconscious and the holder of the will. You can also think about the subconscious mind, which is part of the entire universe and the attracting force that creates our reality and informs us beyond what the conscious mind knows and understands. These two minds working together and in harmony with one another are your "amazing instrument of power."
Q:
My daughter is eight years old. She never wants to check her work or examinations and, as a result, she makes many careless mistakes. She's learning piano but has hardly taken the initiative to practise unless she's told to do so. I'm in the midst of reading your book, Mind Power for Children and trying out affirmations, visualisation and acknowledging with her. However, when I do the affirmations and visualisations with her, which include, "Yu Han loves to check her work," and "Yu Han plays piano very well," she resists. Please advise how should I do this with her and get her interested?
A:
With children you have to make it fun. If the exercises become work-like, children will resist. Fun is the key. If your daughter resists you doing affirmations with her, then let her do them alone. You might also want to include some affirmations that have nothing to do with passing exams or doing piano exercises, such as having friends, being a special person, people liking her, etc. These will be more fun to do for her, and by doing them she will get into the habit. Also place acknowledging posters in her room, and again, keep the emphasis on fun. When something is fun you want to do it, and so will she.
Q:
Are auto-suggestion, self-suggestion, and affirmations all the same thing?
A:
Auto-suggestion and self-suggestion are the same thing. You are suggesting to yourself through Mind Power techniques what you want to create in your life. There are many exercises that accomplish this. One of these exercises is affirmations. Affirmations are simple statements that you repeat to yourself over and over again for several minutes at a time (see Affirmations).
Q:
John, I love your books and DVDs; they have really made a difference in my life. I have gained great knowledge and inspiration from you.
I have a question about your Mind Power program. I am a real estate sales agent for D R Horton Builders, the largest firm in the country, and I practise your Mind Power program. Currently I meditate on affirmations like, "I vibrate success and it attracts wealth to me." Is there anything wrong with, "I'm selling six houses this month," or "I'm making $100,000 this year?" I've studied a great deal about the subconscious and have read different opinions about whether quoting an exact number works for the subconscious or not. Should I just say, "I'm getting wealthier every day," or "My sales are increasing every day?" Just wanted to get your opinion.
A:
Do what feels most comfortable for you. There is no hard and fast rule about whether one should be specific or more general with affirmations. You're right in saying that there is a difference of opinion here, and people can be quite adamant in their positions, but, from my experience, I find that both ways work, and you are best to go with what "feels right" for you. Nothing is stopping you from using both systems, using a specific affirmation one day and a more general one the next. The key is to have your consciousness vibrating with success and abundance.
Q:
I've been interested in positive thinking for a few years now, and have experienced some success, but there is one question that bothers me - intuition. Sometimes I work on my goal and no matter what, there is a strong voice inside saying, "It is not going to work." And then it doesn't work. No matter how hard you try to feel the happy ending or to see the desired result, there are times you can "see" the opposite. It is as if something is already destined for you and intuition picks up its signal. John, what are your thoughts about intuition? Have you experienced it? Thank you.
A:
The inner voice can be many things. Sometimes it is our intuition, but sometimes it is also the Great Trickster (see Eliminating Negatives in Mind Power basics section). If it is a strong negative voice then it is probably the Great Trickster, which is the part of you that tries to put you down. If you listen to the voice of the Trickster and agree with it, then you will not succeed. I suggest you go throught this site carefully and learn the difference between intuition and the negative self-talk that also happens within us. Learning the difference is crucial. A clue in learning to tell the difference is that the still small voice of intuition is usually gentle and supporting, while our negative self-talk is usually abrasive.