Man attracts what he is. The art of life is to sustain the feeling of the wish fulfilled and let things come to you, not to go after them or think they flee away.
Neville Goddard
As living beings, we constantly need nourishment to survive. The obvious example is food — we may go through a period of fasting, but eventually we will need calories to survive.
So no matter how healthy we may be, we cannot stop eating. However, we can change what we eat, that is, our diet, and this is what makes all the difference.
Now, compare that to your own mind and you’ll find that body and mind are pretty much the same in the sense that although we cannot stop thinking, we can change (and choose) our thoughts.
Just like fasting cannot last forever, a meditative state cannot last forever either. Through practice, you can sustain a state of “no-mind” for a few minutes, but that’s about it.
So really, that’s what the mental diet is all about — since you have to experience ideas, thoughts and images in your mind anyway, you may as well be selective and pick the ones that lead you toward your dreams.
By the way, I’m sure this is a quote by Neville Goddard as well, I just can’t find the original quote. If you are familiar with his work, you may recall it.
What is a “mental diet”?
Typically, when you start a new diet (as in, a diet for your body) you basically stick to a certain number of calories/carbs/fats a day, and perhaps a certain number of meals a day.
But most importantly, you’ll have a more or less clear idea of the foods/nutrients you want to eat as well as those you want to avoid or cut out completely.
Well, a mental diet is exactly the same — you simply want to be aware of the thoughts, images, feelings, and emotions that you should and shouldn’t entertain… then actually stick to the “diet”.
Examples:
- Mental images that represent or symbolize the achievement of your main goals should be visualized, and “felt”, as frequently as possible (daily, ideally multiple times a day)
- Positive and uplifting thoughts in general should be given energy/attention to, even if they have nothing to do with a specific goal
- All kinds of thoughts, images, assumptions, emotions, and feelings that are negative and unhelpful should be completely ignored (sometimes a negative feeling e.g. anger can be helpful if turned into motivation)
The art of choosing your thoughts
Make no mistake, the mental diet is no easy task… at first. That’s the key, just like with anything else in life — you want to stick to the diet and be disciplined until it turns into a habit.
This is what makes all the difference. Most people just give up too soon. Don’t make the same mistake. Choose the best mental diet and then actually stick to it.
There will always be a part of you that disagrees, that is skeptical. Ignore it. Similarly, when the negative unhelpful thoughts come up — just ignore them.
There is no need to fight against them; you don’t need to reach a state in which you never have negative thoughts (would that even be possible?). You just want to focus on what matters and ignore what doesn’t.
Mental diet and manifesting
You can use a mental diet to simply improve your mood and mental health — choose your thoughts over and over again until your whole attitude improves and you are naturally happier.
But here’s where it gets interesting… when practiced consistently and with a clear goal in mind, the mental diet can actually unlock what Neville Goddard calls the law of assumption.
Which basically means, assume the feeling of a certain goal or dream, as if achieved already, consistently and for long enough, and sooner or later the physical world will have to match that feeling.
All you have to do is ask yourself what you would feel if you had already achieved a certain goal e.g. a better financial situation, health, etc. and then assume the feeling as often as possible.
Neville Goddard once said that, in his experience, it would be best to stick to a single image (that would symbolize the achievement of your goal) and then play it over and over again in your mind.
Eventually, the material world will “surrender” and let you have what you “assume”. There will be no miracles, yet you may notice your life changing in ways you never even thought possible.
The 21-day mental diet for manifestation
Okay, so here’s the challenge: can you identify and choose the best thoughts and feelings, then sustain that state for a period of at least three consecutive weeks?
Like I said, this can be done to improve your mood in general, or for an actual big dream of yours.
I call it a challenge because although all you have to do is… think, it does require consistency, willpower, and faith (not in a religious sense; basically, being faithful to your dreams).
Why 21 days?
No real reason. Scientifically, there is no real timeline or threshold after which a routine (including meditative practices) turns into a habit.
However, I feel 21 days is definitely enough time to silence the logical mind and put your dreams closer to your idea of normality… and at the same time it doesn’t feel like a huge commitment.
Depending on what you’d like to achieve, or “manifest”, 21 days may not be enough. Or, a single week may be more than enough, and you may wonder how it could happen so quickly.
So obviously, don’t be strict about the 21-day thing — know it may take time to notice changes, or to even change the way you think in the first place.
But it’s nice to know you only have to do the mental diet for 21 days or so. Psychologically, it feels a lot easier compared to doing it without any type of deadline. It’s also easier to stick to it.
And the best part? Even if you don’t really achieve the desired outcome, be it a mental state or a physical manifestation, after those 21 days you won’t go back.
Because you will have learned that you do have control over your mind, and that your thoughts can be chosen, and if they can be chosen, then why choose the bad ones?
Wrap up
Our mind is a fascinating place. It’s a precious gift — yet we often just take it for granted. Even worse, we may use it to feel negative unnecessary thoughts and feelings rather than inspiring ones.
The mental diet is a great exercise to help you rewire the mind, to deliberately choose what to focus on and what to ignore so you can live the best life ever.
It all starts in the mind. Psychologically, and spiritually as well. Manifestation is all about working on the inner world, so you can experience some pretty cool things in the outer world.
So… what are you waiting for? Identify what your own mental diet will be… give yourself a timeframe… be patient and have faith… and then notice how the world — your world — changes.
Good luck! 😉
