Repetition
Think of something that at first, you weren’t very good at, but with practice, you improved.
How about walking? Most of us took a spill or two (hundred) when we were learning to walk.
What about writing? It comes easily to me now but watching my first-grader s-l-o-w-l-y
w-r-i-t-e
t-h-e
l-e-t-t-e-r-s
i-n
h-e-r
h-o-m-e-w-o-r-k
sometimes calls for all the patience I can muster.
I’m fast at writing. I have nearly perfected walking. (Though I still require assistance on black ice.) The more I practiced the better I got. Repetition. That’s what it took.
In 1949, Canadian psychologist Donald Hebb suggested a theory in which he said that “the persistence or repetition of a reverberatory activity tends to induce lasting cellular changes that add to its stability.”
Allow me to restate (in English.) When we think a thought over and over, new connections are created in our brain. Repetition of that thought creates more connections which become engrams – similar to memories. “The more a thought is held, the easier for that thought remembered or activated.”
John Kehoe, author of Mind Power had this to say about the value of repetitious thoughts. “Although a single unaided thought hasn’t much power, through repetition the thought can become concentrated and directed, and its force can be magnified many times. The more the thought is repeated the more energy and power it generates, and the more readily it is able to manifest itself.”
“Weak and scattered thoughts are weak an scattered forces.
Strong and concentrated thoughts are strong and concentrated forces.”
With that in mind what
word
phrase
belief
motto
would you most like create an engram of in your mind? What don’t you believe that you want to believe?
Each day I repeat this phrase in my mind.
“I am a courageous, capable, beautiful, healthy, dynamic woman.”
I think it as I run on the treadmill.
I say it in my head as I get dressed.
I repeat it while I drive carpool.
I think it when I feel insecure and unsure of myself.
I chose those five words – courageous, capable, beautiful, healthy and dynamic, not because that’s what I believe about myself – but because it is what I struggle to believe about myself.
Repeating those words has helped me to believe those words.
Those types of thoughts give us the courage to reach higher, dream bigger, achieve more.
So don’t wait…
Choose your word.
Choose your phrase.
Think it.
Repeat.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 at 4:27 pm and is filed under BillionClicks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
March 22nd, 2012 at 7:07 pm
Jennie says:I choose 5 words and printed them off in a nice font to hang up to remind myself that is who I want to become and who I CAN become. My 5 words are confident, beautiful, calm, patient, and worthy.
March 23rd, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Cynthia says:I have to really work hard right now to believe what I tell myself. Sometimes I can say “I am a wonderful person” but that doesn’t mean I believe it. I really really need to keep telling myself positive things instead of negative. I am going to try harder!!!
March 23rd, 2012 at 3:21 pm
Brooke says:I love this! This is such a great idea….and something that can help us all to reach our potential
March 23rd, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Ann Snider says:I choose these five words: passionate, happy, giving, disciplined, and peaceful! I am going to hang these words on my bathroom mirror!
March 23rd, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Jennifer Birchenough says:What a great idea Hilary. Thanks for that. I will have to sit down and figure out what I want to believe about myself.
March 24th, 2012 at 12:48 am
Nicole says:Choosing words to live up to or believe about ourselves may be harder than we think, and for reasons we may not think of.
As I thought about this post it came to my mind that as women we have a hard time wanting the best for ourselves, or thinking the best of ourselves because we are afraid of the appearance of pride. Pride is something that we have been trained to stear clear of. However, if we replace the word PRIDE with the word PLEASED, it changes everything. Being pleased in the place of proud takes out any kind of comparison or judgement to others. We can be pleased that we have acheived something, pleased we have the qualities and talents we have, pleased that we followed a prompting of the Spirit.
I will choose my 5 words, and then as I feel I have lived up to them, I promise to be pleased with myself and that will strengthen my testimony in myself (and who I am as a daughter of God).
Thank you for this wonderful idea, I can’t wait to see the doors, windows, etc. it will open for me and my family.
March 31st, 2012 at 6:26 pm
Nancy W. says:@Jennie-Your 5 words are inspiring!
@Hilary-I was trying to justify purchasing clickers for my family of 4 (ages 5 thru 40) when a stressful lunch out and a loud and negative car ride home has completely sealed my decision to live positively and buy clickers for all 4 of us. A beautiful concept that will change our world. It is raining today and I am choosing to dance. God Bless You!
April 3rd, 2012 at 1:25 am
Nancy Wilson says:The 5 words I chose are: Level-headed, Compassionate, Limitless, Magnetic, Grateful
I have shared this with my sister (long with the clickers and she has created her 5 words, too!
Thank-you Hilary!