The Power of Associations

On tape three of The Anthony Robbins Personal Power Series I learned the following;

Our nervous system associates things automatically in our life with pain or pleasure. These neuro-associations create anchors for our reality and shape our destiny.

An example of a neuro-association is this-what do we automatically think of when we here the words "What spells relief?" Rolaids right! or what comes to mind when you hear "whose loving it?" McDonald's!

These neuro-associations were ingrained in our minds through repetition in commercials.
It is no different in our own lives. We form these associations early on in our life and we continue to form them. However, if we are aware of them, we can re-condition our nervous system to associate a positive association with something that we previously may have associated something negative with therefore increasing our pleasure in life and stopping the pain.

A personal example in my life is smoking. Four months ago I was a pack a day smoker. Early on in my life around the age of 15 I began to associate smoking with pleasure. Cigarette ads do it all the time! My group of friends were smoking and therefore I associated smoking with being cool or a fun thing to do and it just became automatic. Now when I smell cigarettes I realize how bad they really smell and I think about the smoke going into my lungs and all the hard work I've done to get healthy and into great shape and I now associate smoking with pain. I have literally re-conditioned my mind without even realizing it.

We can do this with anything in our lives. Start with thinking about and writing down three neuro-associations that you have formed that led you to something positive in your life today.

Mine are;

self confidence=positive, Independence
determination=strength
individuality=good

Now think about three neuro-associations you have formed that are negative and dis empowering. The next tape is going to show me how to change these step by step.
What does any of this have to do with getting out of debt, starting my own business, and being successful? Everything!

I know that the way I have been living my life is not making me happy. I have been stuck in certain thinking and ways of dong things for years and it is no longer serving me.

I want to be a positive, vibrant, healthy, successful person.

When you open your mind to new things, you open your life to new possibilities.