as created by Bill Cortright
Step Five of the Seven Steps of Stress Mastery is The Green Focus Power Hour (GFPH), a series of exercises designed to reprogram the subconscious mind of the Cage Mind. The six exercises of the GFPH are designed to build new skills (Habits) that support the Growth Focus. These exercises in the GFPH will eventually become mastered skills that can be used in Conflict-Resolution. Mastery is the ability to perform a skill without conscious thought. Mastery of the skills of the GFPH will allow one to switch out of the Red Zone into the Green Zone and will allow one to maintain the Growth Focus in expansion.
Moving out of Stage Three (Socialized Mind) into Stage Four (Self-Authoring Mind) is about mastering the Cage Mind. Again, mastery is the ability to perform a skill without conscious thought. Mastering the Cage Mind allows one to maintain Part Three of the Human Construct -Mind Identity and conscious mind control. This is accomplished thru the process of releasing old programs (Let Go Technique in the previous lesson) habits, that do not serve our expansion and growth and installing new skills, creating new habits, that allows us to grow and expand.
As you are learning the subconscious mind of the Cage Mind drives 95% of our behavior. The subconscious mind was programmed in Development Stages One and Two when we were children. The process of this programming was done through adding content to the subconscious computer by teaching the child skills through lessons, repetition, writing, and affirmations all designed to create experiences so the child would internalize the teaching and allow it to become part of their identity. The identity is designed to serve through the cultural stories programmed and held in mind. This programming is what drives your behavior.
Awareness
The GFPH uses six exercises to create new programs that will serve the individual as skills mastered. These skills or habits will be performed automatically without thought and designed to support the Green Zone in Body and Mind for the Focus of Growth. These exercises are performed first thing in the morning to SET your day in connection of Head-Heart-Hand. WE MUST SET EACH DAY CONSCIOUSLY. The reason this is essential is that every human wakes up to the Ego and in the state of Event-Judgement-Reaction.
Practice
Each exercise is done for ten minutes. Simply set your timer for ten minutes, and when it goes off move to the next exercise. Please do not deviate from the order of the exercises until formally instructed to do so.
Green Focus Power Hour
Each exercise is done for ten minutes. When the timer sounds move to the next. Do not dwell on the previous exercise of where you may have left off or may have built some momentum simply move to the next.
1. Read: To create change and create the life we want we must program our computer (subconscious) with good data and content that expands and stretches our comfort zone. To live in expansion and Growth we must maintain flow. Mental Flow is blocked when we get stuck in old knowledge and fail to introduce new experiences to the mind. Read books of development in whatever area you are looking to expand in. Personal growth, biographies, philosophy, spirituality, etc. 10 minutes
2. Journal: The act of writing connects the Head and Heart, Mind and Body; it is a neuro-psycho activity. When we write we release pent-up energy of the Cage Mind, and this moves the nervous system out of the Red Zone into the Green Zone. The simple process of writing releases the energy of the activated program. This keeps Emotional Flow open. It doesn't matter what you write about; it can be about something that you are working to let go, or it can be what is taking place in your life story. You can write about the lessons you are learning or write a letter to God. Set up a special journal for your GFPH and Shift Coaching 10 minutes
3. Affirmations: Every word we speak is a direct command from the conscious to the subconscious mind. Repeating a set statement plants deep seeds into the subconscious programming. These statements of affirming will become behaviors of action. Affirmations are also a way of canceling the Ego when it is in a negative state of Event-Judgement-Reaction. By consciously repeating a statement of growth and expansion you take conscious mind control and control of the input of the subconscious mind. This keeps the Cultural Flow open.
Affirmation Part One - The S L O W – D O W N Technique
Repeat the phrase S L O W – D O W N by drawing both words out slowly and deliberately. Take a breath and say Slowwww Downnnn. Repeat this statement 5 or 6 times. This process will activate the vagus nerve and connect Mind-Body, Body-Mind.
***I do the same thing, but I say Be Still slowly– it connects me to God.
Affirmation Part Two - Powerful statement
Here you can repeat any powerful statement that you desire to turn into a program for behavior. You must stay with the statement for a minimum of thirty days. The following is the affirmation I give to all my coaching clients, as it is a complete statement of truth. Repeat it slowly, with attention in the present moment. Repeat the statement over and over until the timer goes off. Also, you can use this throughout the day.
Repeat for 10 minutes
“I AM whole, perfect, powerful, strong, I AM loving, harmonious, and happy… I AM Free. I AM Free. I AM Free.”
*** I have a list of positive affirmations in my journal. I am more comfortable adding them in with the above statement.
I am creative, I am loving. I am kind and worthy. I am valuable, I am loved.
You must make it comfortable for yourself or you may not do it.
4. Visualization: The Law of Mind is powerful and always in play: What you think you create, what you feel you attract, what you imagine you become. The first two parts of the law is the mind-body connection of the Cage Mind; the third part is the imagination of the Creation Mind. In Quantum Theory, all things in life are created and manifested in the zero-point field. This field is interacted through what we hold in mind. Visualization is the power tool for this interaction and is the base exercise in setting Identity-Based Goals. This keeps the Social Flow open.
Create a movie of a day in your life five years from now. Write this out on paper in detail. When you first start this exercise have the paper handy. Include as many of the Five Life Categories as you can. Watch yourself going through this day in your future life. What are you wearing? What kind of shape are you in? How much money is in your accounts? What are you driving? Who is collaborating with you? How do you interact in your relationships? How are you feeling? Make sure you are connecting to the tool of Gratitude held in Creation Mind. Relax and really enjoy this process. There will come a time when you can close your eyes and see your future. 10 minutes
5. Meditate: This exercise is an introduction to meditation. The next step of Stress Mastery expands meditation, but in the beginning, when one is moving from Stage Three (Socialized Mind) into Stage Four (Self-Authoring Mind), the key to meditating is consistency. It can also be a very disruptive exercise at first, so the key is to just do it until the timer sounds. This keeps the Whole of Flow open.
The Practice
Simply, sit up tall with a straight back in a chair or, if you desire, cross-legged or in lotus position on the floor. Take a deep breath to a slow count of ten and then hold the breath for a count of ten, and finally release the breath to a slow count of ten. REPEAT this 3-4 times and sit quietly and observe the breath.
Then, as you breathe in, mentally say to yourself SOOOO and as you breathe out mentally repeat HUMMMM. Do this until the timer goes off. If the Ego steals the conscious mind and you get caught in thoughts simply return to the SOOO-HUM mantra. 10 minutes
6. Exercise/Move: There are no rules here. Do something for ten-minutes or more. You can go for a walk or just jog in place. You can do push-ups, yoga; stretch or just jump up and down. I have several clients who head to the gym or hit trail for their daily workout. There is no wrong movement, but it needs to be at least ten-minutes. This final exercise solidifies the Green Zone and sets your day up for success. 10 minutes
You can gain more understanding of how and why this works at StressMasteryCommunity.com
This practice has made creating a new mindset so much easier for me. When you speak positively to yourself every day; and see who the person you intend to be living out the life of your dreams every day it changes the perception of who you are in your mind. I have noticed that I used to say negative things about myself much more often than I do now. Now when I hear myself say “I don't look very good”, or “that was dumb.” I catch myself. It goes against what I say to myself every morning. So I notice. 😊
Try it for yourself; I believe it will work for you too!