HJ: Depending on who you ask, affirmations are either life changing or simply don’t work. Why the major discrepancy? I’ll tell you and at the same time show you how to make sure that affirmations absolutely work for you.
In order to get the most out of affirmations, you need to understand a bit about how the mind works. Your beliefs form the basis of your experience of yourself and the world around you. Everytime you need to make a decision, your mind checks the decision against your beliefs and makes sure the two are in sync, namely that your decision is in line with your beliefs, which again, set the framework of your experience of reality. You make thousands of decisions every day from the minute to the important. Therefore it is your beliefs that shape your life more than any other factor. Thoughts are the product of beliefs so trying to change your thoughts doesn’t work. You must alter your beliefs if you want to make serious changes in your life. This is where most people make their first mistake with affirmations. They do not understand their beliefs — they truly have never examined exactly what it is they believe about themselves and the world around them and therefore they almost always are carrying around maladaptive patterns — such as self-doubt, lack of self-trust, poor self-image/esteem and so on. This is just part of life and part of the internal work we are all here to do, to put it simply.
If these beliefs in any way contradict the affirmations you are telling yourself, you have a recipe for failure as beliefs will overpower the affirmations and you will continue your habitual patterns. Affirmations work powerfully, easily and effectively when there are no contradictory beliefs to oppose them. However, most of the time this is not the case as typically people use affirmations when they are trying to change something about themselves that they have been unhappy with up until that point — and why does this happen? Because of the maladaptive beliefs listed above. So then, how does one change those maladaptive beliefs permanently so the affirmations can work? Through a specific blend of self-hypnosis combined with highly focused and well placed affirmations.
You need to first understand what your personal maladaptive beliefs are. They are usually the exact opposite of the affirmations you are drawn most strongly towards using. It is important to note that you should be looking for the general maladaptive belief and not the symptoms, for example: fear of failure is actually a manifestation of self doubt and self trust issues. Feeling unloved is usually a self-esteem issue and so on. Try to figure out your core issue(s).
Then you need to find or come up with affirmations that directly deal with this core issue, for example, for self doubt, you could use, I deeply and completely love and accept myself. Or simply, I fully love and accept myself. Or, I love and accept my complete self expression. All of these deal with the root/core issue and not the symptoms, which is a very important distinction. As my mentor would always say, go for the roots of the tree — you will never bring it down by pulling off leaves.
Then you will set aside five minutes daily where you will begin a light meditation with your eyes closed and become highly focused. You will either silently or audibly (your preference) repeat the affirmations/hypnotic suggestions to yourself over and over again for the five minute period. Visualize them penetrating your heart and subconscious mind. When the five minutes is up, you stop and you do not think about the affirmations any longer for the rest of the day until the following day when you repeat the practice. This is critical to prevent the mind from undermining your efforts by doubting, questioning and generally being neurotic and anal about the changes you are trying to make. Simply trust that it is working and give the mind time to integrate the powerful subconscious commands you have just placed.
Over time (weeks or months — remember you are changing a lifetime of patterning and habits. It takes time! The work is not difficult, but you must be consistent, focused and disciplined), the new beliefs you are working to instill will set in and then you can build on those with further affirmations which are no longer contradicted by the maladaptive beliefs you once had, but which are now severely diminished or removed.
It really is that simple, so stop wasting time and get started.
– Truth
35 Affirmations That Will Change Your Life
By Carmen Harra | Huffington Post
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If you believe the phrase you are what you think, then life truly stems from your thoughts. But we cannot rely purely on thoughts; we must translate thoughts into words and eventually into actions in order to manifest our intentions. This means we have to be very careful with our words, choosing to speak only those which work towards our benefit and cultivate our highest good. Affirmations help purify our thoughts and restructure the dynamic of our brains so that we truly begin to think nothing is impossible. The word affirmation comes from the Latin affirmare, originally meaning “to make steady, strengthen.”
Affirmations do indeed strengthen us by helping us believe in the potential of an action we desire to manifest. When we verbally affirm our dreams and ambitions, we are instantly empowered with a deep sense of reassurance that our wishful words will become reality.
Affirmations are proven methods of self-improvement because of their ability to rewire our brains. Much like exercise, they raise the level of feel-good hormones and push our brains to form new clusters of “positive thought” neurons(http://www.arlenetaylor.org/brain-care/953-affirmation). In the sequence of thought-speech-action, affirmations play an integral role by breaking patterns of negative thoughts, negative speech, and, in turn, negative actions.
The art of the spoken word is critical in crafting our futures. As a teacher of spirituality, it is my firm belief that we influence the universe word by word. If we dictate to it our wishes, it will respond. When we utter a sound, we emit a sound wave into the universe. This sound wave pierces through the air and becomes a real object. It therefore exists in our world, intangible and invisible. No words are empty words, as every syllable we speak engages energy towards or against us. If you constantly say “I can’t,” the energy of your words will repel the universal force against you. But if you say “I can!” the universe will endow you with the abilities to do just that. So speak away; relinquish your fears and purge your anger, predict your own future and live up to your potential with the 35 affirmations that will change your life:
1.) I am the architect of my life; I build its foundation and choose its contents.
2.) Today, I am brimming with energy and overflowing with joy.
3.) My body is healthy; my mind is brilliant; my soul is tranquil.
4.) I am superior to negative thoughts and low actions.
5.) I have been given endless talents which I begin to utilize today.
6.) I forgive those who have harmed me in my past and peacefully detach from them.
7.) A river of compassion washes away my anger and replaces it with love.
8.) I am guided in my every step by Spirit who leads me towards what I must know and do.
9.) (If you’re married) My marriage is becoming stronger, deeper, and more stable each day.
10.) I possess the qualities needed to be extremely successful.
11.) (For business owners) My business is growing, expanding, and thriving.
12.) Creative energy surges through me and leads me to new and brilliant ideas.
13.) Happiness is a choice. I base my happiness on my own accomplishments and the blessings I’ve been given.
14.) My ability to conquer my challenges is limitless; my potential to succeed is infinite.
15.) (For those who are unemployed) I deserve to be employed and paid well for my time, efforts, and ideas. Each day, I am closer to finding the perfect job for me.
16.) I am courageous and I stand up for myself.
17.) My thoughts are filled with positivity and my life is plentiful with prosperity.
18.) Today, I abandon my old habits and take up new, more positive ones.
19.) Many people look up to me and recognize my worth; I am admired.
20.) I am blessed with an incredible family and wonderful friends.
21.) I acknowledge my own self-worth; my confidence is soaring.
22.) Everything that is happening now is happening for my ultimate good.
23.) I am a powerhouse; I am indestructible.
24.) Though these times are difficult, they are only a short phase of life.
25.) My future is an ideal projection of what I envision now.
26.) My efforts are being supported by the universe; my dreams manifest into reality before my eyes.
27.) (For those who are single) The perfect partner for me is coming into my life sooner than I expect.
28.) I radiate beauty, charm, and grace.
29.) I am conquering my illness; I am defeating it steadily each day.
30.) My obstacles are moving out of my way; my path is carved towards greatness.
31.) I wake up today with strength in my heart and clarity in my mind.
32.) My fears of tomorrow are simply melting away.
33.) I am at peace with all that has happened, is happening, and will happen.
34.) My nature is Divine; I am a spiritual being.
35.) My life is just beginning.
You can utilize any of these affirmations alone or create your own unique combination based on your personal wishes and needs. What is most important is to establish a profound communication with the universe — so say it with conviction, say it in your own unique voice, and make it happen in the real world.
Affirming my love, Dr. Carmen Harra.
Minikenny
September 29, 2013
Thank you, needed this 🙂