You’ve heard the old saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? Well, if you have ever been on the receiving end of negative words, then you will know that this old saying is actually a lie. Negative words won’t physically hurt you – but emotionally they can leave scars that last for years.
Positive words however, can build you up, make you feel invincible and ready to tackle anything that life may throw at you! Words have the power to heal the old scars caused by negative words, enabling you to become a stronger person as a result. At one time or another, we have all been on the end of positive words and our self confidence and self worth has basked in the sunshine they create.
The good news is you don’t have to wait for other people to praise you before you bask in the warm glow of positive words. You can say them to yourself. This is what affirmations are for.
You may be thinking “that’s all well and good, but I’d feel stupid talking to myself”. I hear your point, but before you close your mind off to the thought of affirmations, give me a few seconds to fight their corner.
You have an average of 50,000-60,000 thoughts a day. Roughly 70-80% of those thoughts are negative! That’s a whopping 35,000-48,000 negative thoughts. A DAY! There is no way you could consciously remember all the thoughts you have – and you certainly wouldn’t purposely spend time bombarding yourself with all that negativity – your subconscious mind deals with them.
So the question isn’t “why use affirmations?” – it should be “can I afford not to use affirmations?” At the moment, whether you like it or not, you are using affirmations. The problem is you are not controlling them – your subconscious is – and it’s taken those thousands of negative thoughts and repeating them over and over again! If other people have said negative things to you to, especially if you have connected an emotion to them, and has added them to the barrage too! The end result is the current life you live and the person you currently are.
An affirmation is a positive or empowering statement that you repeat to yourself over and over again – until it becomes embedded in your subconscious. You use a positive statement to replace those negative thoughts buried in your subconscious. The conscious repetition of this positive statement (or affirmation), will lead to your subconscious mind to actively product positive and empowering thoughts. And as you know, positive beliefs lead to positive habits that lead to a happier life!
There are a few guidelines to enable you to get the most from affirmations:
- Make them positive – rather than saying “I am no longer…” or “I am not…” say “I am…” or “I am now…”
- Affirmations use present tense – change “One day I will…” and “I am going to…” to the more positive and empowering “I am…now” and “now I am…”
- They will work faster if you link a positive feeling to them – the more intense, the faster the result.
- Write them down and put them somewhere prominent – somewhere you will see them throughout the day (the bathroom, carry a card of them in your pocket etc)
- Repeat the statements with intensity and feeling – feel how great it will feel when you manifest that statement into your life.
So, now you know what affirmations are and how to use them, have fun creating and embedding positive, happy statements into your life and enjoy the process and the end results!
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