Book Report – Part 1

Change proves there has been learning. Have you ever thought about it? If we learn a better way of doing something, our actions should follow the new way.

No change; no learning.

Are you learning about healthier eating? Did your last meal reflect that? Is there still junk food in your cupboards?

Being exposed to something does not mean we are learning – until we apply the new information. Then there is evidence of learning. It’s the process of internalizing new information to create a different behavior on our part.

So, what am I studying?

As a student of self-improvement and habit formation, I am discovering how to take steps beyond affirmations. Affirmations have their place, and I even offer a free, handy set of them on foodtalk4you. (See the Affirmations button towards the top of the home page).

What I am just beginning to learn is, roadblocks to our advancement in any area of life are rooted in emotional responses we developed when, as children, we created our natural response to life experiences. Think: Being loved and supported – or not – and every variation of that.

The guiding light to my exploration of creating and attracting positive outcomes in my life is THIS:

Now, Become a Manifesting Machine: Learn to Use The Law of Attraction to Embrace your Goals, Create Success, and Live the Life of your Dreams, may sound more than a little too, “out there” for you, but hold on.

Perhaps you have heard the term “law of attraction” before. No, it’s not a technique for using a dating app. If you are involved with sales of any kind, you have probably read books and have attended seminars about the law of attraction.

It’s tied to the power of positive thinking. Sort of akin to, “if you think you can – you can. If you think you can’t – you can’t.” Along with visualizations of success – think the Olympic athlete holding the image of perfect execution of their skill and racing across the finish line – there are also the mantras of, “I can do this!”

But wait! There’s more!

Are there roadblocks? Voices in the deep subconscious saying, “you don’t deserve this,” or “you are not good enough”?

The author of this book, Jennifer Teske, takes the reader through her experiences in conquering her personal roadblocks to success in various life goals – including the publishing of this very book and, recovering from the PTSD associated with the seeming death of her husband – by a deeper understanding of the source of her negative emotions … rooted in her childhood.

To summarize some key thoughts I am acquiring:

• Beliefs are thoughts we keep thinking.

• Each thought is tied to an emotion.

• Any limiting beliefs we have, are tied to an uncomfortable emotion from childhood that we continue to feel as an adult.

• Taming those limiting beliefs and behaviors that demonstrate a lack of advancement, will require reliving that pain from your youth.

• To release a negative emotion/experience, we must allow it to fully exist and to feel that pain again.

• Let that feeling wash over us; experience it fully, and do not push it away.

• Then, it can naturally fade into the past, as we release it.

• The only way out of negativity is through it.

I first spoke of my word of the year, “Embrace,” several years ago. It referenced my role as a 24/7 caregiver. As much as I wanted that role to vanish, I knew it was there to stay until my husband passed. I needed to embrace my role to get through it. I had to lean in.

The visceral response is, “No!” – but embrace, we must. Denial is not the answer; nor is it the answer in recovery from an event. I even shared a releasing technique in, Toolkit for Caregivers, that first acknowledges the emotion before it can be released.

If you are interested in learning from this excellent book, I highly recommend getting the paperback. Currently, I am reading the Kindle version and am trying to decipher my scribbled notes. The paper version was ordered today, and I can’t wait to start using a highlighter and writing in the margins!

Here’s to learning ways to get rid of limiting beliefs.

In health –

Deidre

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