The 4-Word Brain Hack That Rewired My Reality (And Can Rewire Yours)

Ryan DeJonghe
Nov 23, 2025
5 min read

How “I Am” and “With Ease” Transformed My Mind and Morning

I used to think affirmations were silly.

Actually, that’s too polite. I thought they were the exclusive domain of people who owned extensive crystal collections and didn't believe in deodorant. I pictured someone standing in front of a mirror, staring deeply into their own eyes, and whispering, "You are a tiger," while their cat watched from the litter box with deep judgment.

It felt fake. It felt forced.

But then, reality hit me. Hard. I found myself stuck in a loop of anxiety and mediocrity, waking up with a sense of dread that sat on my chest like a wet sandbag. I needed a change, and I didn't have the budget for a life coach or a sabbatical in Bali.

So, I turned to my brain. Specifically, the weird, squishy, programmable parts of it that I had been ignoring.

I started experimenting with self-hypnosis and a very specific morning routine. And something strange happened. The reality I was visualizing behind my closed eyelids started to bleed into the reality I saw when I opened them.

It wasn’t magic. It was biology. And it all hinged on four simple words.

Why “I Am” and “With Ease” Are the Mind’s Superpower

Before we get tactical, let’s address your inner skeptic. (Oh, hi! Knew you’d come.)We’re trained to believe there’s a hard line between science and what some call “woo-woo.” One camp gets the blessing of peer-reviewed research, the other gets burned sage and affirmation sticky notes.

But here’s a plot twist—your brain doesn’t care where the hack comes from.If it works, it works.

When you engage in deep visualization or self-hypnosis, you aren't just daydreaming. You are physically altering your neural connection s.Think of your habits as literal footpaths in the brain. If you walk the same trail every day (“I Am Anxious About Money”), it becomes easier. Your brain is wired for shortcuts—no machete needed.

But neuroplasticity? That’s you, lacing up your metaphorical boots, hacking a new trail (“I Am Abundant With Ease”). The more you walk it, the clearer it gets. The old trails fade.Yes, even the ones paved with existential dread and bad financial choices.

The Two Most Powerful Words: “I Am”

Language is the brain’s operating code, and “I am” is the root command.

Whatever comes after these two tiny words, for better or for worse, becomes a statement of truth to your subconscious.“I want to be confident”? Your brain hears, “I’m not confident. Not yet.”“I am confident”? You just closed the loop.

Here’s the rub: if you’re broke and say, “I am a millionaire,” your brain’s bouncer—the critical faculty—rolls its eyes.

“Seriously? I know what’s in our account. It’s 9 dollars and 14 cents.”

So, how do we hack past the internal bouncer?

The Secret Sauce: “With Ease”

Enter the cheat code. Two words: “with ease.”

Try these on for size:

“I am becoming wealthy with ease.”
“I am attracting healthy relationships with ease.”
“I am writing my novel with ease.”

Adding “with ease” is like putting WD-40 on your neural resistance. It soothes the urge to fight or hustle. It speaks directly to your parasympathetic nervous system, telling your body, “Hey, nobody’s getting chased by a saber-toothed tiger here. We’re just living our best life.”

So instead of your mind slamming the brakes, it relaxes the gates.It’s not brute force. It’s flow.

Meet the Gatekeeper: Your Reticular Activating System (RAS)

Let’s geek out for a moment. The real MVP here is the Reticular Activating System (RAS).

This network of nerves in your brainstem acts like your brain’s personal nightclub bouncer—it decides what information gets onto the VIP list of your attention. Ever notice how, when you start looking for a certain car (say, a red Jeep), you see them everywhere? That’s not the universe suddenly manufacturing more red Jeeps. You flagged them “important.” Your RAS just opened the rope.

When you program your mind with “I am successful with ease,” you’re literally telling your RAS,“Hey, keep an eye out for success—and make it easy.”

Bit by bit, you start seeing opportunity where you once saw obstacles, shortcuts where you once saw dead ends.As the research on attention and the RAS confirms, the more you filter into your awareness, the more you find.

The SAVERS Routine: My Morning Miracle

I wish I could claim all the credit, but the real unsung hero is Hal Elrod’s The Miracle Morning. SAVERS has become more sacred for me than coffee—okay, that’s a lie, but only just.

Here’s the formula:

Silence
Affirmations
Visualization
Exercise
Reading
Scribing (journaling)

For ages, I checked these off like I was gunning for a “most productive zombie” award. But magic happened—real, neurons-firing, synapses-hugging magic—when I rolled Silence, Affirmations, and Visualization into a single hypnotic meditation.

Suddenly, life started resembling the movie I’d been playing on repeat behind my eyelids.

The “I Am… With Ease” Hypnotic Routine

This is the main event. If you only take one thing from this article, let it be this:

Step 1: Induction (Silence)

Close your eyes. Breathe deep. As you exhale, feel a warm wave wash down your body, from crown to toes.

Whisper inside, "I am relaxing with ease."Unclench. Drop those shoulders. (Seriously—you know you’re doing it.)

Step 2: Affirmation Anchor

Pick your “I am... with ease” mantra for one key upgrade you want.

For example: "I am making healthy choices with ease." Repeat silently. Let the echo bounce around your braincase.

Step 3: Visualization Theater

Fire up your visual cortex. Picture yourself living the affirmation.

Ordering the salad and enjoying it.
Moving your body because you want to.
Dodging donuts at the break room without a mental battle.

Now, stir in emotion—you need to actually feel the win.Because as memory research shows, emotion cements memory.

Step 4: “With Ease” Overlay

Layer on the sensation of ease.Stop visualizing struggle—see yourself moving with flow, not friction.Explicitly tell your mind: “This is easy. This is what I do now.”

Step 5: Project into Your Day

Don’t “wake up” yet. See yourself carrying this state forward.

“Watch” your calm ride shotgun through work stress, family drama, whatever chaos is on your calendar.

How This Practice Rewires Your Brain (The Science of Neuroplasticity)

Every repetition of this ritual wires a new circuit. Psychologist Donald Hebb couldn’t have said it better: “Neurons that fire together, wire together. "For you, that means the more you fuse thought, imagery, and the essence of ease, the faster and thicker the neural pathway grows.

Over time, the habits you crave need less “trying.” They just feel right.

When the Results Show Up (And It Feels Weird)

Here’s your spoiler alert: your brain will fight you less. That’s when things get unnervingly good.

You’ll start acting in line with your vision almost accidentally—as if some benevolent puppet master is pulling strings in your favor.

You may catch yourself wondering, “Wait, it’s really this simple?”

Short answer: Yes. The long answer? Only if you show up for the practice.

Spiritual or Science? (Why “I Am” Works Either Way)

I’m not here to referee your cosmic beliefs. God, Universe, Quantum Hologram, Fred the Inner Muse—doesn’t matter.

Here’s what counts: when you declare something with conviction, you shift from victim of circumstance to architect of possibility.

Tomorrow Morning: Action Plan

You’ve made it this far because you want change.But your brain is sneaky—it’ll take a twitchy dopamine hit just from reading.

So, let’s ground this:

Script it tonight: Jot down your “I am... with ease” statement. Stick it somewhere you can’t ignore.
Wake up 20 minutes early: I’ll let you hit snooze tomorrow. But just once.
Walk through the routine: Silence → Affirmation → Visualization.
Watch for Red Jeeps: Noticehttps://medium.com/ what your mind starts delivering. That’s your RAS at work.

Your future reality is hiding in plain sight. Tune in.

For those who want deeper dives or community connection, visit Trancewell Help or explore more on Medium.

Happy rewiring.