Let me tell you something. For the past 10 years, once a week, I switch off emails, I unplug my office phone, I put my mobile into ‘airplane mode’ and I write my weekly ezine. It is more than just writing. It sometimes starts as an idea I have when running, that I’ll scribble down when I get back and then develop a little bit over the course of a few days. When I decide that is what is going to be the central theme or topic of my article, I research it first. There may be something that has piqued my interest in a blog I have read or in a book, or that has featured in some kind of headline or research paper, then I have to research and get a rough idea of the framework that it’ll adhere to that week. It also needs a tone; sometimes that’ll be light or more serious at other times, but it always has my voice, my own unique style that makes it what it is.
Once I have done my diligence, I then need to add some substance to it; that may involve making reference to the evidence base, so more research will need to be done. Other times, I need to be creative and formulate a process to offer my readers. Other times I simply share an opinion or something that I feel strongly about, and other times, it is a combination of all the above and other things too.
Last week, as Keith announced while I was away teaching in London, was our 500th edition of the Adam Up ezine.
I still remember the day we decided upon the name for the ezine. The direction of it being upwards, onwards and that reflects our ambition to help people achieve more and create more progressive, positive change in the lives of our readers. It also has a phonological ambiguity to it – Add ‘em up. As in, if you do the maths, you’ll understand things. This ezine is about metaphorical mathematics I suppose. You advance your chances of the most beneficial outcome by adding up your resources, using your strengths, adopting the right mindset, following the techniques shared. Adam Up came to be….
We went through some existential angst about referring to it as an ezine a few years ago too. Besides that fact that Keith and I pronounced ezine differently – I say “ee-zeen’ and Keith used to say “ee-zein” until I kept on and on pulling his leg and he is now safely in the “ee-zeen” camp too. One of our team at the time suggested that referring to it as an ezine was a bit dated and old fashioned and perhaps even a bit uncool or kitsch or clichéd. He recommended we simply refer back to calling it a newsletter. However, I protested. That is because I consider this to be more than just a newsletter. It is exponentially more than that. At least it is to me.
It is a place where I share articles that have taken a lot of effort, commitment and have my heart in them. Articles that I want to share and that I put out there to you readers in the real hope that at least one person applies it and develops, changes, makes a shift in their life or just smiles more than usual that day. It is a place where I sometimes bear my soul, where I share some intimate aspects of myself at times, where I share my opinions and sometimes leave myself open. It is also a way of being able to advise all those who follow my work of where we are at as a company, what we are doing, and we get to communicate our plans, our ethos, our thoughts and so much more with those who have chosen to read it each week.
There are tens of thousands of people subscribed to my ezine. We have written 500 editions (I have just finished writing edition 501 – the number reminds me of when I used to wear Levi jeans in the 1980s) and it is something that Keith and I are both very committed to. Every week without fail, we get it out there, written and published. It is just something we do, automatically. It is part of our routine. There have been times when it felt like something I had to do. Other times when it is something I truly wanted to do. Today is one such day. I am sharing something I believe to be fundamentally important to each and every persons success in living a life that is satisfactory – commitment.
Just this last week, I listened to an audio track on this very subject, where a coach, speaker and author told a story that has been attributed to many authors, speakers and that Presidents have even used to illustrate points in the past:
Two friends were walking together through some fields when they came to a high wall. The wall stretched as far as they could see in both directions. As they were talking about what to do in this impassable situation one of the men takes off his favourite hat and throws it over the wall. The other looks at him and says “why did you do that – that was your favourite hat, it means so much to you” to which his friend responds “now we’re going to have to find a way over that wall.”
That man was not going home without his hat. He had to find a way over the wall. He committed himself to it. Similar to stories of ancient armies landing their ships and then burning them so that they had to win the battle.
A classic question that gets asked in therapy and when coaching clients as well as in personal development circles is this – what would you do if you had to?
I recall struggling with a client who was seeing me for weight reduction some years ago. She was not doing any of the tasks I asked her to complete each week and she behaved as if she was not taking responsibility for the therapy; she was expecting to simply sit there and have hypnotherapy that would make her do things and enable her to lose weight while being passive, not making an effort. Regardless of how many times I explained the way hypnosis actually worked.
I was on the verge of telling her that I was not going to be able to help her any further when I asked her that question, in a slightly different format. I said to her, “if Richard Branson came into this room today and offered you £10,000,000.00 (ten million pounds) in return for you reducing your weight by a stone in the next 6 weeks, what would you do?” She immediately imagined being there in that situation (which I had asked her to do). She told me she’d do it, she’d reduce her weight, no problem. I said “but what about finding the time? What about the influences at work? What about feeding your children? What about you not enjoying exercise? All the things you’ve been telling me about for the past 3 weeks that have prevented you from doing what I’ve asked you to do?”
She smiled, knowingly. We then worked out ways of her doing everything I had previously asked and then she started being committed to the process. She reduced her weight substantially.
Last September (2014), my very good friend Lucy Hyde bought me a box of chocolates to thank me for something. It was a Green and Blacks box of mini bars of all their different flavours. My wife and I devoured them that night. We then chatted about how things had changed since we had become parents, and we joked about how we had put on weight. We blamed it on a number of things outside of our control. However, we laughed at ourselves thereafter. I have always been ‘interested’ in being fit and well, with my eating habits, my drinking habits and of course have always been interested in running as you regular readers will know. However, at that time, I realised that for the past 12-18 months, I had simply been interested, and not committed. My commitment to my health was not there and I had put weight on. That was the last time I ate chocolate with refined sugar in it.
I made a very particular, specific commitment the very next day. I appealed to my lesser nature, that is, I announced my plans and held myself accountable publicly. Evidence suggests that this is not actually the most useful thing to do, but I decided to offer myself up to potential shame of failure, and be responsible. Sort of emotionally blackmailing myself – that is an article for another day. I have written before about how I changed my diet and researched a regime that really worked for me. Then I got out and started back running to a very specific schedule. In the space of 6 months, I reduced my weight by 3 stone and a month after that, I ran a 3hr 7min marathon. That is something I have milked enough already and shall not harp on further about, I promise.
I committed. I behaved as if I had to succeed. I applied myself to this fully.
As a parent, if someone asks you “will you always be able to feed your child?” People always reply “Yes!”
“What if you lost your job?”
“I’d find another one”
“What if there are no jobs available?”
“I’d find a way!”
This conversation could put up a million objections and challenges, but that person would still insist that they would be able to feed their child. They just know it. They have a mindset to it, they are committed to it.
Writing my ezine each week is just something I am committed to. It gets done. 501 editions have been done.
Whether this is success in life, in relationships, your career, your own business success, do you really treat your goals and desired outcomes in the way that you truly know you are committed to? If not, then perhaps you need to start thinking about how to truly commit yourself to it. To taking action and doing what has to be done.
You see, we have metaphorically compartmentalised aspects of our life in our brain. We have wired things up a certain way. We have many things we are interested in. We have many things we’d like to do. But the commitment is missing. Those things that are not being achieved have not been put in the same place of the brain as “feeding my child” or “writing my ezine” or anything else that we truly have committed to.
Today, I want to share with you the process that I use to instigate that commitment. The foundation that you can then build upon as you create a life for yourself, achieving things with a real sense of commitment. Follow these simple steps:
Step One:
Think of an outcome you have for yourself in your life. Something you dream about achieving, or something you really want to do. Something that you definitely want for yourself too, that you’ll enjoy doing. Maybe it is a goal, maybe it’s something that you wish to incorporate into the way you live your life, maybe it is something else you wish to achieve, but get it in your mind. Now imagine some words that sum it up, there in your consciousness, or imagine the goal as a symbol, or an image of the outcome, just get a solid, convincing representation of that goal, that desired outcome in your mind. You’ll use this in a later step in this process.
With that in mind, think of a short phrase, an affirmation, that is motivating, positive and simple; that is going to be used to confirm your commitment within this process. Something like “I do this” or “I commit to this” or “I just know that is going to happen.” Once you have the symbolic representation and a good positive affirmation set in place to use in the later stages of this process, you can then move on to the next step.
Step Two:
Induce hypnosis.
You can do so by any means you desire or know of. You can use the process in my ‘Science of self-hypnosis’ book, use the free audio we give away on this website to practice or have a look at the following articles as and when you need them; they are basic processes to help you simply open the door of your mind:
Heavy Arm Self-Hypnosis Induction Method.
Using Eye Fixation for Self-Hypnosis.
The Chiasson Self-Hypnosis Method.
Hand to Face Self-Hypnosis Induction.
Using Magnetic Hands for Self-Hypnosis.
The Coin Drop Self-Hypnosis Induction.
Once you have induced hypnosis, move on to step three.
Step Three:
Just be mindful of your entire self; mind and body. Don’t try to change anything and don’t try to stop anything from changing, sometimes things change just by being observed. Notice the qualities of your breathing without interfering with your breath, just watch it and observe it. Become aware of your arms and legs and body, and move your awareness deeper inside of you. Get a sense of your stomach and how it feels. Sense your lungs as you breathe and notice the rhythm of your heart beating. Tune in and watch your body, create a connection with it, sense your body as one, existing and living in this moment. And tell yourself that everything you sense and notice serves to take you deeper into hypnosis….
Connect also with your head, with your brain. Get a sense of it and enjoy how important it is to us, and enjoy the idea that you can direct, dictate and orchestrate what happens within it. Now place all of your attention and focus on your head, get a sense of how your head is right now. Sense your brain inside your head, with all those synapses firing and clicking, all those electrical impulses occurring and all that genius intelligence and complex design occurring within your brain right now. Just know that there is so much happening within it. Sense that and admire the amazing part of you that is your brain. Tell yourself that each thought you have, each feeling, takes you deeper into hypnosis.
When you have really tuned into your body, move on to the next step.
Step Four:
Imagine that deep inside your brain you have a number of compartments, and that you are going to access one compartment in particular in this hypnosis session. Get a sense that somewhere in your brain is a compartment of commitment. True commitment. A place where things just get done. A place that gives you energy and zest and drive and inspiration for taking action regarding the items that in there.
A compartment in the brain where all the things you don’t have to consider doing, just happen.
You are going to experience yourself powerfully and profoundly so that you can communicate with your body, and create an optimum, amplified condition for commitment within you and a more fertile environment for experiencing sensations, feelings and thoughts about commitment.
Now imagine reaching inside of yourself and tuning in to this compartment in your brain. When you locate that area place your outcome in there. See those words, that symbol or that imagery that represents the goal you have for yourself (that you set up in step one). Place it into the part of your brain that has your commitment. Put it in there in whatever way seems right to you.
Notice it connecting, notice it effecting and being readily accepted by your brain, then move on to the next step.
Step Five:
Importantly, notice how messages get sent at superfast speeds from this compartment, they travel through the brain – impulses fire off through the brain, hormones are sent, chemicals are concocted and signals are sent at rapid pace to those parts of your body that get a sense of commitment flowing through you as you think about your outcome.
As you imagine this, the feeling of commitment increases, imagine the feeling growing, developing, magnifying and enhancing deep within you, perhaps it expands in that area of your body, it moves in a more intensive fashion… Notice how the sensation grows and amplifies as it is accepted into that compartment of your brain.
Perhaps you think of a colour that represents commitment, perhaps you think of a sound or a voice that sounds like commitment, perhaps it is a feeling of dedication, and it all spreads through you, filling you and assuring you. Once you are imaging that, move on to the next step.
Step Six:
Repeat that affirmation of commitment (that you set up in step one). Say it to yourself in a committed fashion. Truly mean it. Commit to it now in your mind, without hesitation. Say it to yourself in an undeniably convincing way. Repeat it over and over until you just know they are your truth.
When you know those words to be the truth, move on to the next step.
Step Seven:
Now think of a part of a scenario of your life where this commitment will be tested, or where you lacked commitment in the past. Mentally rehearse yourself being committed. That is, truly engage in seeing yourself being committed. Play the scenario out in full, notice what you say, what you hear, how you behave, how you hold your body and run through the section, the situation and experience it as someone who is truly committed.
Once you have done that thoroughly, move on to the final step.
Step Eight:
Exit hypnosis. If you follow my own self-hypnosis protocol, count yourself out of hypnosis from one through to five as laid out in my book. However, you can simply open your eyes, wiggle your fingers and toes and reorient yourself accordingly. Ready to move forward.
This is now your foundation. Now with this commitment you have, you just need to plan, research, and apply it intelligently. Importantly though, whatever your goal is, whatever you wish to incorporate into your life with commitment, treat it like you have to do it, and then enjoy the pleasure and fun of taking control of your life and becoming an achiever.
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Have some of themes here resonated with you? Then have a read of these pages:
1. Do you need help or support in a particular area of your life?
Coaching with Adam Eason Or Hypnotherapy with Adam Eason
2. Would you like a satisfying and meaningful career as a hypnotherapist helping others? Are you a hypnotherapist looking for stimulating and career enhancing continued professional development and advanced studies?
Adam Eason’s Anglo European training college.
3. Are you a hypnotherapist looking to fulfil your ambitions or advance your career?
Hypnotherapist Mentoring with Adam Eason.
Likewise, if you’d like to learn more about self-hypnosis, understand the evidence based principles of it from a scientific perspective and learn how to apply it to many areas of your life while having fun and in a safe environment and have the opportunity to test everything you learn, then come and join me for my one day seminar which does all that and more, have a read here: The Science of Self-Hypnosis Seminar.
