Linda-Ann Stewart - "Do You Passively Assume or Actively Believe?"

Casey never balanced her checkbook. She just assumed she'd have enough for her rent and monthly expenses each month. Although she never knew how much money she had, that didn't stop her from going out to lunch every day, buying jewelry and going to the movies with her friends. She went through the month with blinders on, avoiding thinking about how she was going to pay for everything.

At the end of the month, she usually could pay her rent only if she didn't buy groceries for the week. Her assumption that she had enough money wasn't a strong enough belief to get her over her financial hump.

There's a difference between an assumption that the best is coming to you and a conviction that it is. An assumption is passive, and doesn't have much energy behind it. It's mainly a hope that what you want will come to pass, without much resolution behind it.

On the other end of the spectrum, a conviction is active, a certain knowledge that what you desire will occur. It's conscious, intentional, focused and supercharges the thought and will. A belief backed with power inspires. It stirs the subconscious to creatively solve problems and find new ways of getting things done.

Too many people float through life, assuming that everything will be the same. But the one constant in the universe is change. As our environment and we change, we need to keep our beliefs in line with the present.

At the beginning of this century, many people comfortably believed that they would work for one company for their entire career. Shortly thereafter, many jobs were out-sourced and there was a recession. Suddenly, they faced a completely new set of circumstances, and spiraled into fear.

People who make statements like, "Smoking won't affect my health," "I'll eventually be able to pay down my credit cards," or "I don't have to upgrade my supplies or my marketing. Customers will come back into stores soon," aren't being positive or optimistic. They're living in denial, avoiding reality. They choose to stay in their comfort zone, even if it's destroying them. If they recognized the facts, they'd have to be pro-active and change, which they don't want to make the effort to do.

Many businesses and associations make a similar mistake. They coast on their past success until they run out of juice. Because they haven't changed with the times, they don't alter their strategies to find more business or new members. They're tied to their old mindset, assuming that what used to work is going to continue to work in the same way. But times change, and they need to update the way they do business.

A belief is like a garden. If you throw some seeds into fertile soil, some will take root, sprout and grow. But they need tending or they'll wither away. You have to water them with new energy, and pluck out the weeds of negative thoughts and inertia. When you attend to your belief and cultivate it, your subconscious will respond with insight, ideas, and inspired action.

Where are you stuck in a past mindset that's no longer serving you? What assumptions have you made that aren't valid anymore? Are you coasting in some areas and not putting energy into your life? Start becoming aware of your passive beliefs. How can you shift them into a positive statement of intention and action?

Instead of continuing to smoke, you could say, "I choose to do what I need to that furthers my health," and find a way to quit smoking. If you're in debt, you might decide to cut down on expenses, formulate a budget, and work your plan, committed to get out of debt by a certain date. For increased business, believe that you can be successful by investigating new ways to be visible, market and sell.

Don't allow the garden of your mind to wilt. Be dynamic and fertilize it with new purpose and action. Treat your belief like a living thing. Plant the seeds and make sure the environment is as favorable as possible to encourage them to grow. Nurture them, give them what they need to thrive. They'll bloom in your life with all the beauty and success you could want.

As a focus coach, hypnotherapist, and speaker, Linda-Ann Stewart motivates women to focus and transform their business through deliberate actions that break through distraction and overwhelm to greater success, freedom, wellbeing and prosperity. Watch her FREE training video on Set Your Course to Success: 4 steps to strategically achieve your goals with confidence and ease. Register for the video and accompanying action planning guide at www.SetYourCourseGuide.com. You can contact her at LAS@Linda-AnnStewart.com or 928-600-0452.

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