How To Make Affirmations Work For You?

Many wise men have made similar statements about the power of positive thinking in terms of getting things accomplished. In fact, the unifying thought of all of these statements is basically that one can either think they can do something, or think they cannot, and either way they will almost always prove themselves correct. Every year, many millions of dollars are spent by individuals who wish to improve either themselves or their "lot in life," and take various versions of positive thinking courses and seminars. While positive thinking undoubtedly improves success rates and efficiency, one of the greatest techniques for enhancing one's positive attitude, and thus their success, is using Positive Affirmations.

Affirmations are positive statements that have special meaning to the individual. They are described as affirmations because unlike other statements, these statements should be made all from a positive point of view, using entirely positive wording. So, for example, if someone wanted to break their smoking habit, they would not say, "I'm not going to smoke anymore." Rather, their Affirmation might be worded, instead, "Since I am smoking- free, I breathe clean, refreshing area, and have more positive energy." As you might notice, there is no mention of the intent to stop smoking cigarettes. Rather, the affirmation is stated from the point of view that the action to stop has already occurred, and the affirmation sees and discusses the benefits. This is done to create a positive vision that motivates the speaker to take definitive action.

To understand further how affirmations can assist one in taking action to improve or encourage a specific action or course of action, or to get someone to expand his "comfort zone," let's assume that an individual is very uncomfortable speaking in public. The usual self talk that people use would be "I want to be a better speaker," or "I am going to be a better public speaker." However, when using Affirmations, a suggested statement might be something like, "I enjoy the excitement of getting in front of a group, addressing them, and motivating that group to listen to me and my point of view, and then take action." Do you see the very important difference in the way these statements are structured?

Many individuals have told me prior to one of my seminars that they can't do affirmations because it seems too strange, odd or phony to them. I tell them to try the following exercise for a week, and see the changes it will make in their life. Think about ten things you'd like to do better. Write down ten Positive Affirmations. Commit to read these Affirmations at least three to five different times during the day and night, and each time repeat each affirmation at least five time. Read these in front of a mirror. Be sure that the Affirmations are items that are truly important to you at this time. Observe the changes in the way you view things, go about things, approach things and do certain things.

Those who commit to Affirmations will see numerous life changing improvements, simply because they commit to them fully, and believe they can.