How to rewire your brain to be more productive, positive, and energized in 17 seconds
There are two simple tactics that won't bankrupt your time. Carlo Allegri/ReutersEveryone experiences stretches of life, whether a few days or many years, when the down days are more frequent than the good.
These periods of time can rob you of your passion, energy, and ultimately your vision. Yet, somehow most people find it easier to hold on to a bad mood rather than shifting their mindset to the positive.
I'm here to tell you that it's not difficult—you can shift your mood and mind, in a mere 17 seconds.
There have been amazing advancements neuroscience, especially in understanding the power of states like happiness, gratitude, resilience, love, compassion, and so forth. We now have scientific evidence that we all have the power to rewire our brains, resulting in happier states, higher energy and productivity, stronger focus, better retention, and more.
I learned this technique many years ago in relationship to the Law of Attraction.
For you non-believers, stick with me here, I am not going to get all woo-woo on you, I promise. The 17 second rule is simple and can help everyone.
With this routine, which totals 68 seconds a day, you can enhance your mood, become more aware of opportunity, and increase the likelihood of making your vision and dreams happen. Here's how.
Visualize your goals.
Several times a day, stop what you're doing and visualize, with as much intensity as possible, the strong, positive emotion associated with achieving your ultimate vision. A mere 17 seconds of holding these thoughts and feelings and your mind will begin its transition from a negative state toward an uplifted state. A full 68 seconds increases the power of the thought.
Why does this matter? Because, over time, your brain will form new neural pathways, which strengthen into habits through the repetition and practice of visualizing, feeling, and acting. Therefore, the more frequently you devote 68 seconds to the visualization of your dream come true, the faster you will notice a significant change in your mindset. You'll be more apt to notice, and act upon, opportunities that support your goals and vision. Since like attracts like, positive, successful people will be drawn into your environment. You'll also believe in yourself more and experience more motivation to achieve your goals.
Not visual? No worries. As I walk my clients through this powerful process, some say they aren't good at visualization. If that's true for you, try this alternative approach. This is actually a powerful process that will benefit everyone.
State your goals.
Begin your day by passionately stating your goals for the day aloud, followed by a statement about your vision being your reality now.
Such declarations send the power of your subconscious mind on a mission to find solutions to fulfill your goals. This may have a subtle effect that builds up over time or it may create a powerful change more immediately.
I strongly encourage you to give this a try for about a month, even if you are still a non-believer. See it as an experiment and document your research by keeping a simple journal on your moods and the positive things that occur each day. You can do it; 68 seconds a day will not bankrupt you of time.