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Principle One
As Soon as You Make the Decision to Change, Your Life Will Follow
Think about it: if you want to go someplace new, if you want to change your horizons, you cannot get there by standing still. Maybe you feel that you're at a roadblock. You want to be someone else, someone happier, fitter, healthier, stronger. But just wishing for change is not enough; you have to take the first step. You have to find the power within you that will move you in the direction you want to go.
If you want your life to change from the course it is on, you must be willing to change. Not the circumstances, not someone else, not your parents or your spouse or your boss. It may be a word, an exercise, or an affirmation; all you need is a spark, something that will make you think differently than you have before. Somewhere in this book you will find something that will change your life.
Principle 1 of the IntenSati Method is that as soon as you make the decision to change, your life will follow. It has to. You are the one directing it. You are doing it every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every year till death do you part. That is power! To change physically, you have to be willing to change the way you think, feel, and act. The thoughts you are thinking, whether you are paying attention to them or not, are activating emotions within you. Those emotions fuel your energy, and that energy fuels your actions. IntenSati is the practice of keeping your attention on your thoughts, guiding them and your self-talk deliberately to activate emotions that will empower you instead of disempower you. It will enable you to live a life in which you are appreciating, loving, creating, and caring, instead of complaining and worrying most of the time.
Now, usually, when we know we need to change something, we think about the actions we're going to change. "I'm going to start going to the gym three times a week to get rid of this tummy!" we'll say, or "I'm going to start cooking healthier meals and reduce my calorie count," in the hope that these actions will turn us into thinner, happier people. It's a nice plan, but how many times have you started a new program only to find yourself in the same place a few weeks, a few months, or a few years later? It takes an extraordinary amount of mindfulness and desire to take inspired action. Your success starts well before the trip to the grocery store or your first jog around the block. Before you do anything, you have to pay attention to what is inspiring your actions (or your lack of them). You have to take control of your thoughts and mind and first understand the person you really are and the power you have to ignite powerful, positive, loving emotions.
You Are the Thinker, Not the Thought
If you have been hating yourself, loathing your body, or criticizing your lack of willpower and courage to change, it is precisely that inner conversation that is holding you back. It's robbing you of your power. Think of every thought you have not as an observation, but as a command. Most of us don't even notice or question the thoughts we have. But the fact is, you are what you think about all day long.
If you have the belief that you cannot lose weight, that no matter what you do you will fail, then guess what? You will fail. If you feel that weight on your body is stubborn and will never go away, then it will obey. Why? It is not the condition that is stubborn. You are stubbornly holding a thought that is keeping that condition in place. Think about how you speak about your body and what you tell your friends and family. Do you say things like:
* "It's impossible for me to lose weight."
* "No matter what I do, I can't stick to a diet."
* "I hate exercise and I can't find something I like to do."
* "I am lazy. I have no willpower."
* "I give up! Diets don't work for me."
Now look back at those words not as observations, but as commands. You are the one in charge. Why can't you lose weight, stick to a diet, or find a workout that works? Because you have been telling yourself -- and probably anyone who will listen -- how powerless, helpless, and hopeless you are. And so it is!
Let Your Heart Be Your Guide
You can change your life. No matter how far you think you've gone astray, you can get back on track starting this moment. First, you need to start paying attention to your thoughts. Will you make a commitment to yourself and catch yourself when you feel that negative feeling bubbling? Use those nagging, needling words that pop into your head and your heart as your red flag. Let them guide you to get back on track. When you hear them or feel them creeping up on you, stop, refocus, and choose to replace them with something more powerful and constructive. If you do this, you will begin to see yourself differently. Other people will see you differently. You will begin to wake up to a whole new world of possibilities.
Try this exercise. What if, instead of those negative things you tell yourself day after day, you try verbalizing the following thoughts instead? Say them out loud, whisper them, write them, feel them, imagine them as your truth. When one feels particularly good to you, use it. If it brings up a positive emotion, summon it like a prayer, repeating it over and over. Feel it create a change of focus within you. It's like turning on a light switch! When you turn on the light, all the dark disappears. This is the beginning of creating a new script for the New You. When you have a new script, you will have a new life.
As you read the lines below, take a few moments to imagine what powerful actions would follow these powerful statements of responsibility. This is the beginning...
* "I can change now; I am ready."
* "I choose to believe I can do this."
* "I want this, and with practice I can do anything."
* "What I think about I bring about."
* "Today I am keeping my attention on my happiness and my health."
* "I am powerful now, and I am accepting it."
* "I take full responsibility for my body today."
* "I care about how I feel, and I am ready to feel great."
Mind/Body Exercise: Begining the Practice
To open the IntenSati practice, we begin with a powerful warm-up for both your body and your mind: "Every day in a very true way I co€‘create my reality. As above, so below. This is what I know."
As you have learned in this chapter, every day you are creating our experience by the thoughts you choose to think, the perspective you choose to take, the attention you give to what you hate or what you love...or anything in between. You are always creating because you are always thinking.
Here is the important thing about your part in the co€‘creation process: You may not always have a say in your circumstances, but you always have a say in your perspective of the circumstances. You were born to the parents you were born to; you are as tall as you are going to be; you have a past you cannot change; you have the challenges you face. But either you can use those circumstances as proof of why you cannot be who you want to be, or you can see them as a starting point and go from there -- you participate in the reality your life becomes. By choosing to accept where you are right now and dropping the complaining about it, you will create the opening for a new possibility, a new outcome, a new result!
The Sati life is a conscious, deliberate life. It's about loving, thriving, and taking the reins. Do this warm-up every day for thirty days. Write it down on a notecard and place it in many places that you can see throughout the day. Memorize it, say it over and over to yourself as you go about your day. Make it an imprint on your mind and your heart that you are the one responsible for your health and happiness. It takes just two minutes, and if you start every day with this declaration, you will awaken yourself to who you really are. No longer will you see yourself as powerless, unworthy, or unable. Instead, you will begin to see that great things are within your grasp.
Before you begin, stand in the ready pose, hands at your heart, eyes closed, and repeat to yourself your intention: "I intend to feel good" or "I intend to feel better." You are warming up your body and your mind together. Once you learn the entire exercise outlined here, do it for at least two minutes. You are harnessing your power of concentration. Even though you may feel that you are "just thinking it," try not to let your mind wander.
Ready: Stand tall, your eyes straight ahead, feet together, and shoulders back, with your arms by your sides. This pose represents your readiness to take action now.
First-Round Action
Hold each action while repeating the affirmation below.
Responsibility for Life: Standing tall with your feet together, raise your arms over your head, press your palms together in the pose of Responsibility, and silently say, "With gratitude, I take full responsibility for my health and happiness."
Responsibility for Mind: With your palms still pressed together, bring your hands to the center of your forehead, your third eye of inner wisdom, to the pose of Will and silently say, "With gratitude, I take full responsibility for the power of my thoughts."
Responsibility for Attitude: Bring your hands to your heart and silently say, "With gratitude, I take full responsibility for the power of my emotions."
Responsibility for Actions: Bend your knees to a chair pose, keeping your legs together, as if you are sitting in a chair. With your palms pressed together, extend your arms from your heart toward the floor (make sure to keep your back straight), and ...
