Affirmations get a bad rap by many in the areas of personal growth and development, and at the same time by others are touted as the magic to changing your life. There are those who tell you that using affirmations is THE way to changing your thinking thus changing your life, and others who say they are a useless waste of time.

Here I will attempt to clarify and set straight the place and value of affirmations in your self improvement efforts to change and grow in your life. The topic of affirmations fits into what I call “A fine line.” There is a fine line between going too far one way or the other. To get the value from something you must find the “fine line” place in the middle, too far one way or the other, and you loose it. And so it is with affirmations.

First, some of the misconception comes from people grasping for the quick fix. We all know how we can easily read into something what we want. And that what most people are looking for is the quickest, easiest way to make changes in their life, which does really not exist.

All related factors must be addressed to realize real results. Affirmations do play a role in your overall self development and growth but are certainly not the only tool that must be used to get the results you want. Affirmations alone will not bring about the major change in life some believe, on the other hand they are not totally worthless as many others make them out to be.

Much of what is taught in the personal growth and development field is just part of the story. Where someone has focused on one or even a few aspects of what is involved and highlighting just those parts, which gives the impression that, that is all there is. Yes, in short change it is simple, but there are many ‘between the lines’ aspects that come into play, and one of these is affirmations.

It’s easy to allow ourselves to get consumed with one aspect of life development when our focus is on just one element, which is the case with many books and trainings. It is good to study and focus on one aspect if this is something specifically you feel you need to learn and user, but don’t forget about the whole picture.

Now those who say that just using affirmations will fix your life, seem to ‘forget’ about the aspects of action, among other things, which we can’t escape as we are in this physical reality. Yes, your thoughts and your feelings play a crucial role in how you manage and develop your life, but that’s not all. You must take appropriate actions, it’s your job, your design here in this physical reality we enjoy. If we weren’t suppose to be involved physically why are we here?

And, those who say affirmations are worthless are missing out on a powerful tool that has some purpose when one is working on their thinking. And, yes, your thinking is absolutely critical as everything revolves around it. I think why some people look down on the use of affirmations comes from their reaction to others who say that affirmations are all you need. But this all or nothing reaction does not serve anyone well.

Here are some ways that affirmations are useful in your self improvement work:

* Affirmations help set your tone. Your overall attitude and feeling will affect what you think about. It affects how you act and interact with others. It virtually colors your day. Using affirmations will help direct your daily tone.

* Affirmations help keep your thinking positive – on what you want and away from what you don’t want. If affirmations serve no other purpose for you than this, it makes them well worth using, if all you do is use affirmations to replace unwanted thinking with desirable thinking you have won big. A critical part of change is to learn to stop focusing on what you don’t want and rather focus on what you do want.

* Affirmations help build mental discipline. As you learn affirmations and actually use them regularly, you are training your mind to a different way of thinking on a daily basis. You are learning how you can change your thought and how to keep it as you want. You are learning to take command of your thinking by directing it rather than allowing everything to be automatic.

* Affirmations help evolve your thinking in the direction you want. As you develop affirmations for yourself, you are thinking about and expanding your thinking in the areas that you want to play a greater role in your life. The more you work with developing affirmative and supportive statements, the more you will discover what is possible.

Now, maybe if your thinking is already 100% supportive of what you want in life, where you are going, and you never slip into any thought of doubt, worry and what you don’t like, you don’t need affirmations. Actually if this is the case, you have already assimilated the affirmation like thought into your everyday thinking. Your conscious mind is already always on the positive, supportive congruent thoughts of your ideal life as it is freely unfolding. For anyone else, affirmations can be a useful tool.

Affirmations are a wonderful tool for effecting your thinking, which is very important in your growth and development, as long as you don’t get stuck thinking that this is all you need to do. It takes more than just your thoughts to see results, but developing your thinking is key to your knowing the right actions to take, when and how to get the results you want.