| |
 What
Are Affirmations? |
| Affirmations, in this context, are just a way
of saying "yes" to whatever it is you are thinking. You can affirm
negative thoughts as well as positive. When you speak to yourself,
you do not immediately focus on the emotion your thoughts are producing,
you are simply repeating a random thought. Soon, the thought will
evoke emotion, again positive or negative. Our purpose here is to
change the way you feel about what you think. Ready?
|
| You
Are What You Think |
| Yes, it's THAT simple! You are not your
job, you are not your relationship, you are not your disease, you are not
your possessions, you are precisely what you think. Confused?
That's ok, you are also...not alone
|
| It seems that many of us hold the idea that
we must do more, make more, push harder and suffer more before we can
manifest what we truly deserve. Although this type of thinking is
common, it is completely unnatural.
|
| Imagine yourself as vividly as possible at
the age of 4 or 5. Spinning, rather than walking - from point A to
point B - without wondering how you might appear to the world around you.
You sang at the top of your lungs just because you felt like it. You
awakened each morning with a fresh, clear mind anticipating a day of
happily creating anything you wanted out of dirt and grass. You knew
that all of your dirt creations were masterpieces and you wanted to share
them with the world. THIS is natural.
|
| Imagine again the thoughts that may have been
streaming through your mind at the point of these creations. It
wasn't money, it wasn't suffering. You did not tell yourself
"another day another dollar." You did not tell yourself "same
%#$@, different day." You did not tell yourself you weren't good
enough and you did not have a panic attack worrying about the sluggish
economy. You simply created, shared, and moved on.
|
| Choose To Choose Again |
| It is likely that you have put yourself
through a virtual "spanking machine" of guilt and suffering for many
years. Why? Because you chose to. Ouch...that's
the hard part. Realize your life has been a series of choices based
on your thoughts at the time and you are half-way to wherever
you truly want to be!
|
| Your choices have always been yours.
ALWAYS. They were not made by your mother, or your boss, or your
spouse. They were not made by your children, your pastor, or your
psychologist. They were always made by you. Any passing off of
responsibility here will only result in slower progress toward what you
truly desire. |
| It seems a legitimate excuse to blame your
parents for forcing you to do well in school or you'd be cut off from
tuition, but you still had a choice. It seems fair to blame your
cheating husband for the bon-bons you've been inhaling for the last six months so
you can justify your recent weight gain...another choice. These
beliefs only keep you in a place of powerlessness.
|
| The exciting part is realizing that you can
choose again! You are not destined to be unhappy or unfulfilled.
Remember, all of your choices have been based on the information available
to you AT THE TIME. Many of these choices no longer serve you and
you are free to choose again. Whether you are 10 years old or 105,
it makes no difference.
|
| You may regret some of your decisions, you
may resent others for "making them for you" and you may fear that you
might make the wrong choice. Or...you can choose to choose again.
You may not be able to change the past, but you can absolutely change the
way you think of the past. This is only the beginning. |
| An Experiment For You - Part 1 |
| For one day...Just One Day, listen to your
thoughts. Be aware of them as much as you can. You will be
shocked!!! No need to write them down or dwell on them further but
chances are there will be three or four similar thoughts that are repeated
continuously throughout your day. "I don't have enough time", "It
doesn't matter anyway", "I'm so stressed out", "No matter how much I do,
it's never enough", "I don't have enough money",
"I don't have enough time", "I'm not smart enough"
"I don't deserve this", "My kids are monsters", "My wife is cheating on
me", "He made me do it<"...blah blah blah blah blah These are probably similar to some
of the thoughts you are having.
|
| You may recognize them a hundred times a day
but the reality is that they are played in your mind thousands of times
during a single day, in fact thousands of times per hour! Think about that. If someone whispered
"you're a loser" in your ear 2,000 times an hour, you'd be walking around believing it, and no-one could convince you otherwise. By the
same token, if someone whispered "you're beautiful" in your ear 2,000 times an hour, you'd also believe that! It works both ways...always remember
that. Now I have something new for
you...Guess who is whispering these things to
you...YOU ARE. The great news is that
since YOU are responsible for it, YOU can change
it!.
|
| An Experiment
For You - Part 2 |
| Now that you are aware of the clutter that swirls around in your head, you now have the power to release it. |
| The process is very simple, but it can be
emotional and it can be a bit exhausting for some at first. After
all, we have coveted these thoughts in some cases for many years and they
have become a "comfortable" way to think. Never fear though!
The process gets easy very quickly.
|
| The key: Think
of something else. Too simple? Sorry, but that's
all there is to it. We'd love to make you more comfortable by making
it more difficult, but we can't. You may say, "But these bills have
to be paid now, and I have no money... I have to think about them.", "I
have to think about saving more because social security will not be
available to me when I retire.", "I have to make sure my house is clean in
case someone stops by unexpectedly.", "I have to make sure these reports
are perfect, or I'll be fired.", "My wife is cheating on me and I
know it, I have to do something about it." More blah blah blah.
|
| You do not have to stop your life; you don't
even have to stop worrying for that matter to complete this experiment.
All that is necessary is that you practice a few moments of appreciation whenever a troubling thought begins to take over. |
| Begin your day by thinking of something about
yourself or your life that brings you joy. If you wake up feeling
"crappy", fine...start over. Think of anything at all. A time
in the past that you felt appreciated or loved. A place that you
thought was beautiful or an outfit you look good in. It can be
anything, just appreciate something no matter how insignificant it may
seem to someone else. We mean anything, even the color of your hair
or the shape of your toes or your favorite song. Just hold it in your mind
for at least 20 seconds, feel it as vividly as you can. Then write
it down. One simple phrase. "I love my eyelashes.", or
"I appreciate the guy who paints the lines on the freeway." Whatever
it is - keep it simple, feel it, and write it down. |
| Now, as you go about your day, continue to
lightly monitor your thoughts. At the moment you become aware that
you are beginning to play destructive thoughts in your head, choose to
replace that with the thought you wrote down that morning. Hold it for 20
seconds, feel it, read it, then go on with whatever you were doing.
When the long-held negative thought returns, repeat the process. Do
this as much as you need to. Twenty seconds may sound like a long
time, but you are literally spending hours a day in destructive thought
without ever realizing it. These 20 seconds are well worth the
effort. It will get easier.
|
| Every morning, choose a new focus of
appreciation. Feel it. Write it down. Appreciate your dog,
your kids or your garden. Appreciate the garbage man, the washing
machine or the amazing power of your remote control. Appreciate it for 20
seconds. Remember, it does not matter what or who you appreciate, only that you do appreciate. Throughout your day,
replace the unwanted thoughts with your daily appreciation. Remember
to feel it. If you forget the phrase you wrote, read it. |
| As simple as this process is, it challenges
everything you believe about yourself and the world around you. You
may feel uncomfortable at first, and because our minds are so incredibly
powerful, it does NOT want to be changed. So what, change it anyway.
|
| Changing Your Mind |
| You use affirmations continuously without
ever realizing it. The good news is now you have the tools to make
these thoughts into positive, life-altering, re-enforcements. The
bad news is you are no longer permitted to blame circumstances, parents,
friends, or your higher power for what you think, what you say, or what
you do...or what you have done. You are free to change your mind.
Enjoy!
|
| What To Expect |
| Everything. Anything. This is not
an exaggeration. You will literally attract whatever you think about
and whatever you FEEL. Positive or negative, no exceptions.
Look around you. It is all your creation. |
| When You Finish |
| Try again. Once isn't enough - after all, one
thought really never altered your opinion anyway - TRY AGAIN. |
