Power of Affirmation: How to Make them Work for You
How to think your way to a positive outcome
The power of positivity and the strength of our own mind is undeniable, but how can we harness this inner strength to manifest a more positive and fulfilling reality? Answer: an affirmation practice. So, what are affirmations, according to Healthline, its an affirmation of words or phrases that promotes self-confidence and beliefs in your own abilities.
Some examples include:
At all times, I will follow my intuition and listen to my inner voice.
I see the good in everyone.
What I admire most about myself is my ability to (fill in the blank).
An affirmation can work because it can program your mind into believing the stated concept (your mind doesn't know the difference between what is real or fantasy). For example, when you watch a movie and you start to laugh or cry your mind is empathizing with the characters on the screen even though it is only Hollywood magic.
There are both positive and negative types of affirmations. For example, if you keep thinking “I’m not smart enough,” that will become part of your self-image. You will start to see yourself as not smart and truly believe it. These unwholesome statements can stay with us in the conscious or unconscious mind, and we then reinforce them throughout our lives. So how can we add more muscle to an affirmation so that it has the power to triumph over our negative thinking? Here are some suggestions from Psychology Today on how to make them work for you.
Step 1:Make a list of what you've always thought of as your negative qualities. Simply make a note including any criticism you might have received and look for a common theme, such as "I'm unworthy." This will be a great place to start making a shift in your life.
Step 2:Now write an affirmation on the positive aspect of your self-judgment. When writing your affirmation statement, try including positive feeling words into your affirmations. For example, instead of saying, “I’m earning millions of dollars every year”, say “I’m happily earning millions of dollars every year”, and then feel the joy within.
Step 3:Speak the affirmation out loud for about five minutes each day. Success will never come to you in an instant, nor will you achieve the big results by taking just one step. The same principle applies to affirmation, you must practice it every day to make it real.
If you want to maximize the effects of affirmation, you must turn it into your habit. Meaning, you must practice it at the same time every day. It is just like brushing your teeth each morning, you do it the same way and you will never miss out doing it.
Also, you need to believe it will happen. When you don’t believe in something, you will never put in your full effort to do it. You will never act. When you believe that you are absolutely going to achieve it, you will do whatever it takes to get it. Your beliefs define your actions. If you practice affirmations but your actions are not consistent with what you desire, you know that something is not right. And most of the time, it has something to do with your belief system.
Step 4:Anchor the affirmation in your body as you are repeating it by placing your hand on the area that felt uncomfortable when you wrote out the negative belief in Step 1. We love the idea of "breathing" into the affirmation while you are saying or writing it. As you reprogram your mind, you want to move from the concept of the affirmation to a real, positive embodiment of the quality you seek.
Step 5:Get a friend or coach to repeat your affirmation to you. If you don't have someone whom you feel comfortable asking, then use your reflection in the mirror as the person who is reinforcing the healthy message.
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