Visualization Meditation: Break Habits through Intention

Do you have a behavior or belief code that you would like to break? How do you go about selecting the best path to your destination, when there are a myriad of choices? This simple meditation will help you look at it from a variety of angles, with an objective eye. You may discover possible solutions or ways to approach the "problem."

Focus on only one behavior or belief code at a time. Place your attention clearly on the one you choose to work on today. For clarity and to help you maintain your focus, orally state or write your clear intention. You may wish to add the following statement, "for my highest good and the highest good of all, gracefully" at the end of your intention. By adding "gracefully" to the mix, you are ensured that the road will be less bumpy. This is not to say that you won’t encounter problems along the way, however, it does help to smooth out the path.

Quiet your inner mind and outer world by taking several deep breaths and allowing your body to relax. One way to relax your body is to focus on each group of muscles at a time. Some people prefer to do this from head to toe, while others prefer to go from toe to head. Practice both then choose whichever feels most natural to you.

Place your attention on your toes; inhale while tightening your toes. On the exhale, relax your toes. Next, do the same with your ankles, then lower legs, upper legs, tummy, buttocks, back, upper arms, lower arms, fingers, shoulders, neck, jaw, eyes, etc. As you practice this exercise, you will learn to do this quickly; taking only a moment to relax each set of muscles.

Visualize yourself standing at the edge of a forest and begin walking down the path. You are now in a clearing with several trails branching in all directions. Which do you choose? Clearly state your intention, ask for your choice to be for your highest good and the highest good of all, gracefully.

You may then choose to follow any path, or to look for one that is more illuminated than the others are. (This is also true when you are on physical trails.) Using your imagination, go down the path and note the experiences you have along the way. Then, return to the clearing and do the same for all of the other paths. With practice, this will take only a few moments. 

You will discover that each path offers unique experiences along the way. None of the paths are straight, so it is impossible to see what dangers and rewards will be encountered along the way. However, you have the ability to traverse the trails in your mind in order to select the one most appropriate for you.

This is where your clear intention becomes of utmost importance. What do you want to experience along the way? What physical experiences do you want to have? Which emotions would you like to feel? Do you want to be kind or controlling along the way? State what it is that you would like to experience, then you can choose to take a direct route, the scenic route or one less traveled.

Along the way, you can expect to be faced with choices to make. These are opportunities for you to experience what it is you wish to transform. If your choice is to stop smoking, you can expect to be faced with a myriad of opportunities to decline a cigarette. As you jump each hurdle, you will gain more confidence and become more empowered. Through perseverance and the falling away of old habits and belief codes, one day you will find yourself no longer having any desire to smoke. You will have reached your destination. From there you may choose to help others along their path to quit smoking.

As you learn to make better decisions for yourself and trust your inner guidance, you will likely find that in most situations, there will be only two or three paths presented to you. This narrowing of choices is due to your fine-tuning, as you release fears and old belief codes.

For some, it will take great courage to go down certain paths. This is a sure sign that you have belief codes and fears that are affecting your ability to have a joyful life. Press forward anyway. In your imagination, there is no one to harm you or judge your choices. Let your creative juices flow and think as far out of the box as you can.

As you walk down each path, you will begin to see the possible outcomes for each step you take along the way. When you make one choice, you will see other paths branch out. Go down each branch and retreat back to the last crossing whenever you come to an outcome that is not to your liking. 

For clarity, we will give you an example. Let us return to the example of the desire to stop smoking. You might set the intention, "I choose to stop smoking. I wish to do this in a way that is in my highest good and the highest good for all, gracefully. Thank you." (Always remember to have an attitude of gratitude!)

You are now in the clearing and you choose the path to your immediate right. As you travel along the path, you see yourself discarding your cigarettes. You now encounter a branch in the road. On the path to the left, you get rid of all ashtrays in your house, perhaps keeping one or two for houseguests. On the path to the right, you keep all the ashtrays where you normally have them, including your desk area, bedside stand and favorite sitting chair. These are the places that you enjoy smoking the most. Can you see how this one choice will either support or deter your choice to stop smoking?

You decide to continue on the path where you removed the ashtrays. As you walk this new path, you meet one of your smoking buddies who offers you a cigarette. Do you accept the cigarette or decline it? You can give in and smoke your "last" cigarette with your friend. If you choose the path where you decline the cigarette, you encounter another decision. Do you tell them you are trying to stop smoking with an attitude of "poor me" or with excited determination? Whichever choice you make will lead you to a new path. 

In this case, you continue on the path where you have gracefully declined the cigarette after telling your friend how excited you are to be making this life change. Since this is your first encounter, perhaps you chose to feel the need to justify your choice to stop smoking. While doing this, you did a bit of preaching and suggested your friend stop smoking, too.

Soon, here comes another smoking buddy. This time you again gracefully decline the cigarette and justify your reasons, but decide not to tell your friend to stop smoking. Eventually, as you walk your path, you no longer feel the need to justify your reasons for giving up smoking. You also lose the need to preach or be righteous because of your choices.

As you walk along, each time you choose the paths that lead to your desired goal, you become more confident and empowered. There may be times when the temptation becomes overwhelming and you revert to old habits; understand this is normal and acceptable. There is no "right" or "wrong," it is simply a choice you made in that moment. 

You may find others judging or ridiculing you for choices you make in your life. Learn to understand that it is their opinion and although it may be true for them, you do not need to take it on as truth for yourself. What is important is for you to choose what is right for you, without feeling guilt or shame when you don’t follow your own advice.

When you are ready to continue, simply "pick yourself up, brush yourself off and start all over again." Walk each path, experiencing the behaviors you choose. Keep in mind that often it takes years to develop a habit, so don't expect to break them in one day. Once you have adopted a belief code, it becomes the corner stone for others that you adopt in the future. Although there are times when a change occurs in the "twinkling of an eye," in most cases, it takes observation, diligence and patience to replace the unwanted habits.

Reach higher than you have ever reached before. Be creative! You can have anything your heart desires.