The selfish pursuit of a life well lived

Hypnosis is all about being open to new ideas and experiences. This is how stage hypnotists convince strangers to do funny and bizarre things. In front of an audience, no less.

And this is why hypnosis quickly resolves longstanding problems.

You’ve probably had a moment where you gave someone good advice and they didn’t even consider it. Maybe they eventually tried it – months or years later – and it worked. They didn’t refuse your wisdom out of pride or anything.

Hearing a solution is nothing unless you are open to solutions.

So, hypnotic habits are those things that naturally open you up. If you enter a state where you consider ideas before dismissing them, problems dissolve and ideas flow freely.

If you’ve ever changed a habit or belief easily, you were in a state of mind like this.

To enter it more often, there’s something you should include more of in your life:

Beauty.

The world contains marvels for the senses. Nature teems with mountains whose peaks oversee millions of details. Forests teem with rich, sophisticated complexity. Even the sound of a stream is so sweet, when you’re in the right state.

And then there are human creations. Paintings, movies, music, food, dance, poetry, novels, parks – our species toils to add a little more beauty into the world each day.

A worthy endeavour. Art in all forms is an expression of something unconscious.

And beauty isn’t in an object, only our perceptions. Which means it speaks to something unconscious in you.

So express more and listen more. Pursue beauty. You could spend a lifetime looking for mesmerising things and I’d say that’s worthy.

Would it be a little selfish, compared to serving others?

Well, living a dull life doesn’t help anyone either.

Most people have physical reactions to something beautiful. Hearts race, pupils dilate and sweat appears. It’s like a burst of heat welded to an epiphany, riding a wave of euphoria.

It’s what makes art so sublime. Of course it’s worth pursuing.

But you don’t have to wander from gallery to gallery, though.

Practice noticing beauty with a simple question:

“Is what I’m experiencing now more beautiful than average?”

Someone who asks themselves this every hour will spot the beauty before anyone else. They’ll see it deeper and feel it richer.

And it’s a wonderful thing to see unseen majesty.

How can you experience more moments that make your brain salivate?

That’s another great question to ask yourself.

Or, you can take steps to find out.

Either way, you’re improving:

What can the 8Ps do for you?