Uncovering Techniques from the Past

Journaling is a great way to track your life, and I have kept a daily journal for many years.  Although I had begun journaling long before Julia Cameron wrote "The Artist's Way", I made writing three pages a day my daily practice after reading her book.  I found that writing three pages of drivel every morning released the chatter in my head so that I could go on to write and do other creative things in my day without dragging the debris of everyday worry into it.

I also wrote my dreams and anything I experienced during contemplation - a form of active meditation that I practice.   (Thirty years worth of journals is quite a stack!)

Then I watched this video by Phillip Zimbardo on The Secret Powers of Time and out of the blue I realized I better dig into those journals, pull out the great stuff and ditch the rest.  I separated the things I found into five categories:  Ideas and concepts, stories, dreams, spiritual experiences and creative partnerships.

In each of those categories I found some interesting jewels.  For example before I created the Snapshot of the Big Picture process to help me activate my goals, I used mindmapping to dig more deeply into an idea or new direction.  Whenever I was about to make a change, I noted I often had a prophetic dream which gave me a hint of what was coming my way.  In many of my early "visions of the future" I drew pictures of the house I would live in one day with my partner, which of course looks exactly like the house I live in today.

There was one particular technique I used repeatedly to help manifest what I wanted:  Scott Adams called it the fifteen times exercise.  He suggested that when you really wanted something you need to help your mind stay focused on that goal. By writing it down on paper fifteen times you bring it more into your awareness everyday.


 “I Scott Adams will become a syndicated cartoonist.” 

Here are a few things I have written over the years:
I am healthy, wealthy and wise.
I am a nationally acclaimed comic performer.
I live in balance with my surroundings.
All great things are coming my way.

Take some time to go through your past, pull out techniques you've used before and try them again.  Whether you simply saved your calendar, old letters or emails, you can find a treasure trove of things to both let go of and/or reapply in your current life.

What are some of your favorite techniques from the past?