I've been going through old papers and keepsakes, deciding what I need to keep and what needs to be released. It's an interesting process to revisit the past, and realize what I chose to have in the past and how that's changed. As I look at each piece of my history, I remember what was happening then, and how I'm different. In some schools of thought, it's said that as you release old items, clear out drawers and closets, it releases the energy to return in a more positive way. That would be a really nice benefit to this cleansing.

The problem is that you're trying to heal the issue only in the physical, material world. But the issue is simply an outpicturing of an idea you're holding in your mind. Your idea may have been formed as a child, and you've lived with it so long that it's become an unconscious habit.

There are many things that could contribute to the inner issue. It could be a belief concerning you and the challenge. For instance, you might have an unconscious limit to your income. Or you could be hanging onto an image of yourself with a specific problem. Many people who have been overweight most of their lives have a hard time adjusting to being slender after they've released the excess pounds. They may still have a self-image of being overweight, and that has to change before the weight reduction can be permanent.

You could have a belief that you're not worthy of anything better, and that influences any attempt to create a better life. It causes you to hold yourself back or sabotage your progress. All of these concepts, and many more, could simply be outdated habits of belief that have operated below your mental radar to keep you from the life you deserve.

Trying to deal with problems in the physical world alone, by moving from one fix to another, will only perpetuate the problem. There's an old adage that says, "Those who don't learn from their history are doomed to repeat it." Twelve-Step Recovery programs know this, and advise members to heal their wounds before getting into a new relationship.

A friend of mine left one boss who didn't appreciate her for another job where she thought she would be valued. Her new employer initially did so, but soon began treating her even worse than her original boss had. Since my friend hadn't dealt with the underlying problem within her, it quickly returned.

Sometimes it's necessary to take initial action in the material world to affirm your worth and get out of an abusive situation. A battered spouse should leave the toxic environment. An employee who's being taken advantage of should find another position or learn to stand up for themselves. But unless you want to keep re-creating the problem, you need to resolve its inner cause.

Answer: A person is always hypnotizing themselves with various beliefs and thoughts. For instance, "I'm a klutz" will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Self-hypnosis helps to re-focus the attention onto something that you want. To eliminate specific negative thoughts, I'd suggest that every time you have that particular thought, say 'stop' and imagine a stop sign, then substitute a pleasant thought or positive idea. Practicing this in self-hypnosis will begin to make the changes, then reinforcing it during the day every time you have those thoughts will help to change them. Hypnosis isn't magic, but it can make positive changes fairly quickly, if you're truly committed and persistent in following through.

I've created a Free E-Book of thirty-one affirmations on various topics, ranging from inspiration to releasing limiting ideas to spiritual awareness and much more. You can use a different one each day of the month. Each affirmation is three sentences or longer and developed to optimize accepting the new ideas. I've also included eight of my articles from my website or newsletter that relate to affirmations or how they work.