Manifest Your Destiny by Taking Control of Your Life

Scott Sulak, BCH, CHT

Think of your life as a sea voyage, and you’re the captain of the ship. Look around the deck, and get a sense of the beauty and expert workmanship that went into creating your vessel.  Everything is shipshape -- polished, clean and ready for your inspection.  Your loyal, trustworthy crew members have been expecting you, and they cheer when you step aboard.

You call out orders to the crew to head off to sea, and they eagerly obey.  Feel what it’s like to be in charge, to make decisions with presence of mind, a purpose and positive intent.  Ah -- this is the life!

You manifest your reality by your thoughts and actions. Your crew, representing your subconscious mind, loves you very much.  They want you to have everything you’ve ever needed or desired.  “Just tell us what you want and it’s yours,” they say.  They listen to your thoughts as well as your words. Therefore, it's important to know some very important life-rules I call the rules of the Sea.

The Seven Rules of the Sea:

• Know your ship and its captain – Get to know yourself, honestly and without blame.  Decide what you want to change.
• Respect your crew – Understand (and learn to use) the power of your subconscious mind and its faithful obedience to your commands.
• Chart a clear destination – Think big and choose a bold course.
• Check your cargo – Toss out unwanted baggage or stowaways.
• Maintain the vessel – Exercise, eat right, get enough sleep and keep learning.
• Watch the winds – Life throws us unexpected challenges that require attention – but can also bring rich rewards.
• Stay in command – Without a captain calling the shots, any ship will end up on the rocks rather than in the port of your dreams.

About Change

Life is constant change.  Either we are in a state of growth and expansion, or we’re in a state of atrophy, where we decline and decay. There’s no standing still.  Similarly, the ship of our life cannot remain in one spot on the water. The seas are in continual motion beneath us. The ship itself is never static either.  Barnacles grow on the hull, sails chafe, bolts rust and crew members get hungry.

Small increments of decline or change may go unnoticed until a new critical mass is reached, creating unexpected results.  A bolt on a ship might grow rust for years and then suddenly disintegrate beneath the weight of one big wave.  Why?  Because enough of the atoms in the metal lined up in a new way, changing the properties of the bolt.  This principle of critical mass is an amazing force of nature, and one we can use for our benefit when we decide to align all of our thoughts in a consistent direction and thereby redirect the course of our lives.

The entire universe is made of intelligent energy.  Water, rocks, plants – even our own bodies are pure energy.  Our brains are also energy.  All the thoughts and memories we’ve ever experienced are stored in energetic form, like invisible cargo in the hold of our ship.  We control that cargo of energy.  We decide what thoughts to keep and what to toss overboard.  The nature of our cargo determines our current feelings, and levels of happiness and joy.  Once we have cleaned out our cargo area, we can experience whatever we choose, such as greater happiness, fulfillment and true peace.

That’s what this article is all about – learning to change your mind for good so that you feel terrific about yourself and live the life of your dreams. This is why I produced a six-CD self-hypnosis series called Get Your Ship Together: Be The Captain of Your Subconscious Mind.

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

To change behavior or unwanted habits, you must focus on what you want, not what you don’t want

Throughout your life you have developed beliefs, attitudes and perceptions that have shaped who you are. Some of these aspects of your thinking help and empower you. Others can drain your energy and subsequently make you physically sick. You can change all types of behavior by learning how your mind works, and then changing your mental focus. 

Focusing on what you don’t want or don’t like will only get you more of what you don’t want. For instance, weight loss clients often say that moments after disparaging thoughts about their weight, they find themselves eating a donut or a candy bar.  It’s almost as if their body is deliberately making certain that they stay heavy. Similarly, smokers explain that they when they think about quitting their smoking habit, they find themselves smoking a few minutes later. Is the obese client thinking about being fit? Is the smoker thinking about being a non-smoker? The answer is no. They are dwelling on the reverse of an idea. That simply will not get you what you want…ever.

Your Ship’s Log will help you manifest the destiny of your dreams

1. Plot your Destination

What’s on your wish list as a life destination or goal?  What short-term and long-term changes are you ready to make right now? Get specific.  Write a detailed description of one change you want to make concerning your ship and its course.  Make it positive rather than negative.  Writing “Weigh 145 pounds” or “Wear a size 10” is better than putting “Lose 20 pounds” or “Be skinny,” since it gives your subconscious mind a clear, positive goal.  Similarly, write “Enjoy life without cigarettes” rather than “Stop smoking.”  Don’t worry if you have more than one desired change.  You can always go back and do this process again!

2.  Rename the Ship

What have you been calling the ship of your life so far?  The S.S. Loser?  The Leaky Boat of Unhappiness?  The Sinkable Molly Brown?  Everything on your trip (and especially your crew’s performance) will be affected by what you name your journey.  Take a moment now to give a new name to your ship, and imagine it being painted in gold letters on the stern.  Select something that will reflect the changes you are going to make.  Maybe something like Superman Dan; Radiant Jane; Well-Loved Howard; or The Woman Who’s Got It All.  Write your ship’s name on the stern below.

3.  Check the Cargo

Inspect your ship for seaworthiness.  What “energy cargo” might be stowed in the hold, preventing you from reaching your goal in the past?  Energy cargo often includes hurt feelings, self-esteem issues, perceived time constraints, long-forgotten memories, negative role models, fear of failure or virtually any other form of limitation.  Write down items of outdated baggage you are carrying that currently weighs you down.

4.  Visualize the Destination

What’s it going to feel like when you approach your desired destination?  What will you look like?  What will you wear?  What kind of music might be playing in the background?  Get excited.  Then pretend that a film crew has cameras rolling as you sail into port, and describe the scene.

5.  Make a Promise to Your Crew

Your crew members love and obey you, no matter what.  But they need to know for sure that you’re in charge.  Write them a brief memo explaining how grateful you are for their good service.  Tell them about your new destination with excitement.  Reassure them that they can count on you to be a good captain, as you are going to start making wise decisions for the well-being of the entire ship.

Be  a Good Captain

Everybody wants to be a terrific captain of his or her life.  We all want to succeed in every endeavor, eliminate unpleasant or unhealthy habits, feel peaceful and be filled with positive self-esteem.  But most of us fall short in our captaining efforts.  Why?  Because we have not yet become proficient in “self-talk,” or the commands we provide to the crewmembers that represent our subconscious mind.

All internal beliefs – even those we take for granted – are instructions to our crew

You may be totally unaware of many of the thoughts your crew members have recorded.  “I’m unlucky.”  “I’m worthless.”  “I don’t deserve to be prosperous.”  “I’m not good with numbers.”  “I’m always late.”  Thoughts like these are stored away in the cargo area of our inner ship, and they color every action that our crew members make.  They cause our subconscious mind to attract situations and interpret them in ways that validate our deeply held assumptions.  So if we believe we’re destined for a life of misery, chances are we’ll never win the lottery – nor find a loving partner, hold the job of our dreams, or find joy in our everyday experience.

You communicate with your crew in three ways:

• Thinking, talking, and feelings
• Visualizations
• Affirmations

Rewriting the Captain’s Commands

Your subconscious crew members do not care if you smoke or gain too much weight. They are just carrying out orders. To get them to change, you need to rewrite their orders. This is true for ANY type of behavior modification or change in thought process. For additional help with changing any area of your life, visit ChangeForGood.com for free reports and articles all designed to help you become the best captain possible.

"If you don't change your beliefs, your life will be like this forever."   - W. Somerset Maugham

Additional Resources
Keys to Feeling Powerful In an Uncertain World
NLP/Neuro-Linguisitc Programming: The Mind-Body Connection for Rapid Change Free report
The Meetings You Have With Yourself
Life's #1 Rule: Master It and Thrive
Get Your Ship Together 6-CD/mp3 Self-Hypnosis series

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