Turning The Page

Is it time for you to "turn the page? Find out how in this mini podcast from John Morgan.

Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
• Peace of mind
• Creativity
• How to stay in the present moment
• Spirituality
• Behavior improvement

And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

John uploads these podcasts on a regular basis. So check back often to hear these podcasts heard around the world. Who wants to be the next person to change? 

Make sure to order a copy of John's new book: WISDOM OF THE GRASSHOPPER – 21 Days to Creativity. These mini-meditations take you inside where all your creative resources live. And you'll come out not only refreshed but recommitted to creating your future. 

It's only $16.95 and available at BLURB.COM at the link below. https://www.blurb.com/b/10239673-wisd...

Also, download John's FREE book INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change. It's available at John's website  https://GrasshopperNotes.com

Transcript

Turning The Page

Here is a memorable quote from St. Augustine:

“The world is a book and those who do not travel, read only a page.”

I’m sure that’s a great marketing message for a travel agency, but I wonder if it has a deeper implication.

When we cover the same route day after day, I’m not sure that’s traveling in the deepest sense. We are creatures of patterns and if we examine them closely, we find we only use a handful of them to move through our life. We don’t push past the tried and true. That’s not traveling; that’s “treadmilling.”

Our habit patterns get us to do the same things over and over again whether we consciously want to or not. This keeps us covering the same territory day after day, and we arrive at the conclusion that branching out is only for other people. That’s a mindset that will have you read the same page over and over again.

How do we travel past what is holding us in place?

Noticing!

Notice that you are the cause of your own inertia. Notice that you are no different than a rat running a maze to find the same old moldy cheese. The time to notice is when you are in the middle of the pattern you are about to execute for the zillionth time.

Noticing is an art and it’s also a science.

The art is picking the precise time to notice and the science is the measurable change that will take place.

Reminds me of one of my favorite stories . . .

I grew up in Philadelphia, PA and like many people around the country, Philadelphians have a unique pattern of speech. I was working in broadcasting at a radio station in St. Louis and my program director noticed I had an interesting way of saying the word “water.” People in Philadelphia say “wooder.” Yes, we say "wooder." I had no idea I was saying it any different than he was. He took me into one of the recording studios and had both of us record the word. After a few playbacks of the tapes, I got it that I had a pattern of speech that was different than his and, in this case, not working for me.

I became aware of the pattern. That was not enough. I practiced saying “water” the way he said it over and over and it wasn’t getting me any results. When I got into my unguarded conversational mode, the pronunciation of “wooder” would come out. I was frustrated. I wanted to sound less regional and more professional but my strategy was not working. Then I accidentally discovered what, I learned many years later, is a method for outgrowing an old pattern.

The change began when I became aware of the speech pattern while it was happening. I remember saying something like “It’s pretty hot out there today. Make sure to drink plenty of “wood,” uh drink plenty of water.” I caught myself running the pattern and interrupted it in midstream. From that point forward, every time I started to say “wooder,” I would interrupt myself and say “water.” It didn’t take too long for the complete change to take place. The only time I ever say “wooder” now is to tell this story.

When you notice that you’re running a pattern that’s keeping you in place, interrupt it in midstream. That’s the art. Continue to do it every time you notice the outdated pattern beginning to run.

The science is working in the background. It seems like magic, but it’s science. You begin the process of updating an old pattern by interrupting it and allowing your mind to come up with a new pattern. In my case I knew what the desired new pattern was. But, it’s not necessary to know the new pattern. Trust that your mind will create a beneficial new one to take the old one’s place. That’s the science.

So, if you’re traveling in circles, it’s time to start noticing and interrupting. This strategy will help you turn the page.

All the best,

John