For those of you who aren't familiar with the benefits of positive affirmations, I'd like to explain a little about them.
An affirmation is really anything you say or think. A lot of what we normally say and think is quite negative and doesn't create good experiences for us. We have to retrain our thinking and speaking into positive patterns if we want to change our lives.
An affirmation opens the door. It's a beginning point on the path to change. In essence, you're saying to your subconscious mind: ‘I am taking responsibility. I am aware that there is something I can do to change.’ When I talk about doing affirmations, I mean consciously choosing words that will either help eliminate something from your life or help create something new in your life.
‘As you think, so you will become’
Every thought you think and every word you speak is an affirmation. All our self-talk, our internal dialogue, is a stream of affirmations. You're using affirmations every moment whether you know it or not. You're affirming and creating your life experiences with every word and thought.
Your beliefs are merely habitual thinking patterns that you learned as a child. Many of them work very well for you.
Other beliefs may be limiting your ability to create the very things you say you want. What you want and what you believe you deserve may be very different. You need to pay attention to your thoughts so that you can begin to eliminate the ones creating experiences you do not want in your life.
Please realize that every complaint is an affirmation of something you think you don't want in your life. Every time you get angry, you're affirming that you want more anger in your life. Every time you feel like a victim, you're affirming that you want to continue to feel like a victim. If you feel that Life isn't giving you what you want in your world, then it's certain that you will never have the goodies that Life gives to others – that is, until you change the way you think and talk.
You're not a bad person for thinking the way you do. You've just never learned how to think and talk. People throughout the world are just now beginning to learn that your thoughts create our experiences. Your parents probably didn't know this, so they couldn't possibly teach it to you. They taught you how to look at life in the way that their parents taught them. So nobody is wrong. However, it's time for all of us to wake up and begin to consciously create our lives in a way that pleases and supports us.
Preparing the soil
Some people say that ‘affirmations don't work’ (which is an affirmation in itself), when what they mean is that they don't know how to use them correctly. They may say, ‘My prosperity is growing,’ but then think, Oh, this is stupid, I know it won't work. Which affirmation do you think will win out? The negative one, of course, because it's part of a long-standing, habitual way of looking at life. Sometimes people will say their affirmations once a day and complain the rest of the time. It will take a long time for affirmations to work if they're done that way. The complaining affirmations will always win, because there are more of them and they're usually said with great feeling.
However, saying affirmations is only part of the process. What you do the rest of the day and night is even more important. The secret to having your affirmations work quickly and consistently is to prepare an atmosphere for them to grow in. Affirmations are like seeds planted in soil. Poor soil, poor growth. Rich soil, abundant growth. The more you choose to think thoughts that make you feel good, the quicker the affirmations work.
You have a choice
So think happy thoughts, it's that simple. And it is doable. The day you choose to think, right now, is just that – a choice. You may not realize it because you've thought this way for so long, but it really is a choice. Now... today... this moment... you can choose to change your thinking. Your life won't turn around overnight, but if you're consistent and make the choice on a daily basis to think thoughts that make you feel good, you'll definitely make positive changes in every area of your life.
I wake up each morning with blessings and gratitude for the wonderful life I lead, and I make the choice to think happy thoughts no matter what others are doing. No, I don't do this 100 percent of the time, but I am up to about 75 or 80 percent right now, and it's made a big difference in how much I enjoy life and how much good just seems to flow into my everyday world.
The only moment you ever live in is this moment. It's the only time you have any control over. If you don't choose to feel good in this moment, then how can you create future moments that are abundant and fun?
Reclaim your power
How do you feel right now? Do you feel good? Do you feel bad? What are your current emotions? What is your gut feeling? Would you like to feel better? Then reach for a better feeling or thought. If you feel bad in any way – sad, grumpy, bitter, resentful, angry, fearful, guilty, depressed, jealous, critical, and so on – then you've temporarily lost your connection to the flow of good experiences that the Universe has waiting for you. Don't waste your thoughts on blame. No person, place, or thing has any control over your feelings because they don't think in your mind.
This is also why you really have no control over others – you see, you can't control their thoughts. No one can control another unless that person gives permission. So you want to be aware of this powerful mind you have. You can take total control over your own thinking. It's the only thing you'll ever have total control of. What you choose to think is what you'll get in life. I've chosen to think thoughts of joy and appreciation, and you can, too.
What kinds of thoughts make you feel good? Thoughts of love, appreciation, gratitude, joyful childhood experiences? Thoughts in which you rejoice that you're alive and bless your body with love? Do you truly enjoy this present moment and get excited about tomorrow? Thinking these kinds of thoughts is an act of loving yourself, and loving yourself creates miracles in your life.
Creating a successful affirmation
Now let's get to the affirmations. Doing affirmations is consciously choosing to think certain thoughts that will create positive results in the future. They create a focal point that will allow you to begin changing your thinking. Affirmative statements are going beyond the reality of the present into the creation of the future through the words you use in the now.
When you choose to say ‘I am very prosperous,’ you may actually have very little money in the bank at the moment, but what you're doing is planting seeds for future prosperity. Each time you repeat this statement, you're reaffirming the seeds you've planted in the atmosphere of your mind. That's why you want it to be a happy atmosphere. Things grow more quickly in fertile, rich soil.
It's important for you to always say your affirmations in the present tense, and without contractions. (Although I use contractions throughout the running text of my books, I never use them in affirmations, since I don't want to diminish their power.) For example, typical affirmations would start: ‘I have...’ or ‘I am...’ If you say, ‘I am going to...’ or ‘I will have...,’ then your thought stays out there in the future. The Universe takes your thoughts and words very literally and gives you what you say you want. Always. This is another reason to maintain a happy mental atmosphere. It's easier to think in positive affirmations when you feel good.
Every thought counts
Think of it this way: Every thought you think counts, so don't waste your precious thoughts. Every positive thought brings good into your life. Every negative thought pushes good away; it keeps it just out of your reach. How many times in your life have you almost gotten something good and it seemed to be snatched away at the last moment? If you could remember what your mental atmosphere was like at those times, you'd have the answer. Too many negative thoughts create a barrier against positive affirmations.
If you say, ‘I don't want to be sick anymore’, this is not an affirmation for good health. You have to state clearly what you do want. ‘I accept perfect health now.’
‘I hate this car’ does not bring you a wonderful new car because you're not being clear. Even when you do get a new car, in a short time you'll probably hate it, because that's what you've been affirming. If you want a new car, then say something like this: ‘I have a beautiful new car that suits all of my needs.’
Don't waste time arguing for your limitations: poor relationships, problems, illnesses, poverty, and so on. The more you talk about the problem, the more you anchor it in place. Don't blame others for what's seemingly wrong in your life – that's just another waste of time. Remember you're under the laws of your own consciousness, your own thoughts, and you attract specific experiences to you as a result of the way you think.
How to change your thoughts
When you change your thinking process, then everything in your life will also change. You'll be amazed and delighted to see how people, places, things, and circumstances can change. Blame is just another negative affirmation, and you don't want to waste your precious thoughts on it. Instead, learn to turn your negative affirmations into positive ones. For instance: ‘I hate my body’ becomes ‘I love and appreciate my body.’ ‘I never have enough money’ becomes ‘money flows into my life in an abundant way.’ ‘I'm too fat’ becomes ‘I honour my body and take good care of it.’ ‘Nobody loves me’ becomes ‘I radiate love, and love fills my life.’ ‘I'm not good enough’ becomes ‘I am in the process of positive change, and I deserve the best.’
This doesn't mean that you have to be worried about every thought you think. When you first begin to make the changeover and really pay attention to your thoughts, you'll be horrified to realize how negative much of your thinking has been. So when you catch a negative thought, just think to yourself, That is an old thought; I no longer choose to think that way. Then find a positive thought to replace it as quickly as you can. Remember, you want to feel good as much as possible. Thoughts of bitterness, resentment, blame, and guilt make you feel miserable. And that's a habit you really want to release.
Affirmations are solutions that will replace whatever problem you might have. Whenever you have a problem, repeat over and over:
‘All is well. Everything is working out for my highest good.
Out of this situation only good will come. I am safe.’
This simple affirmation will work miracles in your life.
From I Can Do It, copyright 2004 by Louise L Hay, published by Hay House.
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