"Change Your Life in 7 Days" is a book by Paul McKenna, a self-help author and hypnotist. He's written books on quitting smoking, losing weight and more. Most of his books, like this one, are accompanied by DVDs/CDs to help induce a hypnotic state so that the lessons become part of your subconscious.
What does hypnotism have to do with money, you ask? While this book does have a chapter on the "millionaire mind," it's mostly about training mind to think and respond to events in ways that set yourself up for success.
Philosophy behind the book
McKenna's aim is to help people reframe their experiences so that they can both achieve their goals (like losing weight or paying off debt) and also become mentally flexible enough to take advantage of unique opportunities as they arise. By training yourself to approach and react to situations in particular ways, your responses can become more productive and you can more successfully manage stress.
According to McKenna, the main way to accomplish this is to become an optimist, if you're not one already. Rather than focusing all your thoughts on the things in your life you hate and want to change, you should focus on the things you want to do and become. For example:
You may have to use some of the tools very deliberately on a schedule at first. McKenna suggests 15 minutes at the start of each day. However, over time, these ways of thinking will become a habit. It will get easier and easier to approach situations optimistically, and before you know it you've re-trained your brain to a new default!
Throughout the book he gives instructions for different visualization exercises. These exercises are designed to immerse you in memories of yourself as powerful, successful, etc., so that you can recreate those states of mind at will. The more vivid or specific your memory, the easier it is to recreate the state of mind associated with that state of mind.
The reframe that McKenna suggests is to think of the money you earn as "one of the rewards you get for adding value to the lives of others". Thinking about money in this way is likely to open your mind to lots of possible ways to earn more. After all, it means that the more you earn, the more you're giving back!
Philosophy behind the book
McKenna's aim is to help people reframe their experiences so that they can both achieve their goals (like losing weight or paying off debt) and also become mentally flexible enough to take advantage of unique opportunities as they arise. By training yourself to approach and react to situations in particular ways, your responses can become more productive and you can more successfully manage stress.
According to McKenna, the main way to accomplish this is to become an optimist, if you're not one already. Rather than focusing all your thoughts on the things in your life you hate and want to change, you should focus on the things you want to do and become. For example:
- What is the easiest and fastest way to pay off my debt?
- How many different ways can I change my budget to save faster?
- How can I most easily stop spending money on fast food?
You may have to use some of the tools very deliberately on a schedule at first. McKenna suggests 15 minutes at the start of each day. However, over time, these ways of thinking will become a habit. It will get easier and easier to approach situations optimistically, and before you know it you've re-trained your brain to a new default!
Throughout the book he gives instructions for different visualization exercises. These exercises are designed to immerse you in memories of yourself as powerful, successful, etc., so that you can recreate those states of mind at will. The more vivid or specific your memory, the easier it is to recreate the state of mind associated with that state of mind.
The reframe that McKenna suggests is to think of the money you earn as "one of the rewards you get for adding value to the lives of others". Thinking about money in this way is likely to open your mind to lots of possible ways to earn more. After all, it means that the more you earn, the more you're giving back!
Source: Get Rich Slowly
