It's remarkably simple. They learned how to entertain a thought.

Aristotle said, "It is mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Hmmm. To entertain a thought without accepting it.

We need to do that. Everyone needs to learn how to be a good host or hostess to new ideas. In fact, our goal should be to become Martha Stewart of mental entertaining!

What if you treated a new thought like a guest?

It's easier to think about mental entertaining if we put together a to-do list, just like Martha. Here it is:

#1 Make first move. First of all, you issue an invitation. Nothing fancy. You don't have to make any major investment or lifelong commitment. You're simply inviting this person in. It's same with initiating entertainment of an idea. You might see a quote on side of a bus somewhere, and decide you'd like to explore that concept more deeply. Or, maybe you find yourself bumping into same topic all time, and so you make up your mind to learn more about it. Either way, you need to be ready to initiate process. Don't hide--you won't meet new ideas if you scurry away whenever doorbell rings.

#2 Prepare. Uh-oh. Your house is a mess. You'd better do some cleaning. You're not really trying to impress, but hey, you could certainly do some sprucing up and get place looking neat and inviting.

Prepare for a new thought in same way. Make some space in your mind to think about something new. According to Deepak Chopra, well-known author on health and longevity, average human has 60,000 thoughts a day. Pretty impressive? Well, here's kicker: 57,000 of those are same ones you had YESTERDAY! Now that's some serious clutter! Get rid of a few of those dusty old thoughts and make room for new ones.

#3 Offer a warm greeting. When your new guest arrives, be warm and inviting. After all, you're hoping to start a friendship. Put your best foot forward.

It's same with an idea. If you face it with skepticism, fear or detachment, you won't be entertaining it for long. You'll be eyeing your watch, yawning, or looking for a way to end discussion early. You've got to be open and full of anticipation to prepare an environment in which new ideas will be explored and integrated fully. Just as it's no fair making lame excuses or having your friend call to interrupt visit, it's also cheating to cut out too soon when it comes to entertaining an idea.

#4 Make introductions. T This is big one. You would certainly introduce your guest to everyone at party, with a special effort to connect them to those with whom they may have something in common.

Any new idea you consider will be more likely to be welcomed if you actively and intentionally introduce it to your other ideas and interests. Look for unusual and inspired pairings. How does it fit? Where does it fit? DOES it fit? You won't know until you try.

What makes difference? Why are there times when you only need to say affirmation once and your whole life changes? And yet you repeat other affirmations religiously for days, weeks, months and sometimes even years and nothing happens?

I believe that difference between positive affirmations that work and those that don't are underlying beliefs you hold regarding topic at hand. If, for example, you want to experience a loving relationship and your underlying beliefs support idea that you are lovable, then door opens to allow a relationship in. If, however, you don't really believe that you are lovable, or worthy, or good enough, that belief will negate all positive energy you expend to create a loving relationship.

It is interesting that negative beliefs don't stop us wanting or desiring something. It's also interesting that belief is stronger than desire. I think it's because our beliefs are much deeper, living as they do for most part in our unconscious. They often come from our parents and our childhood experiences, particularly from our interpretation of those messages and experiences.

The best way to figure out if this is going on in your life is to make a list of those items you have 'actively' desired and that you still have not been able to create. Then, think about beliefs you would need to have in order to support those desires. That's what I'm calling 'bolstering beliefs'.

The following exercise is a good way to get at underlying negative beliefs in order to change them.