Step 3 – Get All Your Senses Involved

September 3, 2015

In learning something new, it’s always helpful to get all of your senses involved because you have your unique way of learning from the standpoint of Visual ~ Auditory ~ Kinesthetic. (VAK)

I’m certainly a combo, which I think most of us are. I’m primarily kinesthetic (learn by doing) with a lot of visual (learn by seeing) thrown in. Once I do something it tends to stick with me the more I do it. By doing, I’m actually seeing it, so it works best for me.

When I listen to a lecture, I tend to space off and I start to multi-task and lose focus. If I listen and write while I’m listening, it sticks with me more. Just plan old listening is not my learning strength. I know people who can listen to something and regurgitate it back almost immediately. They’re very auditory. I also have a friend whose very visual. If someone reads her an email to get her feedback on it, she needs to see it. She has to look at the written word to grasp it.

So what do you think you’re learning style is?

(I’ve included a PDF called VAK Learning Style Model by Fleming so if you’re not sure what you’re learning style is, it could help you get clearer how you learn best.)

This said, let’s move onto Step Three in this series of how to change your life. I’m going to recommend an exercise that will get ALL of your senses involved, thus raises your learning curve.

1. Get a notebook/journal that really resonates with you and one you can easily carry around with you.

2. Use Step One – Notice your thoughts.

3. Use Step Two – Notice when you hear “the voice” who’s running the show? Is it the Bully, the Child, or Healthy Adult You.

4. Write down either the statement or emotion or both that you notice when you hear “the voice.”

• Anything that sounds critical is the Bully.
• Anything that carries a high emotional charge is the Child.
• Anything that sounds easy, supportive, confident is Healthy Adult You.

5. Now write (kinesthetic and visual) the opposite of whatever critical statement or highly charged emotion you notice.

6. Then say (Auditory) both the negative and the positive statements out loud, but start with the negative statement and end with the positive.

7. Do this for 30 Days if possible, or at least work into this. You can either set aside a period of time to do this exercise each day, or what I like to do, is just have my journal with me and whenever I see it and have a few minutes, I’ll do this. For me, this feels easiest because it’s also helping me to pay attention to my thoughts more often throughout the day.

This gets all three senses involved in the following way:

• Visual is seeing your written word.
• Auditory is hearing yourself saying the statements out loud.
• Kinesthetic the actual writing. You’re hand on the pen and writing on the paper.

The other benefit of this exercise is as you write and then say the critical statement followed by the affirming statement, you are training your brain to follow a negative thought with a positive thought. You are essentially practicing a new way of being and your brain, over time, will start to do this naturally without much effort on your part. You can chose to tap while you say the statements or not but this exercise is very powerful in assisting in rewiring your thoughts.

Again, if you can do it for 30 days… fabulous but whatever you do, set it up to be a win. If it’s just for an hour to start… awesome. Start wherever your at, and most importantly, MAKE IT A WIN and build up to 30 days if you need to.

As always, try it out for yourself and see if it resonates. My experience is, this is a simple and powerful tool towards positive lasting change.

Here’s to You Empowering You!!!
Marti

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