Imagine trying to tear a piece of paper in half. If you want the tear to go along a clean straight line, it's best to crease the paper first. In fact, the more times you crease it, the more likely the paper will tear exactly the way you want. It will tear right along the groove.

Your mind works in a similar way. The subconscious is a natural goal-seeker. It strives to create whatever goal is set for it. You can be sure that unless you program your subconscious — bend it the way YOU want it to bend — external influences will program your subconscious for you. And those external forces may create a groove toward ill health, conflict, financial loss or failure.

So why not program your brain with a goal of your choosing? Once you give it a positive idea, this amazing goal-seeker will direct all its power and energy toward accomplishing your desires.

WHAT THE SUBCONSCIOUS PERCEIVES, IT ACHIEVES
Be the one to control what your subconscious perceives. That way you ensure that what it achieves is something you really want. The first step, then, to getting your mind into the success groove is to decide what success looks like to you. What do you want from life? Do you want to achieve a certain financial level? Do you desire a specific position in your career? Is success marital bliss and a happy family? Your subconscious wants to be guided. If you point it in the direction of a specific goal backed by a strong desire, your subconscious will do whatever it takes to get you there.

Creating the success groove — pointing your subconscious in the direction you want — is relatively easy with hypnosis. However, there are two guidelines that you need to follow in programming your subconscious:

- You must be specific. Rather than saying "I want financial success," describe what financial success is. For example, "I want a business of my own, making $350,000 a year."

- You must be realistic. That doesn't mean you have to dumb down your dreams! It simply means taking into account certain realities. For example, don't say you want to be a prima ballerina by next week if you are a 75-year-old woman with arthritic knees. DO be optimistic, because your subconscious can create the seemingly impossible.

Because the subconscious reasons deductively, you also must use care in how you word your hypnotic suggestions. By its very nature, the subconscious mind must obey suggestions as though they were orders. Hence, if you construct your suggestions carefully, your goal-seeking subconscious will carry out those suggestions without the need of willpower or conscious effort on your part.

How do you construct suggestions for maximum success?

1. Have a strong desire
If you direct your subconscious to create greater wealth in your life — and that is something you really want — your subconscious will work 24/7 to grant your wish. (If you direct it to create something you think you SHOULD want but really don't want, your subconscious will know you're lying and won't work to create the goal for you.) So choose a strong motivating desire and start your suggestion with that desire. "Because I retire from my job with plenty of money for travel..." etc.

2. Be positive
Your subconscious does not understand negatives like NOT or NEVER. If you say, "I will not drink anymore," your subconscious hears "I will drink." You are actually suggesting to your subconscious the very idea that you want to eliminate! So frame your suggestions positively: "I am always satisfied with a single glass of wine. I enjoy a glass of wine only at dinner." Never mention the negative idea you intend to eliminate. The subconscious can only respond to mental images, so repeat and emphasize the positive new image.

3. Use the present tense
Your subconscious is an emotional, feeling mind that responds to the present. Don't say "I WILL feel good," but rather "I feel good." Say the words. Think them. Imagine them. See yourself acting out the suggestion because imagination enhances your ability to influence the subconscious. Visualize your goal as already accomplished.

4. Set a time limit
I know; I just said that when dealing with the subconscious, you must picture your goal as already accomplished. But you still have to deal with your CONSCIOUS mind, which knows some things cannot be done overnight. If you want to play the trumpet, even your subconscious can't make you play like Wynton Marsalis in 24 hours. So find out how long it usually takes to become adept at playing the trumpet and set your goal at HALF that amount of time. Then let your subconscious go to work! Once programmed, your subconscious won't stop until it achieves the goal.

5. State an action
Never say, "I have the ABILITY to play the trumpet." Be direct and forceful: "I PLAY the trumpet easily and well."

6. Focus
Choose something you want to accomplish and focus on that one idea. Never work on more than one suggestion during a given session.

7. Keep your language simple
Remember that your subconscious understands things literally. So speak as though your subconscious were a bright 10-year-old. Create your suggestions with words that the average 10-year-old would understand.

8. Use exaggeration and emotion
Because your subconscious is the seat of emotions, descriptive words have powerful influence. Don't be afraid to use exaggeration in your suggestions. Use words like fabulous, magnificent, beautiful, exciting, thrilling, gorgeous, stupendous, and awesome. And back up those words with feeling!

9. Repeat
Find different ways and different words to express the same suggestion. Embellish the suggestion with convincing adjectives and repeat, repeat, repeat. Use the suggestion as often as necessary during your hypnosis sessions. Repeat the suggestion daily until it becomes entrenched in your subconscious.

Remember, your subconscious is a natural goal-seeker. It wants to create/achieve whatever goal you set for it. And it will work 24/7 to realize your dreams. So decide what you want in life and use hypnotic sessions to bend your subconscious in that direction. Then watch with delight as your subconscious moves you inexorably into your personal success groove.