I am one of those people whose negative thoughts used to come in the middle of the night, when the sky is at its darkest and the night is still – usually around 3am, my witching hour. If I let them in I could have negative conversations with myself in the day as well, that unwanted presence, that runaway thread turning over and spiralling down. Usually prompted by something that occurred that day or that I think or tell myself will happen and when in most cases it never did. Preparing for the worst. Not having enough belief or thinking badly of others.
This used to be me but I found a way to manage them and then rid them. Often I will have no thoughts at all and as odd as it sounds, it is a great place to be.
I want to let you in on the techniques that I use, and now teach, but first I will share with you a short story.
The catalyst for me was a big one. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 42. Young and otherwise very healthy. A successful entrepreneur with a young family but I had recently closed a tech company and with that came huge stress, financially and emotionally.
You see the thing is that for me Western medicine would not really help especially in Australia and the UK where I was moving in between. It was early stage cancer with no physical symptoms, it was a fluke finding but cancer is cancer. I wanted those cells out of my body, one little floater which decides to have some fun and go an on adventure in my body could spell the end. I was always interested in yoga, tai chi, qi qong, spirituality and alternative practices so I turned to Chinese energy medicine, Indian Ayurvedic medicine and Indonesian shaman. The basis of their traditions are similar – natural remedies and meditation.
When I would visit them the conversation would go like this.
me: “Can you help me”
Doctor/healer: “There is nothing wrong with you”
me looking very puzzled: “I have prostate cancer”
Doctor/healer: “Ah we can fix that easily, that is not a physical problem it is a mental one”
Good news but a little confusing and overwhelming. So they taught me to first clear the negative energy from my body, then let the energy flow again, bring positivity back into the body and learn how to meditate and draw energy from the mind back into the heart and body.
So what does that mean – a combination of meditation and energy healing working with Chinese and Ayurvedic traditional practitioners to develop a much deeper understanding of self-awareness. To fill up my body and mind with positive thoughts, to be less reactive and to banish any negativity towards myself or others. You can start to do this as well just by using simple breathing techniques.
So here is the $1m question, did it work? Yes, my MRI scans, blood tests and biopsies can find no sign of cancer and my PSA has returned to normal. I am in remission, I am healthy, I am positive.
What I have learned through mastering these techniques is that whatever life throws at you, you can overcome them through the power of mindset and heartset. You can thrive and become less reactive, have thoughts which only support you.
When we realise that negative thoughts serve us no purpose whatsoever other than to restrict us, to keep us small and never to realise our highest potential then as soon as one enters my mind I say to myself, for each second I spend thinking negatively it takes a second away from being in a positive healthy space.
Here is a technique that I promised I would share with you, passed down for millennia by Chinese doctors and healers.
You can do this at any time of day or night, whatever works for you.
- think of any time that you have had a negative thought about someone, negative behaviour towards anyone, today, yesterday and all the way back as far as you can remember.
- Apologise to them mentally, “I apologise to (name) and am sorry unconditionally and unequivocally for any hurt, damage or loss that I caused you and negative thoughts I have towards you.”
- There are no ‘buts’
- Remember also to congratulate yourself for all good deeds, thoughts that you have done or had today and every day.
What happens is that you release the negative energy attached to it and the person and create space for something good. When you next meet that person see if they react to you any differently.
Thank you and wishing you all love and happiness.