The Beginners Guide To Affirmations! by Lance Beggs
An affirmation is simply a statement which you of the repeat to yourself over and over again. The statement may be positive, in which case it empowers you, or it may be negative, in which case it hurts.Imagine what would happen if you approached someone and insulted them.
“I hate you! You're ugly! No one likes you! You're a really miserable person!”
Well, apart from receiving a slap on the face or punch on the nose, you're also quite likely to hurt their feelings.
What about saying something positive? Perhaps something like this:
“You are so beautiful. You're a really great person and a wonderful friend.”
Would you agree that this statement should produce a very different result? It will empower the recipient. It builds their self-esteem and feeling of self-worth.
Let's change the scenario slightly. In this case consider how you would feel if someone else approached you with the negative statement. Would you likely be hurt? I imagine so. Now consider your feelings if someone approached you with the positive statement. How wonderful would that feel?
Words are incredibly powerful! There is no truth at all to the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” Negative words cut deeply, creating wounds that can last a lifetime. Positive words on the other hand have the power to heal those wounds, and rebuild you better than ever before.
Let's change the scenario again. This time, imagine you're standing in front of a mirror and repeating a negative statement to yourself over and over again. “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!” How does this feel? Not very nice, is it? How about a positive statement? “You are so beautiful! You are so beautiful! You are so beautiful!” Now, that's much better.
I know what you’re thinking though. You wouldn't do that to yourself, would you? You wouldn't expose yourself to such negativity on purpose.
Well, I've got news for you. Your subconscious mind is already exposing you to tens of thousands of thoughts per day. And if you’re not already totally happy and completely successful, then your thoughts are most likely negative.
Take notice of your thoughts for the next 24 hours. If you're like most people, you'll be quite shocked at the negativity that comes from your subconscious mind.
And that, my friends, is affirmations at work!
An affirmation is simply a statement which you of the repeat to yourself over and over again. The statement may be positive, in which case it empowers you, or it may be negative, in which case it hurts.
Whether you like it or not, you are currently using affirmations. Unfortunately though, you’re not controlling the process and your subconscious mind is subjecting you to a constant barrage of negativity. Negative statement after negative statement after negative statement!
Years of negative thoughts have led you to have negative beliefs about yourself and your life. These negative beliefs led to negative habits. And these negative habits are what led you to the life you live now.
So if you're not totally happy with your life, what can you do about it?
It's really quite simple. You need to take conscious control of your thought process, and replace those negative thoughts with positive ones.
Conscious repetition of positive affirmations will in time lead to your subconscious mind also producing positive and empowering thoughts. These positive thoughts will lead to positive beliefs about yourself and your life. These positive beliefs will lead to positive habits. And positive habits will lead you to a life of happiness and success.
And that's a wonderful way to live!
So using affirmations for personal growth and self-improvement is simply a matter of repeating positive statements to ourselves over and over again. To make this most effective though, here are some simple guidelines:
1. Make the affirmation positive! Say, “I am happy!” rather than “I am no longer depressed!” Can you see how the first is positive while the second is a double negative statement?
2. The affirmation must be in the present tense. Don't say, “One day I will be happy!” Instead say, “I am happy now!”
3. The affirmation must result in good feelings. The more intense the feelings, the faster you will see a positive change in your life.
I personally find that the easiest way to create affirmations is to first write down my current negative thoughts. I then write the opposite of that thought, ensuring it is positive and in the present tense.
For example if you wrote down “I am feeling sad”, you could replace that with “I am feeling happy. I live a happy and joyful life with complete peace of mind. I constantly attract opportunities for happiness into my life.”
You would then repeat this as much as you could, until your subconscious believes it, and starts reinforcing your new way of life.
Try placing a copy on the wall beside your bathroom mirror, so you see it each morning and evening. Place a copy on an index card which you carry in your pocket, and refer to several times a day.
Partner up with an affirmation buddy. Arrange that every time you see or speak to that person, you will say an affirmation to them. And they’ll say one to you. Imagine how good it would feel to hear someone tell you several times a day, “I love you and I value your friendship so highly. You’re a wonderful person.”
If you’re serious about creating rapid change in your life, consider recording yourself saying the affirmation over and over onto a tape or MP3 player, and then listen to this whenever you have a chance. While getting ready for work, while driving to work, during your lunch break, driving home, and while relaxing in the evening. (Don’t do it while your partner is trying to talk to you though. I learnt that one the hard way!)
Commit to this for the next 90 days, and see the changes it makes in your life. I promise you it is incredibly powerful. Remember though, that this is simply one tool in your happiness tool-kit. Don’t neglect your other tools. Continue with your Gratitude Journal, your meditation, your EFT practice, or whatever else you enjoy. And ensure you use your affirmation correctly. Like any tool, if you use it correctly you’ll get great results. If you use it incorrectly, you’ll get poor results. So keep up the repetition until it is subconscious! Repeat the statements with intensity, and really feel how great it would feel to have that affirmation manifest in your life right now.
So, get started now. Create some positive happy affirmations for changing your life.
“I am a happy and cheerful person.”
“I attract joy into my life, all day long.”
“I am deserving of love, and I love myself unconditionally.”
“I accept my body as it is, with gratitude and love. I am a beautiful person.”
“I am a caring and compassionate person.”
“I attract only good people into my life, and build relationships based on mutual respect and love, for the betterment of all concerned.”
Whatever it is, go for it. Enjoy the process! It can be great fun.
Lance Beggs
About the Author: Lance Beggs is the author of the "How to be Happy Now" newsletter, and the soon to be released "How to be Happy Now" book. His mission is to help others live a life of meaning, love and happiness! Subscribe to his FREE Mini Course and ezine at http://www.HowToBeHappyNow.com.
Article Source: http://newagearticles.com
It is within us to explore and draw upon our inner resources to heal. Some wounds are embedded so deeply that no amount of professional expertise can cure, much less heal.
A famous Yale surgeon says that as a surgeon, he cuts into the body, but he can not order the wound to heal. Ultimately, it through our efforts that healing can occur.
The path to healing is a personal choice. It is a path where you choose to piece together the fragments and make it” whole” again. It paves the way to self-discovery, to open the door to your inner self and experience inner harmony. And ultimately, come to meet the child within that has longed for your love, care and attention. The child within that is forgotten, pushed to the background, lurks in the shadows, but waits patiently.
What needs healing?
Childhood trauma:
The imprint of childhood experience is a powerful force. An expectant mother who lives through a stressful situation during pregnancy shares the burden with the unborn child.
Years ago, domestic matters were never discussed openly, especially issues about abuse, violence, neglect, abandonment and other related matters. Today, society is more aware of the potential or actual existence of abuse and violence in the home. Tragic that the innermost and safest sanctuary society depends upon can be the most dangerous.
These are issues that take its toll on the young victims. They grow up with wounds, carry them around like a heavy load on their shoulders. Some never get over their trauma, it turns up at the most unexpected moment to haunt them; yet, there are those who are lucky enough to confront it and use it to propel themselves to a healthier and successful relationships and life itself.
When love is a venom:
How many hearts have known pain all in the name of love. It invades lives from all walks of life, social status, add to that race or creed. No one wants to suffer pain, but it does happen. Healing a broken heart, picking up the pieces of broken hopes and dreams, suffer the betrayal, endure shattered self-image, re-live the haunting nightmares, the violation of one’s innermost being, soul and spirit.
The most traumatic of all is the violation that comes from those who are supposed to provide a nurturing environment to those who are entrusted to their care. All in the guise of love.
Grief
The loss of a loved one can be most devastating. Sometimes one did not have a chance to bid their last farewell. It was all too sudden. Or one passes away after a lingering illness, with the relief that the suffering is over comes the grief of the loss. At one point and time in one’s life, grief is a reality.
Guilt
Wrong turns, wrong choices, wrong decisions. We all take wrong turns, make wrong decisions and choices. This is a human trait that not even the saintliest of the saints has not experienced. We stumble, we fall, but many of us manage to get up and get on with life. The losses incurred at times are life-threatening, or at the cost of financial comfort and security or worst, relationships are threatened, lost or innocently or unconsciously sacrificed.
Wearing guilt on your face, in your heart, in your being invites negative vibrations and digs you deeper into the mire. Take a look at those sad eyes, the window of the soul, and you’ll know. However, this is not a dead-end!
Unfulfilled dreams and hopes
Live your dream, ride on the wings of hope; this will not always work out. One day you wake up and realize your dream never materialized and languish over the many years you spent trying to pursue that dream! In the meantime, time, opportunities and life passed you by. Hope can lead to disappointment - realize this. When all hopes are dashed, what have you got?
Path to healing:
Healing is a complex matter.
Who has never felt the pains of suffering, be it physical, mental, emotional, material and spiritual. Even our dear Mother Earth is in desperate need of healing from the abuse inflicted upon her through man’s recklessness, negligence and lack of respect.
There are avenues open to healing. One may choose to spend time with a professional, seek comfort from related groups, but always, healing has to start with one.
It is important to acknowledge the pain, to recognize the cause, to be able to integrate the fragmented pieces and be willing to take it to the next step to be “whole” again.
Healing extends beyond the physical state - when one hurts deeply, the spirit; the soul also bears the pain. It is a pain that comes in hauntingly in the dark of the night, it fills a once loving heart with venom, it could ravage a once healthy mind and body beneath a once beautiful and graceful soul is the mask of vengeance.
Blocks to healing:
But, sometimes, the path to healing is full of potholes. Indeed, the path is covered with blocks, where healing can not be accomplished, it almost out of reach. Impediments on the path: denial, apathy, self-absorption and self-indulgence, addiction, putting up walls and barriers, busy-bee syndrome, compartmentalizing, isolation, withdrawal from society, cynicism, loss of faith, trust and compassion, self-pity, poor–me syndrome, anger, fear of getting hurt again, martyr complex, neurosis or psychosis, aggressive / oppressive, confrontational, guilt complex, resignation.
Disclaimer:
Sometimes, we hurt those we love most deeply; likewise, we bear the pain they cause. This is a personal essay, it does not in any way deny the importance of seeking professional help when indicated. However, it is acknowledged that one must want to heal, must understand what needs healing, must be willing to accept the need to heal - all the expert advise and professional help can not be effective otherwise.
About the Author: Bonnie Moss writes to inspire and to motivate her readers to explore the depths of their heart and soul. She draws from personal experience and her interest in the New Age which offers a variety of tools to walk the path. Visit her website: goldencupcafe.tripod.com
Article Source: http://newagearticles.com
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