I imagine that the word, "affirmations," evokes a mental image of a guy standing in the middle of a garden with his eyes closed, and his hands over his ears saying, "There are no weeds. There are no weeds. There are no weeds."
Someone once told me she thought that using affirmations was lying to yourself , until you believe that what you are saying is true.
I'm going to suggest that affirmations are a tool for programming your subconscious to bring about an outcome that you desire.
So what exactly is an affirmation anyway?
The word affirmation comes from the Latin word firmare, which means to make firm.
It is closely related to the Nordic word Viagra, and the Celtic word Cialis, which also mean to make firm.
An affirmation is a statement about reality that you would like to be true, stated as if it already is true. This begins to program the subconscious to make the affirmation true.
A really good book that talks about programming your subconscious to bring about results you want is The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind
by Joseph Murphy.How can I go about creating and using my own affirmations?
To create an affirmation, you want to start out with the specific outcome you want. Something like, "I want to lose weight," or, "I want to make more money," is a vague outcome/goal, and will bring about vague results.
You want to lose weight? How much to you want to lose? An ounce? A gram? What if you gained a pound, and then lost it again? Does that count?
If you want to make more money state how much you want to be making. If you want to lose weight, state how much you want to weigh.
The subconscious mind only understands the present, so an affirmation needs to be in the present tense. If your goal weight is 150 lbs, then say, "I weigh 150 lbs."
The subconscious mind doesn't understand negation. It doesn't seem to pick up on words like, don't, not, or won't. If you affirm, "I don't overeat," or "I won't fail," your subconscious mind hears, "I overeat," and "I fail."
Instead say something like, "I only eat enough to fuel and nourish my body," or "I always succeed at producing a result."
What if I don't know the outcome I want?
That's OK. A good place to start is with what you don't want. If you don't want to be broke, what do you want instead? Do you want $10, or $10,000,000?
If you don't want to be sick, what kind of physical condition do you want to be in? Do you want to be able to run marathons or do a 1000 pound squat?
Do you just want to be well enough to feel healthy as you go about your daily tasks?
What if I still don't know what to use as an affirmation?
That's still OK. A generous and bright guy named Bill Marshall has recorded several hundred positive affirmations, and makes them available for dirt cheap as a product he calls Power Affirmations.
I've bought his product myself, and still use it. I recommend it, even if you have a set of affirmations that you've created for yourself.
You can also use non-specific positive affirmations. Here are some of my favorite positive affirmations that I still use from time to time.
- I like myself
- I feel happy.
- I feel healthy.
- I feel terrific
- I am lovable.
- I am tough.
- I am a winner.
- Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.
- I do the best I can with what I have, and trust that it will be enough.
- I always succeed at producing a result.
When should I repeat my affirmations?
Ideally you should repeat your affirmations when you first get up in the morning, and just before you go to bed. If you meditate, it can also help to repeat them after meditating.
It is during these waking times that your mind is the most receptive to suggestion.
It can also be useful to repeat your affirmations throughout the day, but they're less likely to bypass your conscious filters when you're more alert.
I believe that your subconscious mind is even more receptive to suggestion when you are asleep. I tried recording affirmations, and playing them on repeat while I slept.
The trouble I had, is that I'd wake up feeling like garbage.
To solve that problem, I wrote a small program that allows you to record a short set of affirmations.
Then when you start it, it will run in the background, and repeat your affirmations in short bursts throughout the night (over the next several hours).
Now I can play affirmations while I sleep, and still wake up feeling rested. You can check out my program at www.restfulsleepingaffirmations.com. While you're there, make sure to sign up for my free 7 lesson email course on creating affirmations, and using them effectively.
How long will it take for the affirmations to start working?
There really seems to be no answer to this question that can be set in stone. It often depends on how the affirmations are worded, and how consistently they are repeated, and the emotions attached to the affirmation.
What I can say is that affirmations tend to take a little time to create change. I've found them to be powerful, but they're not usually a quick fix. I suggest repeating your affirmations every single day for a minimum of 30 days, and preferably for 90 or more days.
After you've been repeating your affirmations for about a week or so, you might notice yourself feeling a little cranky. You might even feel upset because you don't have the intended outcome of your affirmations right now.
You'll probably be somewhere in between feeling a little dissatisfied, and extremely dissatisfied with your current situation.
This is normal. It can be very uncomfortable, but you can take it as a sign that the affirmations are starting to work.
If you were to break your leg, it'd be very uncomfortable to have that leg in a cast after a few days, but that cast is exactly what is needed to make sure that leg heals properly, isn't it?
Where can I find more information on affirmations?
My eHow.com article, How to Use Affirmations to Change Limiting Beliefs, teaches how to find and change limiting beliefs that may be secretly sabotaging your success in different areas of your life.
You can also check out my favorite books on the topic.
- The Answer
- How To Think Like A Millionaire
- What To Say When You Talk To Yourself
I was recently impressed after reviewing Brian Tracy's affirmations audio, Maximum Achievement Affirmation on mp3. Most affirmations programs that are made to put someone in a relaxed state and program positive suggestions into the listener's subconscious are an hour long or longer, and the affirmations are diluted.
In contrast, Brian Tracy's Maximum Achievement Affirmation is a short 22 minutes, and uses a handful of simple, albeit powerful, affirmations. Each one affirms something that is absolutely vital to success in any area of life. Check out Maximum Achievement Affirmation and see for yourself why I've added it to my own self improvement toolbox.
There is also the book never written, The Voices Talk To Each Other, But Not To Me: A Schizophrenic's Guide to Lonliness.
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