Our model of the world is like the operating system for our mind. It directs what we focus on, what we believe and the decisions we make. As Tony Robbins says, “Decisions shape our destiny”. By upgrading our model of the world, we can, without question, improve the quality of our decisions, and ultimately our life.

A few years ago, I borrowed an audio program from a friend. It was Ken Wilber’s Kosmic Consciousness. The first time I listened to it, I was un-impressed. It seemed like a huge amount of talking without much substance. To be entirely honest, I didn’t get it. Now, it’s not that often that I don’t get something. This is because I have a habit of needing to understand what someone is saying before I can dismiss what they are saying. When I didn’t get Wilber’s program, I had this nagging frustration in the back of my mind that didn’t go away. Over the next month, the concepts kept popping back into my thoughts. I kept trying to figure out what the heck he was going on about. Finally, I decided to give it another listen. About one third of the way in it hit me. It all made sense, and I knew right there that it was going to radically change how I would see the world from then on.

Ken Wilber’s integral model was a new way of seeing for me. It’s not that I had to throw away my old way of seeing things, though. Everything I had learned up till then still applied, but from then on all the content from my old model fit into a larger context, a more embracing worldview. With that more embracing worldview came more room for truth.

I was so excited about the integral perspective that I wanted to share it with everyone I could. Unfortunately, the same barriers that kept me from understanding it stop a lot of other people as well. This article is meant to describe Wilber’s model as accessibly as possible in the hope that more people can use it in their lives.

So, what is integral? A person operating from the integral impulse desires to consciously collect and integrate all the perspectives of the world into a cohesive and all together more embracing perspective. They know that a point of view is partial. It will always leave something out. Therefore, an integrally informed person doesn’t take any one perspective in their model as absolute truth. Each perspective serves to fill in and reveal larger meta-truths beyond the details of any one view. The integral mind seeks, above all else, higher truth.

In the pursuit of higher truth, we need a model to support that truth. We can’t just run around with a billion facts and figures in our mind with no system for storing all that information. The model serves as a structural framework with sections and subsections to store all that information. It is essentially a framework of meaning. Most of us let this process of model creation go on autopilot, and we end up with a pretty crappy model. The integral impulse is to bring that process of model creation into conscious awareness. Only then do we have the perspective necessary to create a better map.

In Integral Operating System, Ken Wilber says, “If you look at a simple summary of the integral map that we use, and there are dozens of variables, but we time and time again have found that there are five that we have found are really important. We call them quadrants, levels, lines, states, and types”. Basically, Wilber is saying that based on the multitude of research throughout human history, there are five subjects that come up time and again as important dimensions of human consciousness. There are obviously way more than five, but we want a useful model that doesn’t get bogged down and become just as overwhelming as the territory of reality itself. The model must be a careful and balanced representation, not too simple but not too complex.

Quadrants

The first of these five variables is called Quadrants. Quadrants refers to our use of pro-nouns to describe the perspectives we can take at any one time. The four pro-nouns that the model uses are I, We, It and Its. Again, it comes down to settling on a useful number, and four is right on the edge of that usefulness boundary.

So, what’s the use of having four pronouns in our model? If we look at these four pronouns, we see that they describe more than just perspectives that we can take on a personal level. One place they are echoed in is truth, good and beauty. If you think about it, truth is a description of information gleaned from the “it” dimension of reality. We call something true if it resonates with objective, “it” language. Science is an example of an “it” discipline. Another way to put it is that “it” describes objective reality. We say, “It is raining”. We don’t say, “I feel raining”. Rain coming down or not is an objective statement. Good is derivative of the “we” domain. Morality and social agreements are formed from taking the “we” perspective. We call this domain Intersubjective. It is based on collective agreement between at least two individuals. Beauty comes from the “I” domain. Some people think the Mona Lisa is ugly. I happen to think it is beautiful. Neither are objectively true nor a statement of what to do. They are statements of beauty, statements of the subjective. Finally, “its” describes Interobjective systems. These can be networks, governments and environments. Think of this quadrant as objective social systems.

These four dimensions of reality should never be mistaken for, or reduced to, one another. They are separate co-arising domains, and by including them in our map we have a greater chance of honouring what each brings to the table.

A while back I was faced with the decision of whether to quit my job or not. The company I was at was exploiting its employees and it was a toxic environment to be in for any length of time. I also wasn’t happy with the work itself. For those two reasons I sent in my letter of resignation. Later I was thinking about my decision and realized what I had done. I had made an “I” (personal, emotional) and a “we” (moral) check but hadn’t considered the “it” domain enough. I tend to be idealistic and this is definitely one of the shortcomings of that trait. I realized that if I had put more emphasis on the “it” domain as a factor I may have found a better job first before walking out. It was objectively a bad decision to leave when I did. This kind of quadrant check can be a fantastic way to make sure all dimensions of a situation are being given consideration in a decision.

Lines

The next variable in Ken Wilber’s integral model is Lines. Lines refers to what Howard Gardner calls multiple intelligences. We all know that people can be smart in one area and not so smart elsewhere. Look at me, for example. My artistic line is quite high because I have spent over 10 years developing it. Now if you throw me in a swimming pool with Michael Phelps, I might not do so well. My kinesthetic line is pretty sad, to say the least. This is quite common, though. Most people spend their time focusing on one or two areas and neglect the other areas. It’s not bad at all. But what we need to do is be aware of where we are developed and where we aren’t.

There are dozens of potential lines that we could include in our integral model. Wilber’s model emphasizes seven lines that really should be taken into account to encourage healthy growth. They are: cognitive, interpersonal, moral, musical, worldview, kinesthetic and values. Again, these are just some of the more important ones, and you can include more or less if you want.

A good example of where this kind of awareness can be beneficial is in leadership. The company that I recently left had a CEO who was cognitively quite highly developed, and he knew it. Unfortunately, he is a moral slug. He has made the mistake of generalizing his intelligence over all his lines, and it negatively affects everyone around him. With lines in one’s model, these kinds of blind-spots can be largely avoided. When a leader is lacking in an area, he can work on developing that area or hire someone who is developed there to fill in the gap.

Levels

Another variable in Wilber’s model is Levels. There is a huge amount of evidence from multiple researchers gathered during the last century about levels of consciousness. The evidence points to the fact that we all start out at square one and over the course of our lives develop through identifiable stages, or structures of awareness. The basic labels for these levels vary depending on the researcher but they all point to the same thing. These levels describe the stages that our lines develop through.

Spiral dynamics is a model of values development by Don Beck and Chris Cowan. In this model, the levels are labeled from lowest to highest as follows: Instinctive /Survivalistic, Magical/Animistic, Impulsive/Egocentric, Purposeful/Authoritarian, Achievist/Strategic, Communitarian/Egalitarian, Integrative, and Holistic.

The higher the level, the wider and more embracing the perspective. For instance, the Purposeful/Authoritarian level tends to identify with family and at most country whereas the next level, Achievist/Strategic has the capacity to identify with all human beings. It continues this way all the way up.

Levels are an important variable in the integral map. Awareness of this dimension of ourselves gives us the ability to know where a decision is coming from. We can always act from the highest, most embracing and holistic perspective we know. This helps promote a stronger sense of integrity. The gap between what we believe and what we do closes.

States

The forth variable is States of Consciousness. There are three main states that all of us experience on a regular basis; the gross waking state, the dream state and the formless deep sleep state. In addition, we are capable of experiencing many other altered or peak states at any given time. This is really important to keep in mind because we have to be aware that the state we are in influences how we see the world and what we do.

Another important thing to mention is that states should never be confused with levels and lines. If one has a mystical state experience, it doesn’t mean they are all of a sudden at a higher level of consciousness. In fact, most of the masters in the world’s spiritual disciplines are of any and all levels of consciousness.

Types

The final variable in Ken Wilber’s integral model is Types. The Myers-Briggs Typology model and the enneagram are two maps of this dimension of our being. They essentially refer to the qualities and structure of a person’s personality. By being aware of this dimension of ourselves, it promotes sensitivity to the various ways humans have for getting their needs met. When we know why we do what we do, we can have self acceptance for our uniqueness and also less attachment to excuses for why we can’t do something. When we know the self, we can embrace and move beyond the self.

There are many resources online where you can take tests to identify your type. I recommend the Myers-Briggs typology test. It can be a great way to get to know why you do what you do.

Quadrants, levels, lines, states, and types are the variables that Wilber’s integral model emphasizes. It’s a good place to start. Invest the time to get familiar with Wilber’s model and a variety of other models and find what fits your experience best. Our understanding is always developing and so is our model. The more conscious we are in our development, the healthier the whole process will be.

When we are faced with any decision in our lives, it really boils down to a question about what to do. Before answering that question, we try to take as many perspectives into account as possible to make sure our decision is a good one. But not all perspectives are equal. In effect, we need a system for adding appropriate weight to the various perspectives so they correctly influence our decision. A comprehensive worldview is absolutely essential in this, and Ken Wilber’s integral model is, quite frankly, as good as it gets.

How can I make better decisions? This has been a powerful question in my development. In fact, this has been one of the central orienting questions for me for quite a long time. In this two part series, I’m going to reveal two ways to dramatically increase the quality of your questions, and as a result get explosive growth in your life.

The first factor in making better decisions is our short-term awareness directed by our physical and emotional state. It’s common sense that a bad emotional state leads to bad decisions. The opposite is true as well. The moments when we are most in tune and in the flow are largely due to the state we are in. But what most of us need is a healthy strategy for calling up appropriate states when they are needed, and that is what I will talk about here.

When I was a teenager, I suffered from depression. I even went on Paxil, an anti-depressant for a while. Unfortunately, it made it worse. As I went deeper into the depression, my school work began to suffer. I had no idea why I felt the way I did, and I felt powerless to find a way out.

Thankfully, at some point I started to notice something interesting. The depression was its worst about two hours after eating supper. What was it about supper that could cause it though? Then it came to me. Almost daily I would finish my meal, grab a handful of Oreo cookies, and head into the living room to eat them one by one.

As an experiment, I decided to stop eating the cookies for a bit to see if they were at all linked to my emotional turmoil. Sure enough, I began to feel a lot better right then. I realized that the sugar in the cookies was most likely to blame. By cutting my intake of sugar, I noticed a huge increase in my energy and emotional stability. It was the first major breakthrough in my life. I learned that environmental factors play a huge role in physical and emotional states. I also learned to take personal responsibility for my state of mind. Eventually, I went on to graduate with honors, something unthinkable a couple years before.

By taking this experimental approach to life, we can begin to find out how to control our state. When applied, this begins to immediately raise our awareness, and that will significantly impact the moment to moment decisions we make every day.

You can try this for yourself by introducing or eliminating things in your life and watching how the presence or absence affects your state. Keep a journal of these experiments and you will soon notice what makes a difference. You can then find out for yourself what induces the states you want to be in all the time.

Another great tool for controlling your state is anchoring. Anchoring is the process of mentally linking a stimulus, whether external or internal, to a response. For instance, if I was in an extremely negative state and someone touched my shoulder, I might get the two things linked. Then the next time someone touches my shoulder in the same way, I would immediately be sent back into that negative state. It happens for us unconsciously all the time. Fortunately, we can use this process in a conscious way as well.

A lot of the time, I am paying attention to the things I have linked to my positive states: creating a library in my mind. When I feel depressed, I run through all those things one by one, pulling myself back to the state when I felt good. For example, I’ll say “I feel phenomenally bad at this amazing time. I’m so brilliantly tired of being in this awesomely depressed state”. I even start to move my body in an excited way, excited about feeling bad. It doesn’t take long before I am cracking up with laughter at the ridiculousness of it. The point is to bring up as many positive anchors as I possibly can: words, thoughts, body language, emotions, vocal pacing, etc. It’s almost impossible to feel bad when you engage in positive thoughts, emotions and actions for a length of time.

If you want to make better decisions, you absolutely need to be in the right physical and emotional state to do so. This means you have to take personal responsibility for controlling and directing your state. When we can move into a desired state on cue, we have mastered our internal world. Only then are we truly capable of taking further steps toward our highest potential.

In part 2 of this article, I will talk about an even more significant factor controlling our decisions: our model of the world.

Heaven doesn’t exist. Sorry if this bursts your bubble on some level. Heaven is a mythic belief, and although many of us are way beyond that level of development we still hold onto the concept. We think that by suffering now we will one day get to heaven, whether it be a literal paradise in the clouds, or a more rational future life with cars, houses and money, or whatever else. It’s all the same. It’s a fantasy. Holding off anything for the sake of experiencing it in the future is simply a tragedy. We have to get really serious about that and just die to the whole idea of future reward for present suffering.

It is entirely understandable why people would not want to metaphorically die to the notion of a future heavenly paradise. It’s so comforting to feel like no matter what happens now, no matter how painful it is, there is some reward waiting for all our hard work and suffering. However, if there is any hell, that’s what it is –holding onto a sense of self or belief longer than you need to.

For a long time I had the belief that work gave me value. I thought that the more I worked, the more value I had as a person. So I needlessly created work for myself to feel that sense of value. The truth is that my value is inherent. I understand that now. I don’t need to do anything. That shift in belief allowed me to stop working and just experience life as it is. Through that perspective, I do things that bring me joy instead of things that only hold the promise of future joy. The irony, of course, is that I now add more value to other people’s lives than ever before. Adding value is no longer a compulsion, however. It’s a healthy expression of who I am.

It takes an enormous amount of courage to face the fact that the now is all there is. We have been so strongly conditioned to believe that the future is where we will get a release from suffering, that we slavishly work to escape the present moment all our lives. The thought of not being rewarded in the future is quite frankly scary when it first starts to dawn on us. But in letting go into this realization and accepting things as they are, a peace begins to pass over us. Eckhart Tolle describes this thought beautifully in A New Earth. He says, “The joy of Being, which is the only true happiness, can not come to you through any form, possession, achievement, person, or event –through anything that happens. That joy cannot come to you –ever. It emanates from the formless dimension within you, from consciousness itself and thus is one with who you are”. Heaven moves from the future to the present when we embrace all the love and joy that is already within us. Heaven is now.

A powerful tool for programming your non-conscious mind to get what you want is Induced State Visualization or ISV. This is a practice I developed by combining visualization and brain entrainment audio software. It’s easy to do yet incredibly transformative.

Entrainment is a term to describe the tendency of two oscillating systems in close proximity assuming the same period. For example, if you set a stringed instrument in a room for a length of time that happens to have ambient noise present, like a buzzing fluorescent light bulb, the instrument will go out of tune to match the noise. This phenomenon arises due to resonance, which is the transfer of vibration from one medium to another.

Brain entrainment programs use this phenomenon by introducing an external frequency through stereo headphones that causes the brain to entrain to that frequency. In effect, the brain is synced to lower frequencies, the same frequencies the brain naturally produces during relaxation, dreams, or even deep focus. This kind of technology is fantastic for inducing states of mind quickly and easily.

Bill Harris says the following about entrainment neuro-technologies: “One of the observed effects of this type of sound-induced brain synchronization is increased learning ability. What is now known as superlearning began in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s with the work of Bulgarian psychiatrist Georgi Lozanov. Lozanov used deep relaxation combined with synchronized rhythms in the brain to cause students to produce alpha waves. He found that students when in this state learned over five times as much information with less study time per day, with greater long-term retention”.

This brain entrainment technology is amazing in itself, but what really makes it explosive is when combined with other technologies or practices.

For quite some time now I have been using visualizations to train my non-conscious mind to be in tune with my conscious desires. Since the mind cannot tell the difference between a real experience and an experience that happens only in the mind, this tool forms new behaviours, capabilities, and beliefs with consistent practice. The only weakness in this is that when you visualize something you are in relative waking level awareness. Beliefs are stored in the subconscious mind and therefore it can take a long time and lots of effort to change them. But by combining visualizations with these brain entrainment audio programs you can more deeply embed the images and feelings as you experience them. It literally programs your mind to move toward whatever you want it to.

So what is the best way to practice Induced State Visualization? First off, get a program or audio recording that takes you through the first three brain wave patterns (beta, alpha, and theta) and make sure it is about 30 minutes in length. It’s a good idea to listen in a comfortable seated position and a quite setting. Use stereo headphones and keep the volume at a comfortable level. As the entrainment program starts close your eyes and begin seeing yourself living the life of your dreams in your mind’s eye. Imagine in first person perspective all the things you would like to have, do, or be. Get as clear as you can and be sure to include as many physical senses as you can in your vision. The most important thing is to absolutely feel like you have that life now. Go on adding to your vision until the audio stops. Then simply go about your day. After about a month of doing this every day you will start to notice a significant change in your psychology. Your thoughts will change, and eventually your beliefs will as well.

It’s quite phenomenal that we have the ability to consciously shape our minds however we want. We experience true freedom when we are no longer constrained by negative beliefs or limited by a sense of self that is less significant than we deserve. Our true potential is infinite. Having the tools to help us manifest that potential is vital.

Recently I discovered a really cool learning strategy I call Emulation. It involves the act of mimicking a person in a peak state: their tone of voice, vocal pacing, body language, and word for word speech in order to learn from, resonate, and absorb more fully their successful strategies. Its a very easy way to learn new things.

For quite some time I have been focused on getting more associated when I watch movies. I imagine being in the scene with the characters and being involved directly in the action. It not only makes movies more fun, but also gives a richer and more meaningful experience that sits with me much longer.

My desire to do this was initially fueled by the knowledge that the more senses that get involved in learning, the more deeply one retains and understands the material. For instance, if you remember a phone number by singing it as a song or making a series of internal images into a story from it, you will remember it much better than simply memorizing the numbers themselves. I have been doing this since high school. In one class I easily memorized entire sheets of notes word for word this way. It’s a great tool in itself.

Also I started this process because I’ve wanted to be more in the moment in everything I do. There is something exhilarating in feeling like I am present and awake all the time, so finding new ways to get a deeper association to what I am doing has been a really strong motivator for me. If I am associated, I want to be really associated. If I am in a detached, objective state I want to be really in that state as well. Being present really opens the mind up to soak in new experiences and learnings with ease.

However, the moment when these deep experiences became more solid and useful was a couple years ago when I started getting interested in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) from my friend John. If you aren’t familiar with NLP it is basically a system for modeling successful people with the intent of using their strategies for yourself. The fundamental presupposition of modeling is that experience has structure and that structure can be learned. So in effect you could take someone who does something well, find out what they are doing and learn to do that.

In the book Introducing NLP by Joseph O’ Conner and John Seymour, they say the following about modeling:
“With some skills, replicating physiology may be the most important part. To model an excellent skier, for example, you would watch him ski until you begin to move your body in the same way. This will give you an experience of what it is like to do what he does, and you may even have some intuitions about what it is like to be that person, or at least to be inside that body. By precisely mirroring the patterns of movement, posture and even breathing, you will begin to feel the same way as him on the inside. You will have gained access to resources that may have taken him years to discover”.

This is an amazing way to approach learning. It sure as heck beats the current learning strategy taught in the public school system of repeatedly hammering in useless trivia for 12+ years in a row. As far as learning strategies go, modeling is miles better than that tired old system.

Now here’s where it gets even better. With the internet we have an almost infinite source of audio and video from successful people. We have all the reference we need to model anything we could ever want to learn. A simple YouTube search will bring up a whole pile of great stuff to use.

By taking this concept of modeling and combining it with that state of presence and openness I started to get some mind-blowing results. I found a video of Tony Robbins giving one of his passionate talks to an audience, and I started mimicking his voice. It was fun to just see how close I could get to matching him as he was speaking. As I got better at doing that, I started noticing his eye movements. I matched those as well. Then when I got that down, I started incorporating his head turns and facial expressions. I kept noticing new things to include in my emulation. When the video ended I felt like I had just awoken from a dream. The state was so deep. The best part is you get better at it the more you do it. It’s absolutely explosive for growth.

So how exactly do you emulate? Let’s take public speaking as an example, something that nearly everyone is afraid of. Bring up a video of a speaker that really moves your soul. Find a video where they are giving one of their most memorable speeches. Play the video. Repeat the speaker’s words as best you can, following their rhythm and reproducing their tonality. As you start to sink into the pacing of the words, start mimicking their body language as well. The goal is to accurately achieve an almost mirror like effect between you and the speaker, and maintain it for a at least 10 minutes. As you start to nail down certain characteristics you will notice more. Add those as well. Keep going deeper. It’s so holographic that it can be surprising at first. It feels like truly stepping into the shoes of the other person.

One thing that I do to add to it even more is download the video and horizontally reverse the image in an editing suite. The model’s left side is my left side. That way when I watch it and mimic it, it feels even more like a mirror image of myself.

I recommend doing this for at least 15 minutes a day. After a while you will start to notice the model’s behaviour creeping into your own experience. This is deep learning, the same kind of learning that young children use to learn how to speak. You will be blown away at how incredibly powerful and transformative it is.

When I first watched the Secret I was thrilled about the potential of what it meant for me.  I was also excited because it was the first program I had seen that had a good explanation of spiritual concepts in language that almost anyone could understand. Lots of people couldn’t wait to get started with the Secret right away. But unfortunately there were also those who couldn’t accept it. There was a barrier between the way they saw the world and what the program was suggesting for them. Quite frankly, there are too many holes and missing pieces in the program that ultimately leave people feeling skeptical about whether it is real at all.

In the first part of the program Bob Proctor talks about people not knowing how electricity works, yet still enjoying the benefits of it. This is the perspective you are expected to take – blind faith. For most rational people this is like nails on a chalkboard. I believe that a more thorough explanation of the core concepts behind the law of attraction really is needed to bring it from a nice idea into the realm of clear understanding.

“When you release your inner blocks to your success you can have, do, or be anything you want”. This is a quote from Joe Vitale, teacher in the Secret and author of The Missing Secret. Joe is talking about non-conscious intent, something that is just barely touched on in the Secret DVD. It should have been focused on more, though, because it really is the key to understanding how the law of attraction actually works.

You might be wondering what the difference between the conscious and non-conscious mind is. John Assaraf describes the conscious mind as, “The part of the brain that thinks and reasons, and the part through which you exercise free-will”. It is also the part of the mind that is used for focus, concentration and learning. On the other hand, the non-conscious mind is in charge of emotions, symbolic representations, and everything else unrelated to conscious activity. Research shows that the conscious brain accounts for a mere 4% of perceptions and behavior, while the non-conscious mind accounts for 96%. Our conscious mind is basically just the tip of the iceberg, and to really use the law of attraction you absolutely have to enlist the help of the non-conscious. It all comes from there.

Most of us identify with our conscious mind and see the non-conscious activity as a mysterious part of ourselves or even worse disidentify entirely and feel like it controls us. We are all of it, though. Assaraf says, “Because we so strongly tend to identify with our conscious thoughts, we naturally tend to think of our conscious thoughts as me. We assume that our conscious mind is calling the shots and it is at the controls and in charge of what we actually do. But that is simply not true”.

“Setting goals is a conscious exercise. Achieving goals is a spiritual and non-conscious exercise”. This is from Assaraf’s book The Answer. He goes on to say, “To achieve our goals…we need to become experts at using both parts of our brain”. So how exactly do we “use both parts of our brain”?

Essentially its a two step process. Step one is to get really clear about what you want. Think about it, write it down, and send it out into the universe. That takes care of your conscious mind. Then you need to work with your non-conscious mind to make sure it is aligned with that purpose you consciously set. If not, you will find a million ways to sabotage and hold yourself back from your goal. No matter how hard you consciously want something, if you don’t have your non-conscious mind on board it won’t manifest.

Replacing limiting and negative beliefs with empowering positive beliefs is the surest way to get what you want. In fact, it is probably the single most important key to making the law of attraction work. You can do this many ways, and the more the better really.

One way to get in touch with and affect your non-conscious mind is to meditate. During the commentary for the Secret, Rhonda Byrne mentions in passing that almost all the teachers on the DVD meditate. I started meditating in 2006 and it has been absolutely mind-blowing for my development. It’s quite simple and there are tons of resources on the web for learning any one of the many techniques. In fact, I recently wrote an introduction to the practice of meditation with an accompanying 10 minute audio timer. I recommend starting there.

Another way to affect the non-conscious mind is through visualization. Visualization is talked about in the Secret but I want to emphasize it again. By taking time every day to enter an abundant state of mind you train your mind to recognize and identify with the energetic frequency of that feeling. Then when something in your awareness pops up that matches that feeling you will know it is in line with your goals. It will feel right. So take 15 minutes a day, close your eyes and experience all the things you want. Be there and feel it fully.

Incantations are also an absolutely amazing tool for programming your non-conscious mind. An incantation is a phrase that you repeat to yourself out loud while moving your body and engaging your mind. Tony Robbins uses “All the wealth I need is within me now” as an incantation during exercise. If done with enough intensity and focus it will change your state immediately. In The Power to Shape Your Destiny Tony says the following about incantations:
“Knowing better will not make you better. Speak that which you wish to become. You can not get rid of a (negative) incantation. You must replace it with a positive one, one that consistently causes you to feel, experience and be your best. What you consistently speak you will become, what you consistently speak you will create, and what you consistently speak you will find in experience…What you say over and over again is the absolute programming device of the software and the hardware of your nervous system. So you’ve got to do it more consciously. The more powerful the emotional state you are in when you do your incantation the more powerful the conditioning is…emotional intensity is everything”.

As with all these tools, you have to really do it. I have read so many books and listened to so many programs where I did so passively. The moment I decided to start engaging with the material in a conscious, associated and active way was the moment the information moved from a cognitive understanding to an experiential understanding. It all made sense on a deep level and became valuable beyond description. It makes all the difference.

The Secret is simply amazing. When you understand that intent and attraction rule success, you can move toward whatever you want with absolute passion and purpose. The key is becoming a master of both parts of your brain, your conscious and non-conscious. Then you can use your brain to its full potential by programming your non-conscious to be in alignment with your conscious goals. Then you truly can have, do, and be anything you want.