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Using Positive Affirmations

Affirmations are brief, positive statements developed to help you reprogram parts of your subconscious. Your inner critic can be a very powerful voice creating negative thoughts that limit your potential.

Are you aware of how much negativity you consume? Send some time keeping track of your thoughts. Have many are negative?

One of the most powerful tools against this ingrained negativity is to reprogram your thought patterns. Your subconscious mind doesn’t care if it's programmed with negative or positive thoughts. Why not fill it with positive thoughts that can improve your life?

An effective affirmation needs to have the following qualities: brief, concise, positive (without the word "no" in it or any negative connotations), and easy to remember. You also need to be emotionally invested.

Why Do Some Affirmations Work - and Others Don't?

by Jeff Staniforth

By definition, an affirmation is a statement repeated time and again either verbally or mentally — or written down. The words - in and of themselves - when spoken, thought of, or written without a pictorial (visualized) or emotional connection are weak.

These statements, when worded correctly and when emotionally charged are able to tap into the unlimited creative power of your subconscious mind, and manifest your desires.

Affirmations are not all created equal. When you examine the structure of these power affirmations, you can learn how to create your own powerful statements for your specific purposes. Consider these:

"I am what I choose to be."

"All my needs are met instantaneously."

"I love and accept myself exactly as I am."

"Fill in the blank comes to me easily and effortlessly."

"I am now perfectly healthy in body, mind and spirit."

"I now create my wonderful, ideal life."

What do the above power statements have in common?

1. They're stated in the present tense.

An affirmation is more effective when stated in the present tense. For example: "I now have a wonderful job." Avoid affirming something in the future tense, that is, "I am going to have a wonderful job" or the results will always be waiting to happen.

2. They express a positive statement.

Affirmations need to be stated in the most positive terms possible. Avoid negative statements. State what you do want, rather than what you don't want. For example: "I am no longer sick." This is a negative statement. Instead, affirm: "I am now perfectly healthy in body, mind, and spirit." This statement is much more powerful as it is positive and reinforces your desired goal and doesn't confuse your subconscious mind with the mention of the undesirable condition.

3. They're short and specific.

Short statements have a far greater impact at the subconscious level than those that are long and wordy. Keeping them specific and to the point adds power as the idea is uncluttered by extraneous elements.

The mechanics that make affirmations powerful are:

Repetition. The importance of repetition cannot be overemphasized. It imprints the positive thought into your subconscious mind.

Emotions. Get involved, be passionate, and use your emotions. Think carefully about the meaning of the words as you repeat them rather than just writing, typing, or saying them.

Persistence. Saying your statements with persistence achieves results much sooner than practicing them periodically. Successive sessions will have a compounding effect.

Belief. You don't necessarily have to believe your statement initially in order for it to work. Belief will grow with your forthcoming successes. What you do need is the ability to feel what it would be like when the desire you're affirming is fulfilled, or your need met.

Every time that you have a need - and that need is met - a certain "feeling" is produced in you. Simply evoke that same feeling when you state your affirmation. That is, you need to feel with every fiber of your being that what you desire has already happened. Without this feeling, your statement is powerless.

Impress Yourself. Personalize your statements. They must resonate with you and feel right for you. The stronger your connection with the affirmation, the deeper the impression it makes on your mind and the sooner you will experience positive results.

So there you have it - the simple formula for creating affirmations that work. Based on the above, you can easily create your own positive thoughts to manifest any desire or need you have in life.

TIP: Although the practice of affirmations is easy, some people find it challenging to repeat the statements continuously while maintaining the highly charged emotional state necessary in making them work. GOOD NEWS! You can now use your computer to make the process effortless, and you can automate those challenging aspects (such as maintaining highly charged emotions), thereby manifesting your desires more quickly! Go to Affirmware to find out how.

About the Author

(c)Jeff Staniforth - All Rights reserved. Jeff Staniforth is the owner and editor of Affirmations For The Mind newsletter.