Mental Agreements & The Power of “I don’t!”

Words are powerful. The words that we agree with in our minds directly influence our behaviours. These words are called “mental agreements.”
You could make a positive mental agreement, such as, “I agree with myself that I will work out 3 times a week.”
Or a negative agreement, “I will never forgive that person.”
Often, we are not aware that these mental agreements are present, but they definitely shape our behaviours because we are what we believe.

It’s common sense. If we like something, our willpower aligns with that belief.
For example, let’s say you like to play a sport. The more you play it, the better you get, so you enjoy doing it more often. Your behaviour is influenced by your ‘like’.
People who smoke cigarettes have been heard to say that they want to quit smoking, but they “like” to smoke. Often the like is stronger than the dislike, so they continue to smoke.

A craving is defined as a “powerful desire for something.” In your mind, the thought is that you really, really want this thing that you desire. The brain is signalling that “You want this thing now.” The action then flows from the belief and your desired reward is achieved.

When a craving grows and when that craving satisfies a particular need (relieving pain or producing pleasure) the pattern becomes compulsive and turns into an addiction.
We are what we believe.
So, the belief is now supported by the addictive mental agreement. Example: “I agree with myself that I need to partake in my addiction now.”
At the very beginning of any addiction is the mental agreement that I need to do something and that it is okay to do it.

The power of “I Don’t!” stems from the fact that the brain can only process one belief at a time. If you accept the mental agreement that “I Don’t smoke/drink/over-eat etc.” then you are strongly agreeing with yourself not to give in to temptation.

Be Aware. Repeat “I Don’t!”.
Since “I Don’t” is a mental agreement, it can forcefully push out the addictive thought that you need to do something, and now the problem thinking has less ability to control your mind.
The key is to be aware of and take control of the specific thought when the thought/desire enters your mind and then replace it with an “I Don’t.” statement.

To learn more about the “I Don’t” Method and implement it in your life, click here.