How to make affirmations work for you

During my reading today, I found this great article that explains the truth about affirmation and how to make them work for you.

Hope you enjoy it.

Affirmations: The secret to making them work for you!

Positive affirmations are all over the internet (specifically social media sites like Pinterest and Facebook) 

But they’re not just some fancy saying.

People believe that if affirmations are used properly, they can change your life.

How?

Well, according to theory, if you say them over and over again your mind will start believing them;

And belief is one of the most powerful predictors of success.

But do affirmations really work?

Well the answer is a little more complicated than a simple yes or no. 

Tony Robbins, Life Coach and Self-help guru extraordinaire doesn’t think so. 

He personally attests to incantations which are essentially affirmations combined with movement, intended to get an emotional charge out of you. 

In fact Tony has personally been using Incantations for over 30 years and is a big part of his personal success; which at a net worth of $480 million dollars (as of April 2015) is no small feat.

But there is another way

A secret way of using affirmations that is supported by academic research. It’s called the REINFORCEMENT 

AFFIRMATION TECHNIQUE (or R.A.T. for short)

The academic community calls them self-affirmations and according to research, it’s all about HOW you use them that make all the difference.

So in the academic World many studies have been done on self-affirmation and its impact but instead of trying to figure all of that out for yourself, here are the important points and how it can help you change your life. 

In order to achieve lasting change through Affirmations, three items are absolutely necessary:

Accepting what you’re affirming. If you affirm the following:

"I am amazing at spotting and acting on all opportunities that come my way"

Are you going to believe it? 

If the answer is no then put a big X on accepting what you’re affirming. Suddenly your affirmation becomes nothing more than meaningless words you tell yourself. You might as well say:

"I'm a green banana that leaps tall buildings in a single bound"

Motivation for Change –

Okay so you believe what you’re saying, but are you going to do anything about it? 

It would definitely be a big fat no if you’re not accepting what you’re affirming, but you’re much more likely if you do. 

Subsequent Behaviour –
So you believe you are amazing at spotting and acting on all opportunities that come your way (or that you’re a green banana!) and you’re motivated to use that in achieving financial freedom for example;

Will you follow up with the appropriate behaviour?

Well the good news is that if you affirm correctly you’re far more likely to accept, be motivated and act on it then if you don’t. 

So what does this all mean?

How exactly do you do proper self-affirmations?

Well, two things are needed. 

You NEED to believe it and you need to build support around it to move from belief to motivation to action.

Belief

In order to believe an affirmation, you have to believe it to be true in at least one aspect of your life. 

It doesn’t even have to be in the area of your life you want to improve (at first). 

So let’s say;

You want to lose weight but cannot find the motivation to exercise. Saying “I’m motivated” over and over in the context of losing weight won’t be very effective. 

But what if you stop for a moment and think about another aspect of your life where you are or have been motivated. 

For example, you are very successful in your career and you’re motivated to do the best you can in your job. 

Well doesn’t that mean you are motivated in at least one aspect of your life? 

And if you can be motivated in one aspect, isn’t it entirely possible to be motivated in other? Absolutely! 

Now the affirmation doesn’t seem so unbelievable, does it! Of course not. 

Is that enough to actually motivate you into action? Maybe. It depends on the person. If you’re like most people, it won’t be enough. Fortunately there is another step.

Support

What the academics have discovered is that in a lot of cases it’s not enough to simply say it. 

What they have found is that you’re much more likely to alter your behaviour with the proper support around that affirmation. 

And that means taking that affirmation (I’m motivated as evidenced in the pursuit of my career) and write down the details behind that. 

Specifically examples of times when you were/are motivated. 

What that does is it opens your mind to the possibility that this affirmation can apply in other areas of your life and now you have real-life examples to support it. 

And that’s it! Instead of taking the 10 minutes you would use to say something you don’t believe over and over again, take the time to try the Reinforcement Affirmation Technique (R.A.T.) and see if it works for you.

It has a much better chance of positively affecting you. 

Now there are some additional tips I’d like to offer:

If you can’t find any aspect of your current life where the affirmations seems to ring true, then search your past and try and find examples that provide support.

If you’re having trouble figuring out an affirmation to explore further, read them out loud and see which ones touch a nerve. If one of them does, it’s your subconscious nudging you to look into it further, because there is some truth behind it.

Finally, if nothing is working, enlist the help of someone who you can trust and have them shed some light on which affirmation(s) are true in some aspect of your life.

I hope you found this useful and I would love to hear your feedback.

Article source: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/affirmations-the-secret-to-making-them-work-for-you

How easy is it to think positively?

How To Start Think Positively?

Positive Thinking is the possibility thinking, which holds a magical power within it.

The first step of positive thinking process is to avoid negative thoughts. Initially, you may get difficulty to always think positively. It will take some time, one or two months. If negative thoughts come to enter into your mind, tell them" I am a positive thinker, I don't allow useless fellow like you". You can't stop negative thoughts, but you can control. You should have complete control of your mind.

If you are committed to your thoughts, you could see the power of the positive thinking. Once you start thinking positively, it will get accelerate, then you could concentrate more on your goal. Everything depends on our thinking, if we think that is possible, 100% possible. Always think like a winner and make winning a habit. Even under any circumstance, don't think negatively. Try to mingle with positive people and get some positive points from them.

Build up strong desire and determination to be positive and optimistic. Making yourself open to the new possibilities plays a vital role in thinking positively.      

Positive thinking is like a search engine, if you enter a right keyword, you will get results of accurate pages, likewise if you think positively, you will see dozens of new possibilities. Stop negative forces, remove negative thoughts and start thinking positively. Begin your day by seeing your face in the mirror with a pleasant smile and do the same before going to the bed.

Once you start thinking positively, don't look towards bad past incidents. Your attention should only be towards what you want to achieve. Read the biography of successful persons, that effectively inspires you, and fill up your mind with positive thoughts. Note down good things by the end of everyday.

You should have at least a single objective or goal, which helps you to adapt to the positive mindset rapidly. Objective means what is your quality or interest. Only having objective or goal is not enough in this case, you also need to work wholeheartedly and with dedication towards fulfilling reaching your goal. Always think "what I can do".

Meditate daily at least for 10 minutes (preferably in the early morning), during that period, think about your that day's works and also think "how I can do that works in the best possible manner". Try to be cool, calm and enthusiastic. Love and respect yourself, which is key to start thinking positively.

Article Source: How To Start Think Positively?

How To Become The Person You Want To Be

I've got a bit of news for you.

That version of you, the previous one, the one you keep referencing, is old news.

If you're spending time reminiscing about who you were before, identifying with that version of yourself, then you are seriously limiting who you can become.

Who you were and what you did last year, last decade, or even last night is no more.

Often we draw from our past to describe ourselves in the present, when that might not be who we are today, or more importantly who we want to be today.

In order to transform yourself into who you want to become, you've got to drop your attachment to the details of before – unless of course you'd like them to continue.

Do you find yourself saying things like:

"Oh, I've worked at the X,Y,Z company for 20 years and have my own business on the side (but I'd like to leave that company and work for myself fulltime)."

"I've been coaching and consulting for 10 years (but I'd really like to expand my focus)."

"I've got an MBA and used to be a manager for a big-wig law firm but now I'm a health and fitness consultant."

When you frame everything with who you used to be (or where you used to work) instead of speaking exclusively about who you are now and what you're working toward, you shackle yourself to the past.

This does not serve you.

It's time to toss out those antiquated ideas you have about yourself and look excitedly inward and forward to identify who you really are.

You have the power to redefine yourself.

You are the creator of your life and the part you play in it.

Speaking of play, let's play a game.

Take a moment to quiet your mind and focus. Then answer these questions:

• Who are you today?
• Who are you becoming?
• What excites you about your life at present?
• What thrills you about your vision for the future?
• What feelings are your favorites? Joy, laughter, accomplishment? What else?
• How do you cultivate those feelings in your life today? Can you create a list?(Hint: Keep doing those things)

Spend some time bathing in the sweetness of the emotions you just cultivated.

Now ask yourself again:

What do you like about who you are today?

What excites you about who you are becoming?

Do this exercise daily until you find yourself routinely paying attention to the positive aspects of where you are now and what you're building.

Start describing yourself in terms of the person you are becoming. You don't have to say them aloud to anyone else, but begin to speak to yourself in those terms.

Begin to identify what you want to accomplish and then start communicating as though it's already appeared.

Tap into a vision for yourself that stirs those positive emotions you cultivated during the exercise above. Just be sure the vision you choose elicits a feeling of excitement and positive anticipation, not lack or impatience.

The future is yours to construct. It is a blank slate.

Start creating that wonderful future now. Start here. Start today.

Start with looking inward and asking "Who do I want to become?"

Then speak as though you already are.

Who are you becoming?

Article Source:http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/how-to-become-the-person-you-want-to-be

Positive Affirmations for Success

Supercharge yourself with this affirmation.  Enjoy!

Create Your Own Vision Book or Vision Board

As you travel on your journey towards the success you desire, you obviously understand the importance of having a purpose, vision, mission, a set of very clearly defined goals and finally individual goal specific actions, which you will carry out every day. Once you have this crucial structure in place and you are completely committed to achieving your goals. There are a few tools you can use to support you on your journey. 

Positive affirmation is one, which helps you to overcome negative self-talk, build belief and encourages you to engage in daily goal specific supportive behaviors or routines, which will support your success. Another powerful support tool is visualization. This is a process where you create a crystal clear picture in your mind of exactly what you want to achieve in the future and then with all the emotion, energy and conviction you can muster. You visualize yourself, living exactly that life. Your brain is unable to tell the difference between a visualized and a real experience. So over time as you visualize yourself living this perfect life, you encourage the right behavior, which will support the daily goal specific activity, necessary to invite the success you want into your experience. 

One of the best ways to help you create the vivid pictures you want, which will then serve as the focal point for your daily visualization practice, is a vision board or vision book. These are simply a book or a board, which you fill with pictures, photos or concepts, depicting exactly how you want to see your life turn out in the future. Your vision book or board is a visual representation of your goals and aspirations. It’s a physical book or a board, similar to a scrap book, or a notice board (as fancy as a framed photo assemblage or as simple as a presentation board), where you assemble photos, inspirational words and quotes, and other items, which represent the achievement of your desired goals.

All or One

You can create a vision book or board that encompasses all of your goals in each area of your life, or make several, which each illustrate one goal or one area of focus. You may find that you want to create one for your personal life, and another for your business-related goals, which you keep at work. Depending on your environment, you might find it helpful to have the vision book open, on your desk, or placed in a spot where you can see it as often as possible.

Regardless of where you keep it, refer to it daily and whenever you need to re-focus or re-energize yourself. The images on your vision board or in your vision book, will help to stimulate those all-important feeling, which will help you to actually feel and experience all the positive feel good emotions you will feel, when you actually do achieve the success you have envisioned. These positive emotions, which your vision board or book will conjure up, can very often help you to overcome a roadblock or challenge, which you may encounter or if repeated daily, inspire you to take the goal specific actions you need to take, to ensure your sustainable success.
Guidelines for Creating Your Vision Book
As you create your personal vision book, remember to have fun and enjoy the process.

It’s Your Map to Your Future

These are your dreams, and so naturally you’ll want to be selective about what goes in the book and how neat and organized you keep it. Look for images from magazines, photographs, and words that best represent your dream, your purpose, and your ideal future. Keep them upbeat and positive. As you build your vision board, know that it is a collage of your future. Build it wisely and allow your mind to visualize possibilities, which will stretch and challenge you.

Achievement Board

As you achieve things on your vision board, take them off and transfer them onto your achievement board. This gives you a way to reward your successes and a physical representation of all the successes you have enjoyed. Whenever you feel like nothing is working and you cannot seem to make any progress. Visit your achievement board and use the positive feeling of satisfaction, which came with achieving and transferring those successes onto your achievement board. This will help you to inspire yourself and to know that if you keep taking action daily, you will eventually succeed.

Article source: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/create-your-own-vision-book-or-vision-board