Self-Help Realism

Self-Help Realism

How far does the power of the mind go? Is it true that absolutely anything is possible if you but believe enough, or believe in the correct way? I have certainly encountered individuals who just ‘know’ they would be able to walk on water or ascend and escape this illusion if they only believed enough. I also recently read a blog by a well-known self-help author who chastised those who would teach the importance of setting small (realistic) goals, stating that anything is possible and you should never limit yourself. What do you think about this? 

One Step At A Time

I have to admit that I prefer a much more practical perspective to this issue. Dreaming big is perfectly okay but sometimes you have to attend kindergarten before you can graduate with your doctoral degree. I know it is a cliché, but I truly believe that life is a journey and every step brings us new things to learn. Some people choose not to move forward on their journey, preferring the view of their current position. Others wish to move forward but then they hold themselves back, choosing not to try rather than to fail. Fear and self-doubt are the biggest hurdles in any self-improvement process—the likelihood of failure increases exponentially in relationship to the degree of doubt that you have about succeeding! When you believe you will probably fail, then you help fulfill this belief even if you do so unconsciously. But then the opposite is also true. When you believe in yourself and your own abilities, then you know it is just a case of trying that little bit harder to progress on your journey to you dreams.

“The difference between winning and losing is quitting!”
~ Vince Lombardi

A Touch of Realism

The real advantage to using InnerTalk programs is that they allow you to get out of your own way and so create the pathway to becoming the best that you can be—knowing that the best you can be only applies to that moment in time. Who knows how much higher you can soar—it’s just a matter of taking it one step at a time and building on your skills and abilities. However, I do have to insert a little bit of realism here, because the fact is, we all come into this world with different talents and abilities, and positive thinking can only take you so far. One of my favorite examples of this is with our Basketball program. The affirmations include:

“I seize opportunities. I pass well. I make good passes. I am calm. I play in control. I reach. I concentrate on the rim. I set screens. I play defensively baseline to baseline. I perform well. I am good at basketball. I am a team player. I am proud. I am important. I am positive. I believe in my teammates. I trust my coach,” etc.

It is easy to understand how these kinds of thoughts would assist you in becoming a better basketball player. But quite frankly, you could play this program until you are blue in the face and, unless you have the appropriate God given talents, you will never become another Michael Jordan. That said, research run on our Golf program some time ago, showed a tangible increase in ability and earning power. In a study involving a group of 17 professional golfers in six different major competitions, victories were increased from 1 to 6 (as compared with the prior year when InnerTalk was not used), and their total earnings increased from $1,564,927 to $3,735,756. I particularly like this study as it gives some real perspective regarding the way InnerTalk can improve abilities.

Developing Psychic Abilities

However, as you well know, InnerTalk is used for a lot more than improving sports abilities, for we have titles ranging from Intimacy and Relationships to Accelerated Learning, Joy of Work to Prosperity and Abundance, Accelerated Healing to Word Power: Spelling and Vocabulary and much more. But once again I have examples that show both the success and supposed limitations of this technology.

I once had a customer who was determined to learn astral projection. He tried every technique out there, including our InnerTalk program, Astral Projection, all to no avail. I then spoke with a different customer who was absolutely elated. He had purchased Using Both Halves of the Brain and, after playing it for just a few days, he said that something switched and several of his psychic powers had awakened, including viewing auras and astral projection. Now, you should note that Using Both Halves of the Brain has nothing to do with psychic abilities—it was created to help predominantly left brained people access their creative side, and for predominantly right brained people to access their logic and reason side. But why would one person be so successful at developing their psychic abilities using an InnerTalk program for just a short while, while another failed miserably after pursuing the goal with dogged determination?

I like to think of people’s abilities in different areas as points along a continuum. Some people are close to that half way point and it takes just one small change in thinking to push them over that center point into the arena of the successful, whereas for others, they simply have further to go or they have other things they must learn first. But while we are on the subject of psychic abilities, I have played with the Astral Projection program myself. One night, I played this program all night long, focusing on my husband (who was out of town) while I fell asleep. I had the most interesting dream where I flew into my husband’s hotel room and saw him asleep in his bed. I looked around the room and then I flew back home. The following morning I spoke to my husband on the phone. I told him about my dream and described what I had seen, only to have him confirm all of the details!

Accumulating the Small Successes

It is said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For me, I believe in setting sensible, reachable goals, as these small successes will keep you on your self-growth path rather than quitting. Remember, the only difference between the successful person and the failure is that the successful person did not quit! Break up those large goals into small manageable pieces and then set to work ticking them off one at a time. If you do this, I promise that, one day, you will look back and realize the great distance you have already traveled, even though with your new goals in place, the road ahead still stretches into the distance!

Wishing you love, light and laughter, always,

Ravinder Taylor