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Top 10 Ways to Change Your Life by Changing Your Memes
Kris Knopp and Bea Fields
Memes. funny word, big concept. Memes are essentially
the building blocks for how we move through life.
From “Where’s the beef” to “Nice guys finish last”,
they are made up of ideas, behaviors, styles or usages
that spread from person to person within a culture.
They form the boundaries and limits we use to operate
in the world. When we were infants, we soaked them up
like a sponge and learned how to survive. As we grew
older, we began to question them as well as gather
evidence to support those that had already taken root,
often subconsciously. Sometimes these memes helped us
reach our dreams, sometimes not. Through awareness and
conscious choice, our memes can support and energize
us to reach our goals and create a new reality--one of
our own choosing. So roll up your sleeves and let’s
do some spring cleaning on those memes…
1) Name the Memes Around You
In your lifetime, you have been surrounded by
countless memes. Your family history, culture,
friends, television, music, the part of the world you
live in, the time period in which you grew up all play
a part in the way you view the world. As you become
more in tune to these messages, you will be able to
identify the ones that support you and eliminate those
that don’t.
Exercise: Consider the following areas and the
cultural beliefs that relate to them:
1. Money
2. Success
3. Relationships
4. World politics
5. Aging
2) Clarify What’s Influencing You
Were there certain beliefs in your family that you
picked up? Did work have to be hard? Was it selfish
to ask for what you want rather than go along to get
along? Were there certain things that were just not
done? The key shift is taking control and using your
own thoughts, beliefs, and ideas to invent a new way
of being that becomes a bi-product of your thinking
propelling you forward to grow and evolve reducing the
struggle.
Exercise: Ask yourself the question "Is this belief,
idea, concept, or thought working for my life
purpose?"
This sounds simple, but it can actually be quite
challenging. We all have ideas, beliefs, and thoughts
(all memes) which work for our lives and those which
don't. This question should also be asked as you are
interacting with your memetic environment. Are the
books, websites, journals, movies, and conversations
you are having pulling you forward or causing a block
in your energy or zapping you of your reserves?
3) Dust Off Your Dreams and Evaluate Your Strengths
What are your strengths? What comes easy or naturally
to you? Find out what your strengths are, and apply
these each and every day to your life. By getting
clear on your life purpose and by examining your
thoughts several times each day, it is possible to
begin choosing memes which pull you forward.
Exercise: Make a list of things you were "driven to
do" but you didn't because of a belief.
Did you want to "major in interior design," "invest in
a certain stock," or "date or marry a particular
person?" Make a list of everything you have wanted to
do in the past but didn't, and then ask yourself "What
were the reasons that you did not act on what you
really wanted to do in life?"
4) Map Out Your “Superhighways”
Each of us takes in information in a variety of ways,
however some ways are our preferred paths. For
example, some people enjoy getting ideas from friends
and family, some are moved by visual images, music or
lyrics, and still others have to experience life to
form their own conclusions. By identifying and using
your “superhighways” you can enhance and speed up the
process of creating a supportive belief system.
Exercise: Discover your learning style and work with
it.
Do some investigation into your learning style and
take note of the trends you discover about yourself.
Do you prefer to listen to books on tape rather than
read? You may be an auditory learner. You learn by
listening. If you like to learn by graphs, charts, or
from presentations, you may be a visual learner who
learns by watching. If however, you learn by hands
on experience, you might be kinesthetic and learn best
by doing.
5) Eliminate Clutter Holding You Back
Waste and clutter crowd your thinking, and the visual
image can create negative thinking, such as "I am
overwhelmed" or "Things are broken" or "My house is
messy." The subconscious will take this thought and
will translate it into "I am broken, overwhelmed, and
messy."
Exercise: Spend about 10 minutes writing down
everything that is on your mind.
This could be a "to do list", set of random thoughts,
energies, or emotions. The goal is to get what is in
your mind out and on paper. A “brain dump” is a great
way to clear the mind of clutter and crowded thinking.
The clearing process can shift your thinking in a
heartbeat.
6) Get Creative and Broaden Your Horizons
• Study an evolutionary trend, a culture different
than your own, or a new territory worth entering.
• Investigate a new topic or idea that interests
you—read magazines, interview people in the field,
find a group to join
• Focus on the 15 frameworks. They can open a dialogue
to new options, and new ways of thinking. View the 15
Frameworks here
• Exaggerate or Minimize - If you take a problem, and
you blow it up...really exaggerate the problem and
make it bigger than it really is, what happens to your
thinking? It normally becomes wildly creative. On the
same note, when you make something much smaller, the
creativity soars as well, because you are shifting
your thinking into a mode which is either larger or
smaller than is normal for you.
Exercise: Put yourself in a new physical environment.
We can be creatures of habit, doing the same things
over and over again. If you always sit in the back of
the room, try sitting in the front, left, or right.
You can even sit in a different chair around your
table at mealtimes or in your living room. You can
walk instead of drive, try a new restaurant or route
to work, etc. The new perspective will sharpen your
ability to be open to new concepts.
7) Design Failsafe Structures
A failsafe structure is a structure or system which
makes all environments stronger than you are. Failsafe
means that the system or structure is not subject to
changes in your mood or in what is going on in your
life. Examples of failsafe structures include are
- a strong, stable Coach
- stimulating artwork, pictures, and photographs
- access to solid resources (online, library,
magazines)
- tructures for self care (weekly massages)
- mastermind groups
- music you enjoy waking up to
- ongoing skills training
- pets who greet you with happiness, excitement, and
lots of kisses
Exercise: Identify 5-10 people you know and ask them
to be on your team.
No one does it alone. Next to each person’s name
write down their strengths. When you ask them to be
on your team, mention their strength, “Bob, I have
noticed you are a fantastic speaker, would you be
willing to be on my team and help me improve my
speaking skills.” Most people will be flattered that
you asked, but if Bob turns you down, thank him for
his time and ask someone else. In time, you will have
assembled a team of people who can provide you with
quick solutions to your challenges and stretch your
thinking.
8) Be in Your Purpose
Find your purpose and put yourself squarely in the
middle of it. Get to know people who are outstanding
in your field, what are their beliefs, what drives
them, what ideas do they have about success? Try those
on, how do they fit for you? Study your topic or
find a group. Instead of saying, “I can’t”, ask
yourself, “How can I?”. Surround yourself with real
success and unlimited possibility, then your meme’s
will begin to shift and line up with your goals.
Exercise: Interview 25 people in your area of
interest.
However you define success chose people who have
attained it and ask curious questions. Some
questions you might ask are:
• "How/why did you get started?”
• “What is the most exciting/challenging part of your
day?”
• “If you knew now what you didn’t know then, what
would you do differently?”
• “What are you most proud of?”
• “What is success to you?”
Look for trends and differences in the answers to
these questions. Then ask yourself "Which answers work
for my life?" You may be surprised at what you find.
And, you might even add some members to you team (See
tip #7 above).
9) Pay Attention to Inklings and Other Guidance Tools
An inkling is a subtle sense of something, even with
no evidence to back it up. As you begin to trust your
inklings more often, you will find that your thinking
shifts and you will become more trusting of your own
abilities to make smart choices. Creativity and
momentum are also increased. While we don't recommend
that you act impulsively on something that is going to
cost you financially or in a way which harms you, we
do recommend that you go with your impulses in areas
such as creative writing, drawing, playing music, or
in talking to a stranger "just because you want to."
Exercise: Spend time each day in the alpha state.
Research has found that the ideal state for learning
is when the brain is in a relaxed, but aware state.
Techniques for moving into the alpha state are varied.
Some examples are meditation, yoga, swimming, deep
breathing exercises, and guided visualization.
10) Realize That “Soakage” is Inevitable
Even though we carefully try to choose our memes,
renegade beliefs will occasionally get in or
resurface, we will always be a work in progress.
Don’t beat yourself up but do the necessary things to
maximize success. Below are a few suggestions:
• Stop watching television (or at least...be very,
very selective about what you watch.)
• Immerse yourself in thoughts and literature which
relate to your goal.
• State your intention for what you see is possible
for your day and make a verbal commitment to achieving
just that. You hit the ground running, and you are in
charge of your entire day...not waiting for others to
call forth your best.
• Observe nature - your thinking can become MUCH
bigger and can reach far beyond where you are today.
• Teach or lead others in a new way of thinking
• Hold an "integrity day" to help people complete
mundane tasks, such as cleaning their office.
Exercise: Create a "Vision Board" and reinvent this
one time each month.
One time each month, take the time to post pictures of
what you want your life to look like, be like, and
feel like on a poster board or bulletin board. Once
these pictures are in place, do one thing in order to
move you closer to the direction of your vision. A
personal vision can orient you in the direction of the
future. The more you focus on pictures and goals of
what you want and where you are going in life, the
more your vision will be pulled in your direction.
This article was co-authored by Kris Knopp and Bea
Fields. Kris Knopp is an empowerment coach, who
inspires women to step up and into their full
potential in life, to see bigger possibilities, think
beyond the ordinary and lay claim to the exhilarating
life they are made for. Visit Kris at
www.deliberatelifecoaching.com or email
Kris@.... Bea Fields is an
Executive Coach, the Visionary Leader for the Personal
Environments Community
(http://cid384.cvcommunity.com/?tabInx=webpage) , and
the owner of http://www.FiveStarLeader.com.
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