Hypnosis for Self Esteem

So, as I related in a previous post, I found my long, lost love. You may be asking how it has worked out. That’s a fair question. The truth is that it has been absolutely phenomenal. When I was 17, he treated me like a princess. Literally. For the six months or so that we were together as teenagers, he never pressured me for sex, he held doors for me … In everything, he treated me as if I were the most important thing ever.

Now, I accuse him of spoiling me for any other man. And in truth, I think he actually did. This man, even at 17 years old, treated me as if I were the most important thing in his life. Wow. You women out there. Talk to me. How many men in your lives have treated you as if you were seriously, fundamentally, emotionally the most important thing in any individual man’s life???? I challenge you –count out loud. I am betting that I am the most fortunate among you that I have even one man that made me feel like I mattered at all.

Men, what about you? How many women have made you feel that you were the be-all and end-all? Probably not many.

Let’s look at ourselves for a moment. How often have we tried to make that important other feel like they are the most important thing in our lives?

This experience of having found a lost love has been extremely educational for me on a very personal level. I never thought this level of caring and being cared for could exist. Because of that, I married the wrong people and spent a huge percent of my life in meaningless relationships.

The lesson here? Hold out for the good stuff, people. It is out there. Make the effort to make the other person in your life be the most important thing in your life. If it is the right person, your efforts will pay off big time.

I’ve had a strange experience these past two weeks — a guy I “went steady” with in high school contacted me and we’ve been talking on the phone almost every night.

Why is this strange? First of all, I cannot recall why we quit seeing each other. Neither can he. Secondly, I haven’t seen this guy in over forty years. Yeah. FORTY. Third, it’s almost as if we were never apart. We picked up the conversation where it left off last time we parted. It’s all very weird.

But the effect this experience is having on me is weird as well. I keep telling myself all the negative and bad things: He can’t be as sweet as he seems — it’s just a put-on. He won’t be the sweet, quiet guy I knew before — life will have soured him. And blah blah blah

Before there is anything to even have to make a decision about, I’m making all these excuses about why the whole thing won’t work. Already I’m putting up walls to make sure that even if there were a chance that we got together, it will fail.

Why am I doing this? Because I’ve done it all my life — and old, old habits are had to break. So know what? I’m giving myself the talk I usually give to you guys.

Dear me:
Knock it off. Negative thoughts begone. Don’t anticipate disappointment. Be brave. Take life by the horns. No guts, no glory. You’re tough and you know it. You’re already sniveling and there’s nothing to gain but a new (-ish) friendship with someone you really like. Or at least probably like. Accept this good thing. Revel in it. Good grief…someone remembered you after forty years.

I just realized — the problem is that I’m in shock that someone, anyone, remembered me at all.

Life is an ever-changing kaleidescope of surprises.

It’s spring here in New Mexico. The lilacs are blooming and the nights are finally above freezing.

With spring, most of us feel pretty good. It’s a time of renewal and new things. The world is fresh and hope abounds. It’s also a time to use that lifting of the spirit to forge ahead to establish new habits. Somehow, it seems a little easier to get to the gym, get out and walk or to do a little work in the yard. So take advantage. Get started on a new track toward staying better come fall and winter.

How? you ask. Admire yourself. Even if the task at hand is small, tell yourself what a good job you did. Even if it’s as small a thing a just feeling better today.

I have a large back yard. Last weekend, I dug out the bermuda grass around some sprouting flowers and mulched it down. When I stood up to admire my work, I realized this one only two square feet in a large yard. There was an awful lot that didn’t get touched. It seemed rather insignificant. But I had to stop myself and get my little reward for doing such a great job in the one little spot and to visualize how great that one spot (at least) is going to look when those flowers start blooming.

It’s the little, tiny things that add up. You think I’m wacko, but it’s a fact. I think it’s a combination of self-acknowledgment for a job well done, being ok with something tangible even though it’s small, and taking one small step to creating a new habit of patting yourself on the back.

It all matters. You matter. You are deserving of it.

It’s almost like finding a $5 bill in your pants pocket that you didn’t know was there.

I’ve gained weight over the winter from not prying my fat butt off the couch in the cold weather. I am, therefore, not feeling particularly nifty about myself and am beating myself up for letting the winter get the better of me. Again. My clothes are tight and I can no longer wear those really sharp pants that I thought looked so good on me.

So, I’ve put post-it notes on my bathroom mirror, on the dashboard of my car and on the front of the frig that say “run in place”, “swing your arms” and “dance to the music”. For me, this really helps to remind me to keep moving and keeps me focused on getting rid of those pounds.

And it’s working. I’ve lost a couple of pounds and over the next few weeks, I will probably be back down to where I want to be.

Notice, however, that I haven’t put up any fat pictures or any kind of note that is negative. Neutral, maybe, but not negative. I have to simply remind myself that my reward for NOT eating that Twinkie is getting back into my skinny pants.

The lesson here? Don’t beat yourself up. Keep looking forward. You’ve beaten yourself up enough or you wouldn’t be where you are. I wouldn’t be where I am if I hadn’t let my winter doldrums take over.

A long time ago, a thought really helped me fight out of a deep depression: I realized that even if I didn’t think I was worth the oxygen I use, there were a lot of people that depended on me — my daughter, my co-workers, my parents. If I did not take care of myself, I was not only letting them down, but I was putting a burden on them that I did not want them to bear.

See? Guilt can be handy.

Thank you. I’ve received some really nice comments about the blog. I frequently feel like I’m shouting into an abyss so to actually have someone read my stuff is very gratifying. Special thanks to Erwin, “megamoo”, and Lashandra. I know you guys have thoughts on this subject. Jump in!! I know you’re thinking about it.

Pretty harsh words. But think about it. When was the last time you whined? 10 minutes ago? Last Thursday?

I was thinking about this yesterday. It snowed about 14″. I hate snow. I hate cold. I was supposed to work Saturday and didn’t go in because of the snow. I would have had to shovel the snow out from around the gate to even get out to the dirt road that leads to the paved road. (Are you listening to this? I’m whining up a storm.)

Do you really care about my snow situation? Twenty bucks says you could care less. You are busy whining about your own situation. Am I right? Ha! Fork over the twenty whiny pants.

No one except you cares about your puny problems, your zits, your boring life or anything else except them. Them, them, them.

Want to impress someone and REALLY get their attention? Ask them something personal. “Did your husband enjoy that conference last week? Did you miss him a bunch?” “Those are gorgeous shoes. How do you find time to shop for something so perfect?” “Are your dogs enjoying the snow?” “Did your daughter’s soccer team make it to the finals?”

Questions like this tell the person you are talking to that
1. You LISTEN when they tell you about themselves
2. You CARE about their lives
3. You take time for them

Try it. You’ll make a friend for sure. And by actually listening when people tell you about themselves, you will find your own problems and crap in your life drifting away into insignificance. Because, face it, other people’s lives are way more interesting than our own.

The person you are today is mostly the result of learned behaviors. I’m not saying that it’s your parents’ fault, but it is true that if not given the tools to deal with life, you are at a disadvantage.

Not all people, and that includes parents, have the necessary tools to cope with life as effectively as might be possible. For you, however, tomorrow is a new day.  By that I mean that if you can recognize that your tool set is lacking some important elements, you need to find and start using those tools to build your life the way you want your life to be. There are many packages and programs available on-line to give you those tools.

Think about people that are wealthy. Many are wealthy only because their parents were wealthy. But what wealthy parents teach their children is much about maintaining that wealth and managing the family money. My parents were not wealthy and — guess what — they taught me squat about managing money. I had to learn it on my own. And I made it a point to learn it because I did not want to go through life being as poor as my parents were. This is a tool that I put in my tool box.

Approach learning how to manage your life in the same way. You may want to be more comfortable socially,  be less self-conscious or be able to speak to an audience. Maybe you are overcome with depression and feeling hopeless.  Look on-line or at http://hypnosis-self-esteem.com to start equipping yourself with the tools you need.

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If your life is not working for you the way you think it should, the only way to make your life different is to do something different. If you react to things tomorrow the same way you reacted to them today, then — guess what? Tomorrow will be a repeat of today.

But changing is difficult. And it’s difficult for everyone. For some reason, it’s dead easy to pick up bad habits and sometimes painful to create good habits. Change comes in little chunks though. And oddly, one small change has a ripple effect. I guess it’s sort of like weight lifting — there is no way  you can bench press 150 pounds today if you hadn’t been doing almost that much weight for many days previous to today. So to be able to bench press 150 pounds by June, you start lifting 30 pounds and then 40, then 50 and on and on until you hit the point of being able to do the 150 pound lift.

It’s no different with new actions, new plans and new goals. You don’t get there overnight by rather by doing a little today, a little more tomorrow and in a few months you find yourself amazed at how far you’ve come.

It’s just a few minutes before the first day of the new year. 2009 has just sped by. I need to slow down a little, maybe. Although, I’ve accomplished a lot in 2009.

With the new year, it’s time to regear, reassess, and to think about new goals.

Here are my affirmations for 2010:

– I manage my time well.
– My life is good and I appreciate it.
– I think before I speak.
– My mind is curious and ever-seeking new knowledge.
– I am constantly improving my professional skills and look for every opportunity to do so.
– I keep my work areas tidy and organized.
– I listen to every word a person is saying to me.
– I am generous, kind and thoughtful.
– I am thankful to be healthy and strong.
– I always take time to help others reach their goals and dreams.

Today is a great day to write down a new set of affirmations, to take stock, appreciate how much you’ve progressed in 2009 and start the new year off refreshed and ready for new challenges.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!