There is a Zen story where a young novice approaches the master asking how he could achieve his wish of experiencing true enlightenment. Without a word the master roughly grabbed the young man and dunked his head underwater in a nearby horse trough. He struggled for some time until the master released him, sputtering and gasping for air. "When you desire enlightenment as much as you craved air just a moment ago, then you will find it," said the elder monk. A bit extreme and not very nice if you ask me, but it does raise a question. What is the difference between a wish and a desire? It may seem like a bit of semantics, but a wish is kind of weak and passive where a desire is strong and all consuming. You may want greater health or success, but has it been a wish or a desire? This is an important distinction because in order to make significant change you have to overcome the natural tendency to fall into predictable ruts. Emotion and passion is what will drive you out of the rut. Yet this raises another question. What curbs our desires? In Dr Rolf Alexader's classic book The Healing Power of the Mind (1989), the author notes that the subconscious mind will sometimes withdraw desire as a protective measure, when the fear of disappointment is greater than whatever emotional or physical pain you are going through. This can explain why people often remain stuck even though the reasons to change far outweigh those to stay the same. People know they should stop smoking, eat and exercise well, be more confident and so on. However, reasoning is a conscious mind function and when it comes into conflict with subconscious programming, the latter almost always wins. Hypnosis can help you quell those fears of failure and other negative conditioning. Having an experienced hypnosis practitioner in your corner can frequently help you make a significant breakthrough. If you would like to learn more, I am here to help. Call me directly at (732) 714-7040 or fill out the Life Enhancement Strategy Session Form and I will get back to you ASAP.