Kate was sitting with a friend looking through a fashion magazine, when she came across a beautiful sapphire ring and exclaimed, “I love this ring.”
Her friend, Sophie said, “No you don’t. You only like it because your favorite color is blue.”
Kate replied, “No, that’s not true. I love it.”
Sophie flicked the page back one, “Look, here is the exact same ring but with a green stone. You didn’t even see it.”
She was right. She had looked at that page and never even saw the ring.
She couldn’t believe it! But then a memory hit Kate like cold water in the face. Last week, she’d gone into a clothes store with a long sales rack. That rack had been so jammed with clothes you could barely see what was there.
Still she had seen a small triangle of blue jutting out. In all that mess, she had spotted the only blue outfit and gone straight to it.
Kate decided to change her favorite color to pink. A color she thought only little girls should wear. It was at the top of her don’t like at all list.
“Pink is the best color ever”, she said out loud and decided to believe it 100%. Kate went to work and remembered all the pinks she seen and actually liked (this is an important part of the process).
A memory popped into her mind – a gorgeous fuchsia dress a woman was wearing at a party. That event had happened years ago, but the brain thought it was important so stored it. I mean who doesn’t want a dress that looks fantastic. She was surprised she liked the dress even though it was pink.
There had been other times she enjoyed seeing something pink. She spent some time collecting pink stories the way the Australian Bower bird collects blue objects to line its nest. It took about 10-15 minutes. In short, she gathered a whole stack of evidence to support her new belief that pink was the best color in the world.
Evidence plus belief is a very powerful combination. The mind believes what you tell it. Kate had effectively set her brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS) for pink. Or in another words, set her filter for pink.
And it worked! Everywhere she went the next day she saw pink.
The pink backpack someone had on the bus. That lush salmon hoodie on the woman running by. The sun grazing the clouds with the softest hue as it sunk below the earth. The delicate bloom on the cheeks of a newborn met in a pram on the pavement. Kate couldn’t believe it!
But it was true. She kept seeing pink everywhere.
The brain cannot store all the information it is bombarded with throughout the day. A big function of the brain is to keep you safe. Therefore, it uses the Reticular Activating System to decide what to store. Knowingly or unknowingly, you decide what is important. If you want more information on the Reticular Activating System here is a Youtube clip.
It’s your job to harness your brain’s power and use it for your best interests. Your ideas are decisions about how you want to see the world. So, choose what’s important for you and how you want to be.
Your Filter and Biofeedback
Kate decided to set her filter for, ‘generally people are friendly and helpful’. Now, she didn’t really believe this. All her memories were of people cutting her off in traffic, being inconsiderate in shops, being ignored at dinner parties.
She told her brain to focus on it for the next 7 days. She thought about watching for both, the rude and nice. But then decided against it. To give the new belief a chance she needed to believe it wholeheartedly. Anyway, at the end of the week so could go back to the old one if it didn’t work.
She imagined what a day would be like with lovely people. She smiled. Just thinking about it made her happy. Her shoulders relaxed with the imagined good intent coming towards her from the world. (future planning what it will be like is important – keep reading to see why)
She left the house and saw a car across her driveway, blocking her car in. She started to get angry but then remembered her new resolve, ‘generally people are friendly and helpful’.
She went over to hi and said, “I really need to get my car out. I’ll be gone for about 4 hours. So you can use my drive way, then you won’t get a ticket from the parking officer. But I’ll need it to be free by lunch.”
He looked at her with gratitude, “That would be awesome. I’ll be gone by the time you get back. Sorry, I’ve had a terrible day and shouldn’t have done it. Parking in this part of town is a nightmare. I’ve been going around and around the block.”
It made her feel amazing. That was a very nice exchange. And to think it could have easily been an argument. And if she had had the argument it would have taken a while to get over it and would have dragged that toxic energy around with her for a while.
By the end of the week Kate felt amazing. She’d had a wonderful time. She’d joked with the butcher (and maybe even flirted a little) and met an elderly lady in a cafe who recommended some great spots in Italy to go to on her next holiday. There had been a lot of friendly exchanges and her meetings had all gone smoothly.
Have you read How I Changed my Friendship Circle with this Radical Move? Feedback has been great and it’s very helpful.
She thought about how she could have decided to watch for both. She knew if she had done that she still would have got the evidence that people are lovely but it would have taken longer. The mind would have been wrestling with both ideas and trying to decide rather than believing the belief.
The more evidence you accumulate, the more powerful you make the new belief. When it becomes your default setting then you operate at a higher level. It is a way to move towards love and it’s a better way of being and doing in the world.
To be successful in life and live the way you want then you need to have as many good beliefs as possible. Good beliefs are ones that serve you and help you live in a positive, loving and powerful way. Bad beliefs trip you up and sabotage your best efforts. They limit your thinking, actions and potential. Working with the neuroscience of the brain and the RAS is key to making these changes.
Now, Kate also knew the world was not static. Biofeedback operates all the time. She knew that smiling and trusting the world helped created that reality. Her open energy/vibe or the first impression she gave out relaxed people and brought the best out in them. Future planning all this good energy and believing it would happen, made her act in a different way, and that helped create that reality.
She also knew that some people were still awful and rude. But focusing on naysayers left her disgruntled and mind-chewing over slights. She wanted to focus on the beautiful interactions and put them down as memories. She had become the ruler of her inner world. And that world was nice, warm and cozy.
And now it’s your turn!
Action Item
I had a lot of fun doing this one. Decide to change your favorite color to another one. Start with this because I want you to see how powerful your Reticular Activation System is. Do this for a few days. Make sure you wholeheartedly believe your new color is your absolute favorite. You are changing your belief.
Spend time collecting memories for this new belief. Let’s say 10 minutes or so. Remember, belief plus evidence is the key. The mind believes what you tell it.
Deeper Work On The Reticular Activating System (RAS)
Now, if you are in a hurry to make progress do this one at the same time. Think about an issue that bugs you. A way you see the world that drags you down. Some ideas for you….
- You get easily upset by other’s behavior in the office and then gossip about it.
- You think most people are condescending to you.
- You believe that politics is the best way to get ahead at work.
- You believe your extended family’s advice about your life is disrespectful and unhelpful.
What would be a better way to think about it? Choose a positive mindset. Here are some examples.
- People can be weird sometimes. But their stuff has nothing to do with me. I’m going to have a wonderful day regardless. I much prefer talking about my weekend plans.
- Generally people are interested in what I have to say and respect my point of view.
- I love working as a team and bringing the best out in others.
- My family has very different ideas about how to live life. They just want me to be safe and happy.
Collect memories and evidence. If you have no memories of your own, think about a friend or colleague who is successful in this area. Think about their evidence. Particular instances you can remember. If it works for them, it will surely work for you. However, I guarantee that 99.7% of you will have memories lurking around in there to support ANY belief you choose. Spend some time collecting evidence for this belief.
Give yourself a time frame to do it and go hard. 7 days let’s say.
Decide to believe it 100%.
Final Note – Also, make sure you use your common sense. Trying to change, for example, an abusive boss, with your positive behavior may change the interactions slightly. But you can’t ultimately change who they are. This task is about changing your world and how you operate in it.
Have fun with this one. Make your day better and ultimately those around you.
Best,
Monique xx
Miguel Lahunken says
Dear Monique,
If over 50% of you brain believes anything it will become your reality. This which is your reality is your reality from over 50% of your brain believing it.
It’s all true and real. Here is an example, presented by Dr. Max Tegmark, professor of quantum physics at MIT. Here is the Multiverse: Page on mit.eduhttp://space.mit.edu/home/tegmark/PDF/m … _sciam.pdf
A fast entropy production rate accesses globally bent timespace just like gravity and velocity. But, globally bent timespace doesn’t cause gravity; rather, gravity causes globally bent timespace. Current in electricity (the Philadelphia Experiment), and a fast polarity cancellation rate, also access globally bent timespace. without the gravitational component. All probability timelines exist, for each and every difference. There is infinite room for them all in infinity, and, they are repeated an infinite number of times, each and every one. Yet, in infinitely dimensioned Hilbert space each and every probability timeline is only Planck’s distance from any other probability timeline.
Access only depends on the tuning. If over fifty percent of your brain believes anything, it will become your reality by drawing you by inductive resonance to the probability timeline where your belief is reality.
By increasing your percentage of conscious brain use you may switch to the timeline where what you imagine is reality there, by varying extents of will, inversely proportional to your percentage of conscious brain use. The power of the mind is will times imagination. The MRI shows that we normally use 10% conscious brain use. From 10% to 19% brain use, the world feels euphoric. That is called “perinatal matrix one”.
But, from 20% brain use to 49% brain use, the mind is flooded with that which has been called “the knowledge of good and evil”, and this is called “perinatal matrix two”. From 20% to 29% brain use, if you symbolize what you want, especially with a logo of solid colors in an emblematic form you will go to the timeline where getting what you want is reality. From 30% to 39% brain use, if you write down what you want, you will get it. It is what has been called “real magic”, for, you don’t even feel that you have gone anywhere. You just get what want by writing it down. Between 40% and 49% brain use, what ever you say will become your reality. Jesus Christ said, “If you have the faith of a mustard seed and say to this mountain move it shall be moved”.
But, from 50% to 100% brain use, called “perinatal matrix three”, every thought manifests as your reality. I don’t know anyone who can control every thought all the time. If you imagine what you don’t want to think of, it too will then become your reality. Things go wrong, and soon you wish you were someone else, and “zap”, you are in the body of that someone else, but, now probably with a body down to 10% brain use again. But, it isn’t your body, so that when that body sleeps or dies, it’s on to another body you go, and, in this way you body switch backward and forward in time into everyone you have seen, and, this can go on for about a hundred years duration. This was called an “aioniu amartematos”, an aeon of failure, in the Greek New Testament, but it was mistranslated into English, “eternal damnation”. There has always been much secrecy about this hyperdimensional travel. Psychiatry presents it as delusions within the brain; but, we now know that these hyperdimensions exist. Over 50% conscious brain use, “perinatal matrix three” has been used for punishment.
What awakens the brain like this? We have inhibitory neurons in the brain which keep our conscious brain use down to 10% brain use. Blocking these inhibitory neurons causes higher percentages of conscious brain use. LSD, and similar seratonin blockers block seratonin, the neurotransmitter of our brain’s inhibitory neurons, thereby awakening our brains to more that the normal 10% conscious brain use. Large doses of LSD were used for the “Clockwork Orange” treatment to put it victims into perinatal matrix three, after showing these victims horrible films of human torment, so that these torments are experienced as real as life, for it is real on those timelines.
But, these inhibitory neurons may be overriden by muscarinic nervous system, like the parasympathetic nervous system, stimulation, mechanical, even with one’s own hands, or chemical, like by muscarine which doesn’t even pass through the blood/brain barrier, so it doesn’t even have to enter the brain. Muscarine excites the whole parasympathetic nervous system, therefore it is messy, and not popular in the West. The West has mechanical ways of exciting muscarinic nerves near the brain, therefore, cleaner.
Crucifixion forces what is called “holotropic” breathing, which stimulates the parasympathetic nerves of the respiratory nervous system, the stimulation of which, spreads to the brain. Remembering the body switching, you can see how Jesus Christ, being God the Son, body switched, backward and forward in time, into everyone who ever was, is, or will be, and that is how Jesus Christ is in you and I. With ordinary people, therefore on a lesser scale than Christ’s, waterboarding has been recently used to inflict the Clockwork Orange treatment.
In “Living Systems” by Dr. James Miller, he made the basic statement that, “There are two things in the universe: energy; and, information, which is the conformation of energy. It is obvious that energy is the “one substance” of the universe. It is also obvious that in one substance motion can only be in closed circuitry, that there be something to move out of the way and fill in behind. Some of these closed circuits have been called “magnetic”. It is also obvious that these basic closed circuits would only slip by one another, and no one would be conscious of anything, if there wasn’t the granularity of Planck’s volumes to provide a frictional grip. Planck’s volumes are moving in closed circuits of Planck’s volumes in the matrix composed of Planck’s volumes.
This is how information is differentiated from energy. Dr. James Miller called matter “alpha code information”. I have seen these concepts printed elsewhere around the internet. I am writing this in my own words from what I remember, much of which is unforgettable, especially the scheme of compulsory and inevitable manifestation. The perpetual and eternal mechanisms of manifestation are: The infinitesimal point nothingness, . , is rastered by time into timespace, U , that exerting its oneness in one direction, / , stirs closed circuitry, O , that all going the same way, vO^XvO^ , clashes (a Big Bang), X , forcing confluency, = , undifferentiating individual closed circuits into nonexistence.
The energy that maintained their differentiation is released as photons. Closed circuits being turned by that “exertion of the oneness of the one substance”, energy, on apparently both sides is allowed by one side being in timespace with a value of pi different from the other side, as this manifestation of a world expands, also fifth dimensionally. This fifth dimension was defined for science by Harvard University professor of quantum physics, Dr. Lisa Randall, in her book “Warped Passages”.
The counterclockwise and clockwise of these closed circuits are the basic opposite polarities. Structure, maintained by orthogonality, is the cause of the separation of opposite polarities. Now we take the variously bent timespaces into consideration, that Scientific American has written about before. As we leave the rigid orthogonality of flat timespace, where the value of pi is 3.14159265…, like, for example, by accessing globally bent timespace by the mechanical velocity analogues in electricity, current, and thermodynamics, entropy production rate, etc., we depart from that rigid orthogonality of flat timespace that maintained the separation of opposite polarities, so that individual closed circuits may undifferentiate into nonexistence. `
We wouldn’t be conscious if differentiation didn’t cause consciousness. Reciprocally, all the differentiations have caused energy itself to be eternally conscious. As you know, everything is “trying” to run down, or is being built up by that which is running down. In other words all differentiations are being pushed to undifferentiate. To undifferentiate is the actual true will of every differentiated thing in the universe.
Descending into globally bent timespace matter acquires a tenuousity that has been called “spirit”, and as we descend into globally bent timespace it gets more and more flexable until, especially with the fast polarity cancellation rate allowed there, all is literally flames. But, undifferentiating being pleasure, undifferentiating into nonexistence is the attainment of the satisfaction of all desires.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics indicates that in our infinite universe, also including what has been called the “multiverse”, the reunion of previously associated Planck’s volumes back into their original closed circuits is impossible so that the attainment of total undifferentiation is the eternal satisfaction of all desires. It can also be said that there are three things in the universe: entities, properties, and relationships. In the one substance, energy, a sphere can manifest as a closed circuit. A sphere can turn on itself. That could be called a particle. We know we are entities. “I hurt therefore I am”.
Our entity is a closed circuit of the one substance, energy, in the one substance, energy, that is a ring, that qualifies to be called a unit of “dark matter”. Dark matter is composed of all those closed circuits that don’t qualify to be called particles. Remember, we are the information, not energy. If we were energy we would never sleep The great quantum physicist, Dr. Hugh Everett said that for every possibility there is a “parallel universe”. Actually, these “parallel universes” can be called probability time lines sideways in time. This direction, sideways in time can now be called the sixth dimension.
So, we have all the entities, and their “similarities”, in all their possible probability time lines. We can call them “similarities” rather than duplicates, though MIT professor of quantum physics, Dr. Max Tegmark, revealed that in the infinite eternal universe, that he calls the “multiverse”, each entity has an infinitude of exact duplicates, hyperdimensionally.
“The fact that an entity is a closed circuit, its shape is a property, and the rate of its circulation, counterclockwise on one side, and clockwise on the on the other side are also properties, etc. Counterclockwise and clockwise circuits, ^OvvO^ , able to go confluent when face to face, is a relationship. Side to side they draw other entites in like a ringer, which pushes them apart, of course, also by closed circuit configurations. And, the pressure of repulsion forces circuits to turn around, again by the mechanism of closed circuitry, so that circuits can undifferentiate by confluency, =, into nonexistence. The final fate of any universe, in the “multiverse”? Nonexistence.
Thanks, Miguel Lahunken
Monique says
Hi Miguel,
Thanks for taking the time to write all that information down. It is very interesting. The pdf you mention .. the web address is not complete. Could you give me the full address. I’m sure some f my readers would be very interested.
Thank you again for sharing.
Kind Regards,
Monique
Jeanine Byers says
My all-time favorite color is (was) burnt orange. But now, I am moving cream to first place. Also, I want to shift what I tell myself about my adolescent son’s angry reactions. I know they aren’t really about me but I sometimes act as if they are.
Monique says
Let me know how you go Jeanine! So happy you’re going to do the colour exercise! Yes, when dealing with difficult personalities or attitudes it is best to remove yourself from the situation. By that I mean you don’t take on their issues and don’t take it personally.
Anya Light says
Your article reminds me of the work of Byron Katie. Are you familiar with her work, Monique? She shows how every single “fact” is only a belief we think, and we can always change our beliefs because the brain can find supporting evidence for anything. She works with people who have lost loved ones or are going through grief/trauma and helps them re-wire their brains to new beliefs that make them happy and in love with life again. It’s incredible!
I too write a lot about how to manifest positivity in a world that can seem quite chaotic and dark. If we look inside with love, we can face ANY challenge from the outside.
Here’s a recent poem to that effect… Hope you enjoy!
SUNSHINE IS ON THE INSIDE
When the sky is gray,
look inside.
When clouds cover the land,
Look inside.
No matter whether raindrops fall
or blizzards large and small—
Look inside.
There, there is where
you will find the sunshine.
Sunshine is on the inside.
***
Monique says
Hi Anya, Thank you for your comments. I will be sure to check out your and Byron’s work. Have a wonderful day! best, Monique
Ryan_Cao says
thanks, very nice
Monique says
Thanks for the feedback Ryan
Barbara J Faison says
What a amazing article with easy steps to apply to daily life. I feel like I was a neuroscientist in another life so the science behind your stories were perfect. I’ve been saying to my friends, col-workers, meditation students to “train your brain, be kind to your mind, and to pay attention to how you think that you feel. ”
Using which I think about you bring about now has a new emphasis and scientific support.
Thank you for a life-changing and thoughtful article. Loved learning about RAS.
Congrats on getting back to yoga, I know the feeling and dealing with injuries. I look forward to staying connected. Thanks for following me on Twitter.
Monique says
Thank you Barbara, It is great being back at yoga. Yes I did some considerable research on the RAS Reticular Activating System a while ago and it is an amazing instrument. Training the mind is so important. Keep up the great healing work, Monique
Shanna says
Oh Monique I just love what you’re doing with your blog! I am a firm believer that all success starts with strong self esteem. And I LOVE the action items! (I might steal the idea if you don’t mind.) I have to say of all the blogs I’ve started following in the last month since I entered this world, yours is my favorite. Beautiful.
Monique says
Hi Shanna,
Welcome to my website! I’m touched! Thank you for your lovely lovely comments! IF you want to use the concept of Action Items that is fine. Thanks for asking. For me it is so important to implement the thing we read. Then we can take small steps which improve our life. The best way to change your life is one hour at a time. Or whatever increment works for you. Best, Monique
Tilly Mykat says
Neuralplasticity is something that I find fascinating. After reading a book about it five odd years ago I have manipulated my mind to change in many ways. I think my next major task is to teach it to love bland foods that will make me lose weight. ????
Monique says
Hi Tilly, thanks for your comment. Neuroplasticity is very powerful. I have a three part series on weight mgt which you may like. Best, Monique
Bronwyn says
I love this so much. I recently tried a similar “experiment”, where every time I enter a busy car park, I set my default thought to “I find it easy to get a parking spot”. Usually I get very stressed and mentally drained waiting for a spot. Since this though, I’m sure I’ve noticed more spots/people about to leave than ever before. It’s so cool to see there’s evidence to back this up and I’ll certainly be applying it in other areas as well!
Monique says
Hi Bronwyn, Keep up the great work and I’m glad you can see it’s what you are focussing on that creates the opportunity. It’s great that you have changed your mindset to a more positive one around this too. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Gila says
Such an amazing and empowering post. Belief is so important and life changing. I will follow your suggestions. Have a fantastic day sending you live and kindness. ????
Monique says
Hi Gila, thankyou. Yes, belief is the key to unlocking a lot of potential. Goodluck with doing it. Best, Monique
Kelly M says
I think you have some great actionable ideas here for helping me see change is possible for me. I’m excited to give this a go!
Monique says
Awesome Kelly! I’d love to hear how you go. Have fun with it, Best Monique
Luz says
I would love for you to help me. I really need to change my beliefs. My bad beliefs have caused some strain in my relationship and now I don’t know how to regain it back.
Luz Rose says
I would love for you to help me. I really need to change my beliefs. My bad beliefs have caused some strain in my relationship and now I don’t know how to regain it back.
Monique says
Hi Luz, Have you signed up for my free self esteem series? There are some important beliefs in there you can work on which will help. I am thinking of doing a course on this so we can dig deep and work on the particular change people are looking for. If you are interested please contact me through my contact form on my website and it will be sent to me as an email. Looking forward to hearing from you, Mon xx https://moniquehohnberg.com/contact/
Gary Gruber says
Such good food for thought, thoughts and thinking about how this all works. It’s also about when you change the way you look at things, the things you’re looking at change. Another word for that is perspective. Change your perspective and you change the way yo you see the world. Then you can change the way you interact with and respond to the world and the people in it whom you meet every day, well most days anyway.
Here’s another one. Every time I get a new car, usually not new, but a different car, I suddenly see many more of those cars on the road that I didn’t see before. Actually I saw a few of them but I was not focused on that particular brand or model. And over the years I’ve been driving, I have had many cars to make this observation, perhaps as many as 30+ cars in 65 years. I wondered if I was telling myself how smart those people were because they had chosen a car like mine or whether I was the smart one having chosen a car like theirs. I then reflected on why I had chosen that car or this one. Currently, FYI, I drive an 11 year old car but it’s a classic, a Mercedes Benz S500 for any of you other car nuts out there. I will not bore you with all the other vehicles I’ve enjoyed over the years.
In the end, it’s about change and what kind you want, why you want it and how best to plan and get it. My old song I keep repeating is there are two kinds of change, planned and unplanned. Since change is inevitable, plan carefully and it’s ok to expect the unexpected and be ready for that too.
Monique says
Hi Gary, yes you nailed the biofeedback part! The new reality that we create then helps us form a new understanding of the world. And then we grow emotionally and spiritually.