Hey Friend!

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrases:

“What goes around, comes around.”
“Treat others how you’d like to be treated.”
“Judge not lest you be judged.”
“Everything happens for a reason.”
“The karma bus always arrives on time.”

Lately, I’ve been contemplating the spiritual idea/natural law of karma, trying to understand how best to navigate my life to create more balance, joy and peace.

In his phenomenal book, The Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav, suggests, “When you choose wisely and responsibly while you are angry, judgmental, etc., you enter into the evolution of your soul consciously…Karma is not a moral dynamic. Morality is a human creation. The universe does not judge. The law of karma governs the balancing of energy within our system of morality and within those of our neighbors. It serves humanity as an impersonal and universal teacher of responsibility.”

For example, someone “that takes advantage of others creates an imbalance of energy that must be righted by the experience of being taken advantage by others.”

Looking at karma as energy that needs to be balanced, offers a clear way of understanding the idea that what we put out into the world comes back to us; Zukav writes, “the soul must balance its energy. It must experience the effects that it has caused.”

Therefore, every choice to be more compassionate, accepting or loving, provides the karmic exchange of positive energy. And, of course, every cruel, selfish and hateful choice provides the karmic exchange of negative energy that needs to be balanced.

Zukav offers 3 ways to become more consciously aware of your karmic exchanges:
1. Journal on these questions: How many times this last week did I feel angry, resentful, betrayed, superior, inferior, etc. and acted on that emotion? Have I ever said, “Why me? What did I do to deserve this?” Write down examples. How many times have I felt hurt and wanted to hurt the person I felt was responsible? When something doesn’t go my way, do I look for the lesson or do I play the victim?

2. Implement a monthly Week of Kindness: Go out of your way to see how you can be friendly and kind to people that you encounter during the week. Extend this kindness to people you talk to on the phone, email, or write. Then notice how you feel and what effects you notice in your life.

3. Practice non-judgmental justice: When we judge, we create negative karma. Non-judgmental justice is a perception that allows you to see everything in life, but does not engage your negative emotions. Non-judgmental justice relieves you of the self-appointed job of judge and jury because you know that everything is being seen–nothing escapes the law of karma–and this brings forth understanding and compassion. So, practice seeing what you see and experiencing what you experience without responding negatively.

These exercises help us become more aware of our responses to life, and they remind us that everything we say and do carry consequences for ourselves and others.

To help you further, here’s a quick Hypnosis Recording on Karma and practicing non-judgmental perception. Grab your headphones and listen below:
Conscious of Karma

Every moment is an opportunity to consciously be more of the change we’d like to see in the world. A keen awareness of karma calls us to be more responsible and compassionate, for as Zukav writes, “when you understand that your experiences are karmic necessities, you are less likely to take them personally–to react with anger, righteous outrage, judgment, etc…creating fewer painful and more joyful experiences for yourself.”

Much love and happy editing,
Robin

Hey Friend!

Because most of the limiting beliefs and negative behavior patterns running in our subconscious minds stems from our childhood experiences (particularly with parent-figures), it makes sense that most people could benefit from Inner Child or Reparenting work.

In her book, How to Do the Work, Dr. Nicole LePera writes, “most parent-figures never learned how to meet their own needs, let alone another person’s, passing on their own unresolved traumas and conditioned coping strategies. Even well intentioned parent-figures don’t always give us what serves us. Meeting all of someone’s varied and unique needs all the time is almost impossible. That said, if we lived with an emotionally immature parent-figure, our needs were likely routinely unmet or dismissed.”

Here are some common negative behavior patterns that indicate you may have a hurt Inner Child:
– Unexplained anger, outbursts, or aggression
– Wanting to control the behavior of loved ones
– Fear of abandonment
– Fear of rejection
– Fear of authority
– Feeling unworthy, not good enough
– Feeling like people don’t like you
– Problems with intimacy
– Not comfortable with challenges
– Addictions of all kinds
– Intimidated by sex
– Uncomfortable with love and affection
– “Acting out” sexually
– Hidden shame of self
– Lack of sexual involvement
– Not able to be authentic with true feelings
– Not able to hold lasting relationships
– Afraid to express needs
– Always need to be perfect
– Chooses abusive or emotionally absent partners

All children desire to be seen, heard and authentically expressed (essentially to be ourselves). When this is not supported or cultivated, those kids grow up to be adults that LePera says, “live from that protected place and familiar place of their ego (with all its stories) and often have an intense need to be ‘right,’ rejecting other people’s opinions and making others feel just as small and insignificant as they once did…

Others create avatars of themselves–always wearing a mask–fearful that they may scare people away if they show their true face. Some avoid any type of intimacy, and some cling to it desperately…

The manifestations run the gamut, but the way we heal these wounds is to give ourselves all the things we didn’t get as children…this is a process called reparenting, and it enables you to relearn how to meet the unmet needs of your inner child through daily, dedicated, and conscious action.”

Here are some ways to begin Inner Child/ Reparenting Work:
– Book an Inner Child Hypnotherapy Session
– Keep small promises to yourself each day
– Notice what causes you to be emotionally activated
– Listen to an Inner Child Hypnosis Recording
– Develop daily rituals and routines of self-care
– Say “no” to things that don’t serve you
– Witness your emotions without judgement
– Write a letter to your inner child and have her/him write back
– Do something you loved doing as a child
– Hold boundaries even if it’s uncomfortable to do so
– PLAY: sing out loud, dance around the room freely
– Do something unplanned, be impulsive and spontaneous
– Learn something new, without needing to be the best at it
– Cook yourself a home-cooked meal
– Spend time outside in nature
– Connect with someone you love
– Go to bed earlier
– Engage in fun activities that stimulate the positive child aspect
– Practice comfortable aloneness

BENEFITS OF INNER CHILD WORK
– Empowers you to re-parent yourself
– Encourages whole integration of self
– Allows forgiveness of self
– Creates an experience of self-love
– Softens resistance
– Strengthens early developmental stages that were corrupted or missed

It’s important to note:
Inner Child/Reparenting work can be emotionally triggering. This work can also unleash a great deal of anger, even rage, that you have towards your parent-figure(s). Many will desire that their pain be acknowledged, but LePera cautions, “It’s important to allow the anger in, be in it, and yes, communicate it if you choose–and it’s helpful to do so without expecting an outside party will validate your reality or experiences. The only person who can do this for you is you.”

It’s best to hold off on a confrontation until you feel “more tolerant of the uncertainty of the outcome,” meaning, you’re okay not getting an apology or having your feelings validated.

And, if you’re dealing with sexual abuse issues, I’d encourage you to do this work while working with a trained psychotherapist or support community, as this work may be too overwhelming to process alone.

To better serve you, I recently completed an additional hypnotherapy certification on “Healing the Inner Child: Hypnosis and Imagery.” I’m excited to bring these inner child techniques into my private sessions. If you feel called to start Inner Child Hypnotherapy work, click here.

Also, here’s a hypnosis recording I created called “Inner Child Meeting” to help you begin the process of reconnecting with your inner child. Listen below:

It’s normal to carry around pain from our childhoods. Keep in mind that the subconscious has no concept of time, so you may feel the pain of something that happened 30 or 40 years ago, as though it happened yesterday. LePera suggests that a quick and easy way to start meeting the needs of your inner child is by simply asking “What am I needing most right now?” Giving yourself exactly what you need moment to moment is a fantastic way to rebuild trust and love for yourself at any age.

Much love and happy editing,
Robin

Hey Friend!

I’m currently experiencing a lull in business productivity. I haven’t been on social media much over the past few weeks, and I haven’t been creating much content.

Instead, I’ve been reading books, visiting with friends, going on day-dates with my husband, and taking long walks. I’m not going to lie, it’s been hard at times to enjoy this downtime, I often feel the sharp pangs of urgency, restlessness, and guilt that I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing.

This isn’t surprising to me. We live in a society that sees productivity, as a measurement of worth, success and goodness.

But, is being unproductive really even possible? I mean, after all, we are always doing something. Even sitting down doing nothing is doing something, right? So, why is that labeled good or bad/right or wrong? And, really, isn’t a person’s doing ultimately a personal thing, unique to each of us?

It’s up to each of us to decide then, whether binge watching TV on the couch is a restorative act of self-love or an act of self-sabotage.

Consider also, who’s voice is in your head when you are taking some downtime? According to whose rules or standards are you judging the success of your life? Are your actions derived from a place of rejuvenation, joy, alignment and growth or are your actions a form of avoidance, keeping you from the life you desire? How do you know for sure?

Marlee Grace’s book, Getting to Center, offers relatable and easy to follow advice for incorporating ease and aligned work into your life. Here are two of her valuable insights:

NOTICE HOW “DISTRACTIONS” SHOW UP
While Grace’s book will never shame anyone for watching mindless or “trashy” TV, as she recognizes that “distractions often serve to protect our overworked minds,” she does argue that, “we must stay committed to the daily maintenance of our lives off the screen to share our findings at a slow and non-urgent pace…to stay in rather than drop out.”

In order to determine whether your action is actually avoidance, ask your self these questions:

-Is there some big other commitment to self I said I would do today that I am avoiding?

-Am I using this distraction because I don’t want to face myself?

-Is this distraction a pivot moment where I get to relax and find pleasure before returning to my work?

Depending on the answer, the “distraction” might actually be a nourishing time for you to recharge or an opportunity for you to overcome the distraction (instead of reaching for your phone to scroll social media, call a friend, go for a walk outside or do some journaling instead to break the cycle of avoidance).

TAKE THE GUILT OUT OF GUILTY PLEASURES
Consider giving yourself full permission to just experience pleasure. Grace writes, “Rejuvenation for me is just about paying attention to my own rhythms, bodily and mentally. When I am going too fast or too slow. Listening to my body and mind in terms of what it needs…to rejuvenate is to say what is and to say what isn’t and to not hate myself on the journey of finding it all out.”

Here are some ways to rejuvenate:
-Sauna
-Bath
-Go be alone somewhere
-Take a trip and not work for 3 days
-Go be with other people somewhere
-Pray (follow Anne Lamott’s 3 prayer ideas from Help, Thanks, Wow, pray to ask for help, be grateful or be in awe)
-Go outside
-Be intimate with a partner or yourself
-Create art
-Do nothing

Getting to Center isn’t anti-productivity, but it’s a way to consciously manage work and ease into our lives without guilt or shame. Instead of telling people to find balance, Grace prefers to say get “back on the beam.” She writes, “We will always get knocked off, and we may get knocked off when we least expect it. You might picture the beam where gymnasts do amazing tricks. They flip and spin through the air, and then, with a mix of luck and skill, they stick the landing in their sparkly leotards and throw their hands up…I’ve built tools into my life to help me get back on the beam faster…And if we don’t stick the landing and instead break both ankles and crumple into a ball, we’re going to figure out how the hell to start over again.”

I’ve been focusing my self-hypnosis practice on extricating my worth from my doing and focusing on what makes me feel calm and most alive. I’m going to make this the focus of our upcoming Group Hypnosis recordings. If you’d like to be added to the list to receive this and any additional free monthly hypnosis recordings, click here or comment below saying “add me to the list.”

I hope you find the tools to help you honor your cycles of productivity, combat shame or anxiety when you need rest, and bust through avoidance to face what needs facing. And, through any ups and downs, may you “get back on the beam” stronger and more energized than ever!

Happy editing,
Robin

Hey Friend!

I talk a lot with clients and friends about busyness and burnout, because they tend to go hand in hand. And, I’ve found that because, culturally, we tend to judge a person’s success and value based on what they “do,” it goes without saying that we overbook and overexert ourselves in a mad rush to constantly try to measure up, to be good enough, and to be worthy.

Best-selling author of Do Less, Kate Northrup, writes, “It’s recently come to my attention that I have a habit of, or perhaps even an addiction to, proving my worth through constant activity…

How many meaningful conversations in the car with my husband have I not had because I was checking my email for the twentieth time that day?…

How many breaths have become shallow from being caught in the spin of constant activity?…

How many precious moments of stillness have I missed because I feared what might come up during the pause?”

Northrup offers the following list as signs you might be addicted to busyness:
– As much as you crave white space on your calendar it also gives you anxiety.

– You notice yourself checking your phone obsessively throughout the day, particularly when you are tired, overwhelmed, or anxious.

– More than once, a close friend or family member has said something about your compulsion to engage with your phone or computer and how it affects your relationship.

– When someone suggests that you relax and do nothing, you say to yourself or out loud, “What the heck does that even mean? What do people do when they do nothing?”

– When you do find yourself doing nothing, you feel guilty that you aren’t being productive.

– You mentally tally the number of productive hours you’ve had at the end of the day and judge how you feel about yourself by how full your day was.

– You find yourself “complaining” about how busy you are while simultaneously feeling proud of having so much on your plate that you can barely breathe.

– You say that you’re too busy to meditate, move your body, nap, hang out with your girlfriends, make love, prepare healthy food for yourself, or go on dates (with yourself, your spouse, or new people).

In our busyness, we’ve subconsciously created behavior patterns and habits that make our busyness feel “normal,” while making downtime and rest feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar–hence, we resist it. Only by creating new habits and behavior patterns can we break free from the pull and overwhelm of busyness.

5 New Habits/Practices to Help You Slow Down, Use Your Time Effectively and Feel More in Control of Your Day
1. Schedule at least one engaging and fun activity that you can do every single day. Put it on your To Do list and treat it as a priority. This way, attending to your needs and desires, no matter how small, becomes part of your daily routine. Also, this communicates to your subconscious that your needs/wants/desires matter. To help with this, take this affirmation through your daily hypnosis practice: I make space for what matters most.

2. Don’t over-commitment to social engagements. Time with friends and family is important, but when you spread yourself too thin, these engagements begin to feel taxing and draining. Learning to say no, without guilt or shame, will help to create healthy boundaries for restoration and downtime, keeping your social events about connection rather than obligation and/or resentment. To help with this, take this affirmation through your daily hypnosis practice: I am at my best when I am rested and recharged. It is safe for me to take a break.

3. Create more space in your day by learning to work more efficiently. Perhaps, you can batch calls and meetings so that you’re not switching gears all day long or you can make tasks easier to complete by getting a handle on your perfectionism. Brené Brown recently posted this quote, “Perfectionism, the 20-ton shield we lug around hoping it protects us from experiencing judgement, shame and blame, when all it really does is keep us from being seen, and it’s heavy AF.” It’s important that we know our limits and allow ourselves to complete and let go. To help with this, take this affirmation through your daily hypnosis practice: Being is just as valuable as doing. Downtime is valuable time.

4. Wake up naturally on your own, without an alarm, as often as possible. To help with this, take this affirmation through your daily hypnosis practice: My creativity is fueled by rest.

5. Start or end the day with a 10 minute hypnosis recording:

Along with helping to reprogram your subconscious mind, this practice will also help manage stress and deepen your breathing. It’s important to our health (mind, body and soul) to quiet our mind. A hypnosis practice will keep you grounded, relaxed and motivated. Consider this hypno-affirmation for your practice: Doing less allows me to have more of what matters in my life.

I hope you find the time to practice doing less of what overwhelms you and more of what brings you joy, presence, connection and peace. Remember, working with the subconscious will help you stay aligned with what really matters to you in your life–helping you stay more aware of patterns that deplete your energy.

Change takes time, but showing up as your most aligned and rejuvenated self deserves a spot on your calendar!

Happy editing,
Robin

Hey Friend!

I don’t know about you, but time seems to be flying by these days. Summer is upon us, and now is a great time to regroup, reassess and realign. I’d invite you to journal on or ponder these questions:

– What goals did I set for myself back in January?
– Did I accomplish or am I close to accomplishing my goals?
– If not, what resistance is coming up, and what is that resistance telling me?
– Am I still in love with my goals? Do I need to pivot?

One thing that I’ve noticed about my “goal-setting process” is that I often get really attached to the outcome; I feel “pressure” in my body and myriad negative feelings when things don’t go the way I wanted.

In his book, Letting Go: The Pathway to Surrender, David Hawkins, MD, PhD, exposes how harmful those attachments can be to us and how that pressure and those negative feelings thrust us into a vicious cycle of Suppression, Expression and Escape:

Suppression – “The feelings that we select to be suppressed or repressed are in accord with the conscious and unconscious programs that we carry within us from social custom and family training. The pressure of suppressed feelings is later felt as irritability, mood swings, tension in the muscles of the neck and back, headaches, cramps, menstrual disorders, colitis, indigestion, insomnia, hypertension, allergies and other somatic conditions.”

Expression – “The expression of negative feelings allows just enough of the inner pressure to be let out so that the remainder can be suppressed…[but what really needs to happen is] the repressed impulse or feeling [has] to be neutralized, sublimated, socialized and channeled into constructive drives of love, work and creativity.”

Escape – “Escape is the avoidance of feelings through diversion. We can avoid our own inner selves and keep our feelings from emerging by an endless variety of pursuits, many of which eventually become addictions as our dependency upon them grows. Enormous amounts of energy are required to keep down the growing pressures of suppressed and repressed feelings.”

When we feel pressure and the negative feelings that come with it, we need to get it out, neutralize it and let it go. So, how do we keep from suppressing our feelings? How do we let go?

Hawkins asserts, “Letting go involves being aware of a feeling, letting it come up, staying with it, and letting it run its course without wanting to make it any different or do anything about it. It means simply to let that feeling be there and to focus on letting out the energy behind it.”

“The first step is to allow yourself to have the feeling without resisting it, venting it, fearing it, condemning it, or moralizing about it. It means to drop judgement and to see that it is just a feeling…Let go of wanting to resist the feeling. ‘It is resistance that keeps the feeling going’…a feeling that is not resisted will disappear as the energy behind it dissipates.

His book encourages us to live in a surrendered state, “free of negative feelings in a given area so that creativity and spontaneity can manifest without opposition or the interference of inner conflicts…it allows us to experience the basic nature of the universe, which, it will be discovered, is to manifest the greatest good possible in a situation.”

Lately, I’ve been practicing letting go and surrendering outcomes. I’ve been using it in my hypnosis practice, and it’s been helping abate that “pressure” feeling. Here’s something that you can try during your next self-hypnosis session:

– Focus on an area of the body that feels tense or focus on a negative feeling that’s coming up.

– Get curious about the tension or the feeling.

– Ask it questions, like where did you come from, what are you protecting me from (remember, the subconscious is always trying to keep you safe, even if it’s actually harmful to you)?

– Really feel the emotion or pressure.

– Visualize it dissipating. Break it up with bright healing light, light it on fire and watch it burn to nothing, blow it up with a glitter bomb, pour some “love peroxide” all over it and hear it fizz into nothingness.

– Then feel the weight of the pressure and feelings lessen, feel the lightness, the freedom, the happiness, the peace that fills that space now. Sit with that peace and that lightness for as long as you want, and then open your eyes.

Keep in mind that you may experience some resistance to letting go. No worries, Hawkins reminds us that it’s normal and usually a sign of a limiting belief in the subconscious. Have you heard any of these sayings before:

– “We only deserve things through hard work, struggle, sacrifice and effort.”
– “Suffering is beneficial and good for us.”
– “We don’t get anything for nothing.”
– “Things that are very simple or easy aren’t worth much.”

To help you break up these limiting beliefs, it helps to focus on your deservingness and enough-ness. Perhaps your Hypno-affirmation for the month can be:
-I am worthy of a beautiful life.

-I deserve to feel good in my body

-I am in control of my reactions, I am resilient

-I easily and effortlessly feel my feelings and let them go—my feelings do not control me

-I let go of the outcome and focus on doing my best each day

-I am so grateful for all the blessings in my life and I am open to receiving more

Let’s start the summer right, by letting go of the pressure we put on ourselves and of the negative feelings we’ve “Suppressed-then Expressed (but not neutralized)-then Escaped.” Sure, goals are great motivators, but it’s real easy to get attached to those future outcomes and, in turn, miss the other possibilities all around you.

Much love and happy editing,
Robin

Hey Friend!

Did you know that 95% of your thoughts are repetitive? And, of the 60,000-80,000 thoughts that we think per day, 80% of them are negative and focused on our shortcomings.

If our thoughts are negative, two things tend to happen:
1) we focus only on the negative thought to the exclusion of everything else
2) negative thoughts have harmful effects on our bodies; negative thought patterns cause our breath to quicken, forcing the body into “fight or flight mode” and causing the secretion of cortisol to mobilize the body for action. Chronically increased cortisol levels wreak havoc on our mind and bodies.

Therefore, it’s imperative to be aware and in better control of your thoughts. In her article, “Personal Strategies to Reframe Your Negative Thinking,” psychologist Norma Lent Auerbach offers a list of the most common negative thoughts. Scroll down the list and see which negative thoughts might resonate with you:

-I’m a failure.
-I’m not pretty.
-I’m not handsome.
-I’m so dumb.
-I never have enough money.
-I can’t do that.
-I’m damaged.
-I’ll never be a success.
-I missed my chance.
-No one likes me.
-What if I fail?
-I’m so fat.
-I’m ugly.
-I’m not good enough.
-I’m not talented enough.
-I don’t know what to do.
-Nothing ever works out for me.
-I’m destined to be single.
-What if I get hurt?
-I’ll never get it.
-I’m such a loser.
-I can’t do anything right.
-I don’t deserve that.
-I’m not worth it.
-Something’s wrong with me.
-It has to be perfect.
-It’s too late for me.
-I’m so unhappy.
-I’m too picky.
-Life is hard.
-I can’t forgive myself.
-They won’t like me.
-I suck at this.
-I hate dating.
-I’m too shy.
-People will laugh at me.
-I’ll never be able to do this.

It’s CRAZY that we think some of these negative thoughts on loop over and over again every. single. day. Think about how much these thoughts might be holding you back, stuck in limiting-beliefs. Yikes!

Luckily, due to neuroplasticity, the brain has the capacity to change its structure. YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS! In her article, Auerbach offers these tips:

Be Aware of Your Thoughts
Keep a notepad handy and write down any negative thoughts that pop up throughout the day. You’ll begin to see your patterns. This knowledge is so useful, as you can now start the process of reframing your thoughts.

Say CANCEL CANCEL or DELETE DELETE
While it takes time to change thought patterns internally, “you can start to immediately shift your perspective. Once you hear yourself repeat a negative comment, say out loud ”cancel, cancel” [or “delete, delete”] to alert your subconscious mind to disregard that thought.”

Change Negative Words/Phrases into Positive Ones
Replace the words that work against you, like instead of saying “I hate ______ ” say “I prefer ______”. And, replace global words like “always” and “never” with a statement like “I’m open to that experience” or “I’ll do it next time.” Same goes with how you phrase sentences: “I’m not good enough” becomes “I’m worthy of love;” “I’m broken” becomes “I’m healing;” “I’m so stupid” becomes “everyone makes mistakes;” “I can’t do this” becomes “I’ll figure it out; It will be okay.”

And, if you find yourself strongly attached to a negative thought (resistance is totally normal, you’ve been thinking some of these thoughts for decades), ask yourself, “What is the evidence for this?” and “Is this always true?” Slowly, but surely, you will start to break down this negative belief and see that it’s actually not the truth.

Keep a Gratitude Journal
A gratitude journal helps you to deliberately focus on positive thoughts and feelings, moving you out of a lack and limited mindset into an abundant, positive mindset. You get more of what you focus on and this is a tool to keep you grounded and open to possibilities.

One of the BEST ways to break negative thought patterns is to change them at the subconscious level, where they live. A daily hypnosis practice will help you feed your new, reframed thought(s) to the inner mind when it is most suggestible. To help you accomplish this, here is a quick 10 Minute self-hypnosis recording:

Positive thought patterns will not make your life perfect and free of any pain or hardship, but they will empower you to take action in the areas of your life that you can control and to be resilient in the areas that lie outside of your control. Negative thoughts close you down to opportunities and possibilities, while positive thoughts open you up. May you live your life to the full!

Much love and happy editing,
Robin

Hey Friend!

For most of us, our beliefs about money come from our parents and our childhood experiences around wealth. As children, we soaked up and stored all that information in our subconscious minds, and that formed the foundation of our thoughts, feelings and beliefs about money. Do any of these phrases sound familiar?

“Money doesn’t grow on trees”
“Money is the root of all evil”
“Money can’t buy happiness”
“Health is better than wealth”
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”
“All that glitters is not gold”
“More money, more problems”
“A day late and a dollar short”

We encounter a lot of mixed messages about money, yet we can’t survive without it. So, it behooves us to learn our money story and get to the root of our limiting beliefs, because it turns out that money and happiness are linked.

In their book, NeuroWisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success, Mark Robert Waldman and Chris Manning PhD discuss how in 1974, a distinguished professor of economics at USC, Richard Easterlin, asserted that there wasn’t a strong correlation between happiness and wealth, but he was wrong. Many studies have found the opposite:

– The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, looking at 40 years of worldwide statistics between 1974 and 2010 found that of the people earning $150,000+ only 2% were dissatisfied with their lives, and of the people earning $500,000 or more 0% were dissatisfied with their lives (100% were very happy).

– The Wharton School of Business in 2012 found no satiation point, meaning the more money one made the more happiness they experienced.

– Michael Finke at Texas Tech University found that retirees that saved over $2 million in non-housing wealth were some of the happiest people in the world.
– Cornell University professor Robert Frank found that increased yearly income is the most significant way to increase happiness.

– According to the World Happiness Report, done by the United Nations in 2015, the six most important determinants of happiness are (in order):

1. Spending power (economic capital)

2. Friends, family and community support (social capital)

3. Healthy life expectancy

4. Freedom to make decisions

5. Financial generosity to others

6. Absence of corruption in business and government

– The report also found that “well-being” was another essential quality of a happier life (well-being defined as a life filled with enjoyment and safety, without the constant burdens of anger, worry, stress, depression and pain).

The authors assert that “happiness is a momentary experience, regulated by some of the oldest structures of your brain, and every organism is neurologically programmed to seek pleasurable experiences because it increases the chances of survival…But happiness is not just about seeking momentary pleasure or putting dollars into your purse. It’s also shaped by how you choose to make those dollars and how you choose to spend them. In other words, the pleasure you get by engaging in the activity of making and spending money through work and social activities is the secret to neurological satisfaction and worldly success.”

You may be thinking, but what about GREED and the Scrooge McDuck’s of the world! They can’t be the happiest! The authors acknowledge that “there is a dark side to money. Research also shows that the more wealth you have the more it strengths narcissism and feelings of entitlement…and when people become obsessed with money their relationships deteriorate…increased material wealth causes people to become more selfish and insensitive towards others…however, when wealthy individuals engage in values-based exercises that increase self-awareness and social awareness, their egotism diminishes. These are the people that are often recognized as great leaders.”

They go on to say that, “making money increases happiness, but the way you spend it predicts long-term satisfaction…if you make experiential purchases (vacations, cultural events, etc.) you’ll be happier than if you spend it on material objects…the more you spend money on shared experiences with others, the happier you’ll be…the more people focused on materialistic wealth, the more dissatisfied they felt with their lives.”

Their book is full of exercises to help your brain cultivate more wealth and happiness, and I wanted to share with you all an exercise from the book that you can easily take through a self-hypnosis session. Use this exercise as a way to gain clarity on how you might ideally like to make money and how you’d like to consciously spend it.

EXERCISE:

Get into a deeply relaxed state and then “pay attention to the thoughts and images that come to mind as you ponder this question:

What would you do if you were the wealthiest person in the world?

Think about all the things you could do with that money, and all the people you could help. Visualize the changes you could make in your life and how you could improve the lives of the people around you. Notice how these thoughts make you feel.”

Repeat this exercise often and see what consistently comes up for you. The subconscious mind is full of creative ideas and possibilities. See what daily actions you can take to feel happier and more financially secure in your life. I’m not being dismissive about the myriad societal inequalities and impediments to wealth that many in our society face, but instead offering an idea that if the collective can create a self-aware and socially aware money story–then we can make the world better for everyone. Remember, YOU have the power to change your money story, by creating new neural pathways of thoughts and beliefs that best serve your life. Your brain is already hardwired to seek out the pleasure and satisfaction that wealth brings. So, align with that truth, and make it RAIN!

Happy editing,
Robin

Hey Friend!

Do you pass up opportunities for learning, feel labeled by failure or get discouraged when something takes a lot of effort?

Or, do you take on challenges, make a point of learning from your failure, and put in the effort to master or complete something?

Whatever the answer, it gives you insight into whether or not you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. In her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, psychologist Carol Dweck Ph.D., explores how a fixed mindset can hold you back, while a growth mindset can help you truly reach your potential.

The good news is that one’s mindset can change and forming new beliefs is entirely possible. Take success for example. Instead of looking at successful people as special talents or gifted geniuses, realize the truth, that “just because some people can do something with little or no training, it doesn’t mean that others can’t do it (and sometimes do it even better) with training.”  Dweck’s book further challenges our assumptions of successful people by showing the reality of their dedicated processes and efforts:

“For the invention of the lightbulb, [Thomas Edison] had thirty assistants, including well-trained scientists, often working around the clock in a corporate-funded state-of-the-art laboratory…there was no single moment of invention…but a whole network of time-consuming inventions each requiring one or more chemists, mathematicians, physicists, engineers and glass-blowers…

[Charles Darwin’s] masterwork, The Origin of the Species, took years of teamwork in the field, hundreds of discussions with colleagues and mentors, several preliminary drafts, and half a lifetime of dedication…

Mozart labored for more than ten years until he produced any work that we admire today. Before then, his compositions were not that original or interesting. Actually, they were patched-together chunks taken from other composers.”

Gifted or not, there is a clear reason why some people achieve less and others achieve more: mindset. People either believe they can do or learn it, or they don’t and quit. Dweck writes, “A growth mindset lets people–even those who are targets of negative labels (stereotypes, discrimination)–use and develop their minds fully. Their heads are not filled with limiting thoughts, a fragile sense of belonging and a belief that other people can define them.”

Here are some of Dweck’s tips to help you Grow Your Mindset:

– Think about your hero. Do you think of this person as someone with extraordinary abilities who achieved with little effort? Now go find out the truth. Find out the tremendous effort that went into their accomplishment–and admire them more.

– Is there something in your past that you think measured you? A test score? A dishonest or callous action? Being fired from a job? Being rejected? Focus on that thing. Feel all the emotions that go with it. Look honestly at your role in it, but understand that it doesn’t define your intelligence or personality. Instead, ask: What did I (or can I) learn from that experience? How can I use this as a basis for growth? Carry that with you instead.
– Think of times other people outdid you and you just assumed they were smarter or more talented. Now consider the idea that they just used better strategies, taught themselves more, practiced harder, and worked their way through obstacles. You can do that, too, if you want to.

– Think of a time you were enjoying something–doing a crossword puzzle, playing a sport, learning a new dance. Then it became hard and you wanted out. Maybe you suddenly felt tired, bored, or hungry…don’t fool yourself. It’s a fixed mindset. Picture [yourself]… as you meet the challenge and learn. Keep on going.

– Are there situations where you get stupid–where you disengage your intelligence? Next time you’re in one of those situations think about learning and improvement, not judgment.

– Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but were afraid you weren’t good at? Make a plan to do it.

Keep in mind that no one is perfect. At different times in our lives we may act from a fixed or growth perspective. But, being aware of our thoughts and beliefs helps us to pivot and get back in alignment with what we really want for our lives.

Since our beliefs about our abilities affect our outcomes, we can use our daily hypnosis practice as a way to encourage new thoughts and beliefs, to motivate ourselves to take action and acquire the new skills necessary to move forward. Our daily hypnosis practice can also help us to face the fear of failure and to challenge the labels that we (or other people) have placed on ourselves, allowing our subconscious to consider a more positive reality for our learning and development.

To better help you identifying the ways you might be stuck in fixed thinking, I wanted to share with you the hypnosis portion of last week’s group hypnosis session on limiting beliefs. Take 20 minutes and get some relief, motivation and insight. Click play to listen:

Happy editing,
Robin

You may have sought out hypnotherapy as a last resort to help you quit smoking, conquer your fear of flying, lose the baby weight or cure your insomnia, but you probably stuck with hypnosis because of the little known side benefit of a daily hypnosis practice: you’ve never looked or felt better in your life!

According to the Mayo Clinic, “When you’re under hypnosis, you usually feel calm and relaxed, and are more open to suggestions…hypnosis can be used to help you gain control over undesired behaviors.” A consistent hypnosis practice, in any form, be it daily self-hypnosis, hypnosis recordings or one-on-one sessions with a hypnotherapist, alleviates stress in the body by prompting the relaxation response, and it changes thoughts, habits and beliefs in the subconscious mind through a process known as neuroplasticity.

The Ugly Truth About Stress

Stress, especially chronic stress, wreaks havoc on our bodies and our lives. In a Finnish study published in 2013, researchers found that men find the faces of women, who have higher levels of cortisol to be less attractive than women with lower levels. In Caroline Beaton’s Vice article, “Anxiety and Stress Are Messing With Your Good Looks,” she elaborates on the results of the Finnish study, stating that, “High cortisol levels make individuals appear less fertile, thereby reducing their attractiveness. Stress inhibits sex hormones, and sex hormones influence physical attractiveness.” But, it’s not only sex hormones that play a role in making one appear less attractive. Beaton goes on to say, “Perhaps most alarmingly, stress may impede digestion, thereby inhibiting absorption of vitamins that are essential for healthy teeth, skin, and hair. Stress can even trigger premature aging on a cellular level.”

Furthermore, In the article for NewBeauty magazine, “The Shocking Ways Stress Directly Affects Our Appearance — And How to Beat It,” by Tatiana Bido, New York dermatologist Julie Russak, MD, stated, “At times of stress, valuable vitamins and minerals are prioritized for our body’s vital metabolic processes and the production of stress hormones.” Most alarming in Russak’s statement is the conclusion that the radiance of our skin is not a priority in a body that is riddled with stress. Russak goes on to state that, “Consistently elevated levels of cortisol…[means] we are breaking down and failing to repair tissues, which leads to decreased collagen and elastin production.” Overtime, a stress-filled body reduces collagen and elastin production, which ultimately leads to dull, wrinkled and sagging skin. Stress ages us, messes with our ability to attract a partner and diminishes our beauty.

Lastly, Bido’s NewBeauty article also reveals holistic nutritionist Jennifer Hanway’s take on the negative effects of stress on one’s health. She states, “We are more likely to overeat at times of stress, reaching for foods high in carbohydrates and sugars that release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel good.” It’s no surprise that while under stress, we are more prone to crave comfort food as a way to numb negative emotions, but Hanway warns against this coping mechanism, stating, “studies show that women with high cortisol levels tend to store more visceral fat, the ‘deep’ fat stored further underneath the skin and around the organs linked to metabolic diseases and increased inflammation.” Aside from not looking and feeling your best, finding effective ways to alleviate stress in the body really can be a matter of life and death.

Why Hypnosis is the Tool to Looking AND Feeling Your Best

Unlike many other stress reducing tools and modalities, Hypnosis can access the subconscious mind and over time positively change thoughts and behavior patterns. A consistent hypnosis practice optimizes healthy lifestyle changes by creating new neural pathways in the malleable human brain.

Affirmations and helpful visualizations repeated while in a hypnotic state, which is just a theta brainwave state, can motivate you to stick to a healthy eating plan, move your body everyday or feel more confident about your body. By carving out time every day to practice hypnosis, especially when you encounter situations that would typically evoke a stress response and subsequent negative thoughts and behaviors, you combat bad patterning that no longer serves you and you take back control of your life. With this new awareness of thoughts and behavior patterns, a hypnosis practice allows you to make the changes you want, thinking the thoughts that make you feel good and acting in ways that support your goals for your life.

A daily hypnosis practice can shift your attitude and shape how you show up in the world. Che Garmen, creator of the blog, Affirm Your Life, writes, “The greatest beauty secret of all time is simply this — our attitude towards life is reflected in our face for all to see. Our attitudes are reflections of our beliefs. And our beliefs are created by the thoughts we have repeated throughout our lives. We begin to look exactly how we think and feel.” Incorporating a hypnosis practice into your daily routine will help to create more beneficial thoughts and over time to increase your confidence and self-love — and your inner peace and contentment will shine on the outside for all to admire.

So, it turns out that beauty is actually in the mind of the beholder. When searching for the best beauty tool to combat the stressors of our fast-paced world, look no farther than between your ears. Accessing your subconscious mind through hypnosis is an incredibly effective, easy and painless way to access and upgrade your thoughts and behaviors. It’s really as simple as committing to a daily practice (for just a few minutes a day), and before you know it, you’ll look as great as you feel.

As a hypnotherapist and founder of Mind Edit Hypnosis, I love teaching people how to implement a daily hypnosis practice in their lives. The Mind Edit Hypnosis YouTube channel has 3 and 10 minute guided self-hypnosis videos for you to listen to daily (see videos below). Just grab some headphones and close your eyes.

Happy editing,
Robin

Hey Friend!

Over the past year, I think we can all agree that life got a LOT more overwhelming. Change happened quickly, and we had to adapt to a new way of life. It was a time of anxiety, fear, tragedy, and isolation. And, we found our way, as best we could.

Now, as most of our communities begin to slowly open back up, I’ve been hearing a lot of people say we’re getting “back to normal.” Maybe. But before life starts moving forward and gaining speed, I think we should ask ourselves: Do I want back my old “normal”? If so, which parts? Many aspects of my pre-pandemic lifestyle weren’t sustainable, healthy or aligned with what I truly valued or wanted for my life.

So, for today’s newsletter, I’d like to offer you a clarity exercise from Danielle LaPorte’s The Desire Map workbook. Spend some time journaling about each question or take a question through your daily hypnosis practice and see what your subconscious wants to tell you. Here are some questions to consider:

In every area of my life, what am I grateful for?

In every area of my life, what’s not working?

What are my core desired feelings?

To generate my desired feelings, what do I want to do, experience, or have?

Other than time or money, what I want more of is _________. How can I get that?

What brings me alive, enlivens me, or reminds me of who I am? How can I experience that this week, this month and this year?

A daily hypnosis practice helps you to identify the feelings you want to feel and enables your subconscious to get on board and support the way you really want to show up for your life.

Lastly, I wanted to encourage you, if you haven’t already, to commit to a daily self-hypnosis practice as a way to combat stress. Healthy stress management is integral to your quality of life, your vibrancy and your beauty.

Happy editing,
Robin