I Want That!

Hey! I want that!

When you hear about someone’s success, is your "I want that" filled with joy or envy. Or worse, jealousy?

In other words, are you like the little kid in us that says "Mine! Mine! You can't have it!" or are you excited to see that something you want is possible, and so one step clser to being yours?

When you hear about someone who is smarter, stronger, see someone thinner, richer, in a better relationship, do you feel good or bad?

If you feel bad, you are not alone. 

Neuroscience has studied this phenomenon. A study shows that when test subjects were told about someone more successful and defined for greatness, the subject reported feeling bad. Not only that, but their brain scans showed that the areas of their brains associated with physical pain lit up.

When the same test subjects were brought back a few weeks later and told that that person failed, the test subjects said they felt great. And their brain scans showed areas of their brains associated with pleasure all lit up.

What does that do to my brain?

Did you ever think about what message these responses send your subconscious mind?

When you see someone “better” than you, and you think “I don’t like that person.” or “I’m jealous.” or if you just feel bad when you see them, you are sending a message to yourself that what they have is not good. So your subconscious says "Oh, that's causes me pain. I'll make sure I avoid that for you."

In Science of Mind, we say that the basic underlying flavor of our thoughts - our mood, our attitudes - affects what we have in our lives. I'm not talking about whether you get a cold, or whether circumstances outside you happen, like the death of a loved one. I'm talking about what we attract into our lives. Our basic mind-scape sets the tone for how much good - or bad - we allow in our lives.

For example, if we f we focus on what we don't have, we stay stuck in that place.
But if we practice gratitude, it opens our heat and mind to having even more in our lives.

Why?

Gratitude tells your subconscious mind that what you have or see is good. And good for you. And so it goes to work trying to get that for you.

Envy is wanting what someone else has. Nothing innately wrong with that.

Jealousy, on the other hand, is the feeling that if you can’t have it, you don’t want the other person to have it either.

So you can improve your life.

Next time you see someone “better” than you, someone who has something you don’t have, try this as an experiment. Think to yourself, “That’s for me too.” or my favorite, “I’m next!”

This sends a message to your subconscious mind that what you see or hear about is a good thing, and that it is yours too. It’s like saying a big “Yes!” to having that in your life.

If you think that sounds silly, here’s some science to back it up.

Read about the why your brain does that in this blog article.

How About You?

Do you have an example of changing your attitude and having a miraculous result?