Cognitive Climb, the Tool of Prosperity

A lot of experts in their fields give you affirmations to repeat to yourself , but that can actually turn into toxic positivity if you don't believe them , and repeating something you don't quite believe actually adds stress to your body . So what about people for who affirmations actually work ? How do they work ?

If somebody is telling me to repeat something in front of the mirror every morning and some people are saying that it works for them and other people say it does not work for them and they don't believe it , Then the natural question that arises for me is what's the difference between these people and how can I make the skill of affirmations work for me and

benefit me ? And the answer lies with cognitive climb . This is a concept that helps you create a gradual climb to a believable affirmation . This level of thought , work of ongoing wellness , is exactly what we work on in the EMW community , my Empower Muslim Women program .

If you are already in the community , this podcast will boost your game , and if you are not with us yet , come on in and join the fun , no matter where you're at . This tool is the real deal for thought changing magic . What I love about our EMW community is how it's ever evolving New insights , better tools and growing podcasts to match it .

It doesn't matter where you are in your journey , just joining and listening in or seasoned at mind management Concepts like cognitive climb and this podcast will definitely help , because there's always something new , something fresh to explore .

So cognitive climb is my go to for a big challenge Moving from one thought to another , taking the affirmation that is completely unbelievable to something that you believe , a little bit at a time , and keep switching it to the next higher believable step . That's what cognitive climb is all about .

When you're about to hike up a hill , the base of the hill represents where you currently stand with your beliefs . Say , you might think I'm not a good mom because I lose my temper with my kids Climbing up . You will reach your goal to aspire what you actually want to think like .

I am the best mom even if I lose my temper , but one thought seems like an extreme opposite of the other . So how do you go from thinking I'm the worst mom to thinking I'm the best mom ? You take small steps of cognitive climb , one believable thought after another . Okay , so just keeping the pitfalls of positive thinking in mind .

If you aim for thoughts that are too positive for you , it will feel fake and your brains are so clever that you can pretend to believe something , but deep down inside it doesn't really work . And it's the most fascinating thing to watch For a multitasking Muslim woman like yourself .

Imagine you perpetually trying to balance your professional aspirations and Islamic values , especially when it comes to raising the next generation .

If I told you you need to get up in the morning and repeat every day that you're beautifully balanced in your professional life and your Islamic values , if you don't believe this black and white type of complete truth , then you're trying to repeat this affirmation to yourself .

Because me , as an expert , telling you to do so will actually backfire , because it's not something that will be believable to you within your body . It's not something that will help you move forward . It will actually cause stress in your body . So many of us are trying to adopt ultra positive thoughts .

Like I am always worthy , my body is perfect or I can achieve all of my dreams . And over time , with work , I have come to believe all of these thoughts , and you can too , but you can't start right at the ultimate positive . Just repeating these affirmations won't magically make you feel them . They need to be genuine to trigger real emotion .

So , for example , shifting from thinking I'm not good enough to I'm always worthy is a massive leap , and if it feels too big or insincere , it's going to be mismatched and ineffective . When you merely just think something , it's just drafting a sentence in your mind , but when you truly believe it , it resonates , it stirs emotions .

Just mumbling thoughts without conviction backfires , leaving you more deflated because now you're wrestling . Why has this change not taken effect yet and why hasn't this clicked yet ? This is where my cherished tool of the cognitive climb comes in handy . Think of it as baby steps or neutral thoughts that gradually lead you to more aspirational beliefs .

This is how , if my client wants to be persistent with memorizing or reciting the Quran every day and they can't even do short surahs progressively and slowly they create the climb for themselves .

Whether they go from I can't recite any surahs to I can recite the biggest surah possible , a huge black and white extreme , but in the middle lies I'm in the process of learning the surahs . I'm going to work on it with small , consistent steps . I'm working to become a person who recites longer and longer surahs .

So if you're part of the EMW community , it's pretty straightforward . You get a workbook and it has stepwise process where you visualize a ladder at the bottom you jot down your current thought and with every ring of the ladder you climb up and you write down one thought that feels better than the other and yet more believable , and that is towards your goal .

It's just one thought . No intricate , elaborate sentences , no juggling multiple ideas . You keep it simple . The aim is to elevate , step by step , each step in the ladder a little bit better than before . So your present belief is the starting point all the way at the bottom of the ladder , something like I struggle balancing work and family .

Now climb up one step . That's where your aspirational goal will reside . Something like I'm working to balance work and family . The next step will be I have made progress in balancing work and life and the next step will be I'm continuing to persevere in this goal .

So the top , most thought , and the ladder will be I've become a person who has perfect life and family balance . This is where all of your aspirational ultimate goal resides . This is the thought you're working towards . This is the goal you're aiming for . But you don't get there overnight and sometimes coming up with a goal for yourself is a little tricky .

But kinda like if you want to read the Quran on a daily basis but thinking where do I even start ? So a simple trick is to flip your current thought . If you think I can't read the Quran on a daily basis , then flip it . So I read the Quran on a daily basis . That's something you don't identify with closely because it's not believable to you .

So the initial thought will go at the bottom of the ladder and the final thought something that you want to aspire to do will go to the top . Or other example like I'm not very patient , the opposite will be I have an abundance of patience .

So if you can't find the goal thought that you're aspiring towards , just flip your current thought into a complete opposite and it will give you who you're trying to become . Cognitive climb is a distance you cover . When you think I can't do anything , right To thinking I can do everything perfectly .

And while these two thoughts lie on the opposite ends of the spectrum , we have to sprinkle in some realism . With cognitive climb , you fill in the space between the bottom and the top thoughts . These aren't grand , quote-worthy sentiments , they aren't major thoughts . They won't even feel like thoughts .

These sentences don't make quotes , they don't make for an Instagram post . They're very subtle shifts , barely noticeable and yet incredibly impactful . And also , just to remember , you're not to immediately resonate with your final goal thought . If your brain instantly embraces it , that's great , you have your work done .

But it's more likely that you'll feel indifferent , you'll feel detached from the goal thought . So in the meanwhile , your work lies in creating bridging thoughts . So let's say your goal is I am very confident in my Islamic identity . A transition thought could be I'm starting to appreciate my Islamic identity or I'm open to embracing my Islamic identity more each day .

These are just gentle changes , not monumental leaps . If you're trying to incorporate your sunnahs in your daily prayers and you can't keep a routine out of them , you're not going to go from I don't pray sunnah prayers at all to I pray sunnah with every single prayer .

Maybe you have to start believing that you're becoming a person who can pray some sunnahs on a daily basis . When it's hard to believe in aspiration straight away , you will need some steps in between , and this is to help you ascend to your goal belief smoothly .

These steps are neither very high nor too challenging , but just right to take you a bit closer to the top and on the body's level they won't really feel like that you're trying to believe something completely new . It will come easier to you .

So if you're hard on yourself because there's been some yelling , especially around the kids , instead of being hard on yourself you might want to think . Many devoted Muslim mothers sometimes raise their voices and they're still great moms .

This thought is easier to relate to and helps you in shifting your mindset to going from a harmful thought that I'm the worst mom to maybe the final thought that I am the best mom . And you take some steps in between . You do a cognitive climb . I have tried this method for myself multiple times .

Instead of beating myself up about my personal flaws , I believe that many similar challenges as mine also are faced by many other people and eventually I will find happiness in love . This belief allows me to gradually and subconsciously apply the positivity to myself . So the key is create as many of intermediate steps as you need .

Sometimes it takes many , sometimes it takes a few , and each belief is slightly better than the previous one . This gives you choices . You can select the one that makes you feel the most comfortable . And feeling comfortable , believing the new thought just might be the reduction in stress and anxiety that you're looking for .

During this gradual improvement , you might arrive at a go belief and not even know how you got there , and that's completely natural .

This process is more seamless and in the meanwhile , if nothing else is available to you , you can say I'm trying to believe a new thought that I'm working on , and that's perfectly fine If you haven't cooked a day in your life and you're trying to make the perfect recipe . It's about adjusting ingredients bit by bit until it's right .

That's what cognitive climb is about Adjusting your thoughts to better ones , one step at a time , even just tweaking one or two ingredients or thoughts in this case , and that leads you to the perfect dish . But occasionally you might want to take a notch higher , say , from a plain dish to a gourmet one , and keep escalating your life .

That's when you repeat the process and aim for even better thoughts and prosperity in your life . If you believe yourself to be an inconsistent businesswoman right now , then work towards being just an okay businesswoman , juggling work , family and Islamic commitments .

But after experiencing some success in gaining confidence in your okay , you can turn that into feeling like you have momentum .

You can gain evidence to be eventually a fantastic businesswoman , an entrepreneur that other people aspire towards , and then , with gradual success , you can , inshallah , set a goal that maybe you are the best in your niche and , in the name of growth , you are allowed to create as many cognitive climbs as you want . Our emotions and feelings are great indicators .

If your thought feels right and gives you the sense of peace and empowerment , that's your body telling you that you are on track . Progress is often slow and steady and it's not about drastic overnight changes but consistent baby steps that your body signals to you that you believe .

When my clients tell me that reshaping thoughts is tough , my natural next step is cognitive climb . Shaping your thoughts for better is work , but it is better than consistently feeling down because of your negative self-talk and that negative self-talk is also work . So why not put effort in something that will eventually have a better outcome ?

The power of gradual thought climb is undeniable . It's a tool that many people in EMWU successfully . It's almost like a secret recipe . So I invite you to join the EMWU community , because the return on this investment will surpass all of your expectations .

With that , I pray to Allah swt . O Allah , knower over hidden and manifest states , assist me in all of us in believing that I can improve step by step . Grant me the patience to take gradual strides towards positivity . Grant me the wisdom to recognize the growth in myself .

O Allah , let me not be disheartened by challenges , but rather let me see them as opportunities . O Allah , make real for me the aspirations that you've destined for me . Guide me in the journey and bless me in companionship with those who encourage an uplift . Ameen , ya Rabbul Ameen , please keep me in your doors . I will talk to you guys next time .