We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.   ~ Buddha ~

What are affirmations ?

You’ve likely heard about affirmations. Most everyone has an opinion on whether or not all that “Positive Stuff” works. Perhaps you’ve even sat down and written a few affirmations of your own. Whether you have or you haven’t, either way I promise you, you are using affirmations every day. How do affirmations work? We’ll get there. The challenge to be aware of is this, if you aren’t using affirmations consciously it is possible that your unconscious use of them is working against you! Before we go too far let’s look at exactly what an affirmation is.

Dictionary.com defines “affirmation” this way:

For our purposes definition 2 is what we are interested in: af-fir-ma-tion: 2. the assertion that something exists or is true.Affirmations are statements or self-script that repeated regularly over time condition the subconscious mind. They are self-talk delivered with emotion. Affirmations are the act of speaking things into existence.

Here’s the rub, you can also affirm negative self-talk.  Whether positive or negative, anything repeated over and over with emotion to the subconscious mind will over time be held as truth. Negative self-talk will still be “affirmed” as truth in your mind. Self-talk, whether positive or negative will manifest into existence or will modify your behavior in a way as to manifest the positive or negative outcome. Therefore, unless you are conscious and deliberate in your self-talk, you are using the Power of Affirmations against yourself.

How do affirmations work and can affirmations really help to improve your life?

The answer to that is simple although it might not be easy. Our self-talk is so programmed in that we often are not even conscious of the messages we are sending to ourselves.

“Why would you say something so dumb? How stupid can you be?”
“Of course you didn’t get the job, who would hire someone like you?”
“You’re so fat, skinny, ugly, young, old, awkward, etc, why would anyone want you.”
“You have nothing of value to offer.”

You get the idea. Does any of this sound familiar? You likely have your own personal library of negative affirmations that run through the background of your life. The things we say to ourselves can be very destructive.

Many of these things may be things were told as children or things others say to us all of which contribute to a negative self-perception. If you were to step back and examine this you just might find that this self-talk is at the heart of everything in your life that you are dissatisfied with in your life. If another person were to say these things to you, would you want to spend time with them? Of course you wouldn’t. So why do you allow ourselves to do this to ourselves? Because most of the time we aren’t even aware we are doing it. It is that automatic for us.

So, how do you change your script?

Turn down the volume of your negative inner voice and create a nurturing inner voice to take it’s place

There are many ways that you can develop a more positive perception of yourself and how you talk to yourself. Using positive affirmations is a great place to start. The key word here is positive. Positive affirmations can help you change harmful behaviors or accomplish goals. They can also help undo the damage caused by these negative scripts, those things which we repeatedly tell ourselves. 

Positive affirmations can help whether you are looking to improve your relationships, feel better about yourself, create a more positive outlook, create more income, better health,or simply want to build good habits. Every area of your life can be improved with affirmations.

Now I’m not saying that simply writing down a few positive statements about how you would like things to be is going to magically transform your life overnight. But it’s a start! It takes time to cleanse your mind and your life of the negative beliefs and limitations you currently hold as truth. Positive Affirmations will simply point you in a better direction.

Affirmations are simple to create and use, but to make them work you will need to be conscious of your self-talk, look at them often, and repeat them a few times a day until they become an automatic thought. It is important to write your own affirmations so that they are personal and specific to your life. It’s a fairly simple process and the good news is it gets easier the more you do it.

To begin, choose one negative thought that you have about yourself. Now write down the opposite of that. Be sure to begin the statement with “I” or “my”. Add emotion to your words so that you feel what you are saying. Make certain to write them in the present, as if they already exist.

Example, if you find yourself saying, “Why do bad things always happen to me?” You could flip that to “I am excited about all the good that surrounds me.” Or “My heart is full of happiness for all the good things in my life.”

Start with just a couple. Remember, you are just building the muscle. Your next step is to set a time every day, (preferably 2 – 3 times) go to a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed and read your affirmations out loud with emotion. Close your eyes and feel the feeling of your words.

Be kind to yourself about it. Change won’t happen overnight but keep going. Reward yourself for beginning the process of making positive changes in your life. It will get easier over time.

You are a magnificent being who deserves to live the life of your dreams!

Abundant blessings,
Terre