Hey everyone! I hope you're all well, enjoying the beautiful weather at the moment. And in case you are reading this on a rainy day just remember we need those too for everything to grow, bloom and blossom!

I was reminded this morning about a client who came to me for hypnotherapy for an issue whilst simultaneously telling me 'it was no big deal'. She thought that it wasn't a big issue, or at least kept trying to downplay it. But I pointed out to her that it was affecting her life to such a degree that she had sought out professional help for it. Now, it wasn't a huge problem, it was easily solved but it was having a negative effect on her life. The first thing I did with this client was to ask her to recognise and change her language*.

If you want to change something in your life then you have to have clarity about that change. So in this instance, it was sleep. This lady couldn't sleep through the night, it was having knock-on effects and yet she kept saying 'it's no big deal'. Well, sleep deprivation is used as a method of torture for a reason. It's a big deal! Our need for sleep affects so many other things, including weight which is why it's the fourth most important factor in weight loss. So whilst she was suffering she was also telling her subconscious mind over and over that this wasn't actually a problem that needed solving. If you don't have a great understanding of the conscious and subconscious mind then let me put it to you in this way - imagine that you are a computer, and that at times you are focused on directing it to do something in particular, like playing solitaire. What is happening while you're playing solitaire? The rest of the computer is still working, it's staying on, it's running in the background, all these things are happening that you have no awareness of whilst you are focused on what you are doing in the moment.

The computer knows what it's objective is, and so it continues working without your involvement. It has been programmed to do so.

You are driving home from work, and when you get home you think about the traffic lights that you passed... did you run a red light? You can't remember getting home. When you sat down in your car you knew what your objective was, and so your body continued running on autopilot to get you home whilst your mind wandered. You had a clear direction at the beginning of the journey, and so it was achieved. Start treating yourself like a computer by programming yourself with clear directions. If you want to lose weight then start talking to yourself about that objective ''I want to lose weight, I am only interested in healthy food choices, I only eat during set meal times''. The same with sleep ''I love having a full night's sleep, I am going to wake up at 7am feeling refreshed''. It's also really important to visualise or imagine the objective that you want - what will it feel like when you are on holiday and feeling great about yourself? What will it feel like to wake up refreshed with so much energy to have a great day?

You might not know this but your subconscious mind is constantly working for your benefit. The downside is that your subconscious got most of it's programming when you were a child, by other people. And not many people understand just how powerful their words are. Every time your parents said ''We can't afford that. Money doesn't grow on trees.'' they were planting a message about prosperity. Did you ever hear a Teacher tell someone they were going to grow up to be great, or they were always going to struggle? When you think about the words you've repeatedly heard from your friends, family, teachers and peers can you see how they have helped shape you? Can you hear the words that you tell others? 'I've always been that way', 'Cancer runs in my family', 'You're so smart', 'You have to work hard', 'People like us don't live in places like that'... You've either continued operating from those messages or you've done the opposite and consciously chosen to create something different - giving your computer new programming.

So today's message for you is to get really clear on the message that you are giving yourself. Your subconscious mind is genuinely your ally. It's job is to keep you safe. Make sure that it knows the truth about what is safe and what is dangerous. If you had your heart broken and you associate love with danger then your subconscious mind will operate with that programming, making you behave in ways that keep you away from love and relationships.

A message like 'All men/women cheat' means that you will continue to participate in relationships with people who are unfaithful. It's not bad luck, it's programming. Your subconscious mind is looking to remain true and validate your beliefs, and so it will pick up on cues displayed by unfaithful people and you will be attracted to them thinking that it's love, or they are your soulmate... No, they are consistent. And your subconscious mind is remaining consistent to the message you have given it.

Your life is a reflection of your programming. You were not in control of the programming you received as a child, but it is 100% your responsibility to update that programming as an adult. That's a hard pill to swallow, because that means that you are partly responsible for some of the bad things that happen in your life. The great news about that is once you understand your power you can make changes. That starts with listening to the words you use and changing them.

So, I hope you have a clearer understanding of the subconscious mind and that you now know that you really can affect great change in your life. You can break any cycle, and if you want help doing so then please get in touch.

Be blessed,

Hester

*Book recommendation: The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz

Such an excellent book to really make you think about being deliberate with the words you use and how they have such power.