They say you are what you eat, but what’s equally true is that you are what you think. Whatever you consciously and repeatedly focus on will eventually embed itself into your subconscious and begin to form the foundation of your belief system – what you believe about yourself and the world around. Once a belief embeds deeply into your mind, it’s hard to change your position. Some of our beliefs serve us well, while others hold us back, keep us down and prevent us from achieving the goals we set for ourselves.

The Scorpion and the Frog

When it comes to our beliefs about who we really are, many people buy into the tale of the Scorpion and the Frog. The frog agrees to swim the scorpion across the pond but insists the scorpion promise not to sting him. The scorpion agrees and points out that if he does, the frog will die and they both will drown. Halfway across the pond, the scorpion stings the frog and as the dying frog asks why, the scorpion reminds him that, well, he’s a scorpion and that’s what they do. In this vein, someone who has demonstrated a consistent lack of patience will believe themselves to be impatient and reinforce this belief by repeatedly telling themselves and others that they lack patience. 

Some people might be fine with this label and hope that other’s get the hint and move things along quicker.  Other’s might desire to increase their patience, because of the way it makes them and others feel when they are impatient. But how does someone go from being impatient to patient, when that’s “just who I am?”
The power of positive thinking lies in the practise of “I am” statements. As when repeated enough, your subconscious mind begins to treat it as fact and respond accordingly. 

How to train your brain to think positive

My favorite brain-hack is the ability to tell yourself a different story and with time, consistency, and mindful diligence, you can reteach yourself that you are different than you have believed. For example; in a moment of frustration, when you are aware of your impatience, focusing on the fact that you are an impatient person won't give you a path to patience. On the flip side, if you become aware of your impatience and tell yourself, “I am patient”, begin thinking and behaving like someone with patience would act, then over time you will begin to believe you are a more patient person meaning your automatic reactions to situations will begin to evolve with your new outlook. This is an example of using a mantra to change your belief system. 

What is a mantra and how do mantras work?

Eastern medicine has long believed in the power of mantras and incorporating them into your mindful desires. This is where the power of scent can accentuate this process. By incorporating a specific scent, for example, Scentered’s LOVE Balms and Candles, which are blended as a grounding aroma to connect to yourself and others, you can reinforce your mantra in your brain. Sometime later, when you might anticipate being in a situation requiring patience, you might use LOVE in advance to bring to your consciousness the behaviors and reactions that will serve you versus allowing yourself to react in a way that doesn’t result in the outcomes you desire. 

Have you tried to reteach your mind a new positive story? Did you use scent to reinforce your new mantra? Let me know in the comments.

Be Well,
Sherry