Have you ever wanted to shift gears and create a life you actually want, but don’t know where to start? Or perhaps negative thoughts deter you from going after what you want to do.
In her new book, "Super Attractor: Methods of Manifesting a Life beyond Your Wildest Dreams," Gabrielle Bernstein unlocks the key to living a life you want and claiming your desires.
Bernstein, a motivational speaker, has made it her mission to help others find their true purpose in life. She’s a New York Times best-selling author of six other books, including "Judgement Detox," "The Universe Has Your Back" and "Spirit Junkie."
Bernstein tries to help others find their true power by helping them learn how to co-create the life they want.
Read on below for an excerpt from Bernstein’s new book, "Super Attractor," released Tuesday.
****
The Choose Again Method
By Gabrielle Bernstein
You don’t have to fix your whole life to feel better now! In fact, you don’t have to do much at all. Begin your shift into alignment with a method I call “Choose Again.”
THE 3-STEP CHOOSE AGAIN METHOD
When you begin this practice, I recommend you document each step in your Super Attractor journal. The more you practice this method, the more it will become second nature. In time you’ll be able to quickly follow the method in your mind whenever you need it. For now, however, let your journal support your path.
Step 1: Notice the thought.
When you find yourself stuck in negativity or fear, consciously step back. You can do this by noticing that your thoughts and energy are out of alignment with joy. Ask yourself, “How do I feel right now?” Write down your answer in your journal.
Step 2: Forgive the thought.
Forgive yourself for being misaligned and celebrate your desire to shift. Thank your negative feelings and thoughts for showing you what you don’t want and revealing what you do. Next to each negative thought that you document, write the words Thank you for revealing to me what I don’t want so that I can clarify what I do want.
Step 3: Choose again.
Answer this question in your journal: “What is the best-feeling thought I can find right now?” Then ask then Universe to guide you toward that thought. In your journal, write down this prayer or say it to yourself: Thank you, Universe, for guiding my thoughts toward good-feeling emotions.
As you practice this step, remember that you are reaching for the next best feeling. You are not required to land on the ultimate solution. So, for instance, if you are struggling with finances, the thought “I’m going to be out of debt in one week!” is likely to create more misalignment because you probably wouldn’t believe it. Instead, choose a thought that feels realistic and possible. For this step to work, you must believe in your next best thought. If there’s any doubt, then your energy won’t back up your prayer. (Keep in mind that the Universe always hears your prayers. But your energy must support those prayers in order for you to hear the guidance that the Universe then provides).
Let’s look together at how we might apply the three steps of the Choose Again Method: As before, imagine someone who is suffering from financial lack and uncertainty. Understandably, this person’s dominant thoughts center around debt and the crippling fear of not being able to pay their bills. They’ve become obsessed with these fearful thoughts because the inner voice of fear (otherwise known as the ego) has convinced them that the more they think about it, the more they can control their circumstances. It is at this stage that we can start to apply the initial step of recognizing the negative thoughts. It’s normal, of course, to think that obsessing over an issue is how we find solutions. But it actually has the opposite effect. The more your mentality tends toward fear and lack, the further away you are from allowing solutions to come into your consciousness. We bring energy to the object of our focus. That energy influences our emotional state, and it’s our emotional state that is our point of attraction. Fear-minded thinking puts us out of alignment with positive energy. When we’re out of alignment with positive energy, we’re disconnected from the support of the Universe. The Universe has the capacity to bring forth creative solutions for earning, new ways of managing money, and other ideas that the fear-based logical mind cannot come up with. But we have to be in a receptive place to hear the answers.
The way out of that negative loop is through Step 2, forgiving the misaligned thoughts. Through forgiveness, we can release the past and accept that the present moment offers an opportunity for grace. Even a slight moment of presence is enough to redirect our energy and get positive momentum to help choose a better thought. Moving to Step 3, we think, “What is the best-feeling thought I can find right now?” A nice way to get there in this instance could be with a statement like “I’m open to creative possibilities for abundance.” This statement becomes a prayer. By saying this kind of affirmation silently or out loud, we make a massive announcement to the Universe that we are ready to choose again. The very second we choose a loving thought, our emotions shift and our energy changes. This is realignment with the Universe.
The Choose Again Method may seem too simple at first. You may be wondering how you can just shift out of negative thoughts that may have plagued you for years. I assure you that choosing to shift your thoughts doesn’t have to be difficult. It does not matter whether these negative thoughts have been with you for 2 weeks or 20 years. The simple choice to feel better is enough to put you on a path to what you desire. So use these three steps to help you redirect your energy and slow down the flow of negativity.
The simplicity of this method might tempt you to dismiss its value. Let me be very clear: we don’t have time to dwell in our drama. Being committed to a spiritual path means that we’re ready to wake up fast. We need to make feeling good our highest priority and do whatever it takes to be Super Attractors. Our commitment to living in alignment will help us stay sane in these times. No matter where you are in the world, you cannot hide from the negative energy of the daily news, political climate, and feelings of divisiveness. Even if you were able to ignore the world around you, perhaps by avoidance or escapism, you would do so at the expense of the greater good. You would deprive the world of your positive energy, which affects not just you but everyone you come into contact with.
Excerpt from SUPER ATTRACTOR: Methods for Manifesting a Life beyond Your Wildest Dreams is reprinted with permission from Hay House.
