It appears that everywhere you turn these days you cannot help but run into someone espousing the benefits of affirmations. Many of these people are very well intentioned, and some are simply riding what they believe to be a popular wave of excitement. The truth is affirmations do work, when you work them.

Affirmations are not a new idea. The history of the word can be traced back to the mid 1500s. Still today’s culture provides a fertile playground for their use and abuse. Affirmations are touted as the end all and be all of human aliments, discomforts and desires. The truth is much more subtle. Reciting an affirmation once or twice or posting in on your bathroom mirror simply does not cut it. Affirmations must become a part of your feelings and emotions. We must also determine just what feelings and emotions are. Feelings are the physical aspects of an event and your emotions are the mental reaction to those feelings. It follows that first we must create a feeling, something that moves our physical being and this will produce an emotional response. Here lies the true power of affirmations.

In order to manifest our desires, change our conditions or create a new reality for ourselves we must create an underlying sense of having already accomplished our desire. Many of us have heard or used the phrase “Fake it until you make it.” While this does in some sense hold true, I prefer to think in terms of “Know it as possible and Know it as SO.” Affirmations help us to know the possibilities. I do not believe we need fake anything. Faking it subtly implies the impossibility of something. We are working with a very subtle principle here so the more specific we are the better results we will experience. Knowing IT is possible leads us to feeling hopeful, expectant, accepting of our truth or greater yet to be. This is the real feeling we are after with affirmations, the Greater Yet To Be. We simply know our good is coming to us; there is really no way it could not. The Law of Attraction (LOA) spells all this out clearly we will get whatever we think about. Affirmations are a simple way to initiate the LOA and we must do so with a firm belief that our requests are already manifest in the mind of the Universe. Once we recognize our affirmations as possible in the Universe it is only a short path to recognizing these same affirmations as manifest in and as our body of affairs. Are you with me?

How many times have you heard “thoughts become things” or “what you think about you bring about”? These statements are very true, but can you simply think a thought once or twice and expect to experience a manifestation of that thought? Of course not, if this was true we would all be murders, divorced, or in jail. Our errant and wild thoughts do not become things because we give them very little energy. Our affirmations become reality when we give them energy. Where then does the energy come from? The energy in affirmations is repetition. How many times must a recite an affirmation for it to work? The answer is simple, as many times at it takes. I have always bee a proponent of “praying unceasingly” and this refers to praying until you see or experience the manifestation. Remember as soon as you affirm your truth the Universe begins moving that good into your life, if you give up affirming before you experience the good it is not that the universe failed to bring you your desire, it is that you must remain steadfast in your belief until your life matched the good you have been attracting. Repetition is therefore the key to manifesting our affirmations.

A good affirmation is short and easily to remember. This makes it a simple process to repeat 100 times a day. Try reciting “I am whole and complete with nothing missing in my life.” Now say that ten times. How long did it take? Now try repeating this affirmation ten times at ten different times a day. If it takes 1 or 2 minutes to repeat ten times you will invest ten or twenty minutes a day reciting this affirmation 100 times. It is a simple process to get to one hundred. The fun begins when you realize it need not be a verbal recitation to be effective. What if every time you used a restroom you silent repeated “I am whole and complete with nothing missing in my life”? Soon you will begin to feel this affirmation as the truth of your life. As you build the feeling you begin to believe this truth. As you begin to believe the Universe responds by bringing experiences that prove this as true of your life. As you begin to experience the proof of your affirmation you more easily accept and recognize the experiences of life as more proof of this truth. This self feeding cycle builds and builds until you no longer need remind yourself of your truth. Once you experience the manifestation of your affirmation you are open to moving into a new affirmation. Soon life becomes an amazing experience of Divine Truth operating as you life in every moment.

Will you slip and forget this truth? The obvious answer is yes you will, but you are not required to forget and repeat these reminders. The belief that you may forget your truth is one of those limiting beliefs that I believe no longer serve your Divine Life. Why not try affirming “I let go of any beliefs that no longer serve me and my evolution as a spiritual being.” The possibilities are endless and that’s the good news.

The truth of Affirmations is simply that they do work and they are the truth of your Divine Life if you use them. Many people today tell me they have tried affirmations and they did not work or that they worked for a short time and then they became too simplistic of a process. I ask you to consider if you are really working your affirmations or are you playing lip service to this powerful spiritual practice? The term spiritual practice is just that, a practice. We must continue to use the tools we have and practice them daily in order to master the skill.

I want you to know I recognize you as a Divine Emanation of Spirit, GOD, the Universe and you have the Power to express that Divinity in every moment. I suggest you practice reminding yourself of this truth by using affirmations unceasingly. Enjoy today and remember to affirm your truth until you see the manifestation and you will create the life you truly desire.

You can find more information about crafting your own affirmations or order a copy of my affirmation e-book by following this link. http://www.spiritevolving.com/Bookstore/Robert.html

Robert Brzezinski R.Sc.P. The Spiritual Evolutionist is a Professional Practitioner of Religious Science.
He currently resides in Lakewood CO.
Robert also serves as a Nationally Certified Vision Facilitator with United Centers for Spiritual Living.
He provides workshops, class, and retreat facilitation on a wide variety of Spiritual topics.
Robert is also available for Professional Speaking Engagements.
He can be reached at info@spiritevolving.com

Affirmation is a very powerful tool that can be used to change the mindset of a person. It can transform negative and destructive thoughts to positive and beneficial ones. But in order to affect the subconscious, affirmations should follow this guideline.

Present form

The first thing to remember is that the positive affirmation must be in the present form. As long as man desires a particular action and achieve a particular goal, then there will always be a need to influence the subconscious mind. And if you want to make your affirmation effective, there is no better time to start than “now”.

Belief that the desire is already a reality

Another tip to developing good affirmation is a belief that what you aim for and what you wish to do is something that has already been accomplished. Experts believe that people saying “I am becoming happy” is more effective as this conveys the message that you are already seeing the positive results of your affirmations.

Positive

The affirmation must be positive and veers away from any negative note. Creating an affirmation with the words “I am safe” is believed to be more effective than saying the words “I am not scared”. The presence of the negative word “not” may affect your attitude and behavior negatively. Thus, experts suggest that there is no better way to use a positive affirmation by staying positive all the time. It is also believed that the word “scared” may grab your attention more and make you think about the negative thought of not being safe often

Everyday language

It is best to come up with an affirmation that fits your language style. It means that you must draft one that uses common words or terms characteristic of the language that you normally use. One important element of positive affirmation is repetition. One cannot repeat a statement which is not common or easy to utter. Instead of including difficult words, it is best for you to keep your affirmation simple and brief so that it is easily absorbed by the subconscious. Difficult words may be pleasant and attractive to hear but the very purpose of a good affirmation is not to impress anyone but rather to help you easily utter it, remember it, and practice it everyday. An action is expected to be the end-point of an affirmation. A simple understanding and verbalization of the affirmation would lead to the desired action.

Avoid using too many words

The affirmation must consist of simple words and it must be phrased simply. A complicated phrasing would make it difficult for you to utter the affirmation repetitively. The principle of affirmation lies on the basic tenet that the subconscious mind must be exposed to the repeated affirmation so that this portion of the mind will be a venue from which the desire will come from.

Your affirmation must be specific and shows the exact action or reaction you are aiming to achieve. It may convey a particular feeling that you want to feel like a longing to feel happy, or to feel energetic, active, or feel in love. It may also be in the form of a specific action like your desire to pass an examination, find the right person, or it can even be as simple as reaching a certain destination safely.

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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.

John Halderman, I write about effective self improvement methods, more specifically how you can bridge the gap between information and creating effective results. To learn more about what you just read here and to discover how this can help you change your life, follow this link – Effective Personal Development Blog

Five categories of affirmations support you in manifesting powerful change. These five categories or types of affirmations have emerged from my consulting work with clients and workshop participants. You may work with affirmations in every category concurrently, or you may focus on a different category each day or each week. It is important that affirmations you select resonate with you, that is, that they feel natural and appropriate. In order to experience this resonance, you may need to change words in the ones listed here as examples, or let these inspire you to create ones you prefer, or develop your own from scratch.

Popular Affirmations

Many popular affirmations are beautiful, indeed, they are quite extraordinary! However, if you do not believe them, they are useless or even counterproductive. If you say an affirmation you do not believe, saying it repeatedly will not make you believe it. Actually, the repetition can build up greater resistance to believing it. Consider this example: Sam feels powerless. He has had many experiences that he can point to that justify his feelings and his belief in his own powerlessness and unworthiness. Saying “I am powerful” is less likely to erase his feelings of powerlessness than to prompt an emphatic reaction, such as, “Oh, no, I’m not!” If Sam does not deal with the resistance, he carries it with him as he lives his life.

An empowering process emerges by using these five categories of affirmations in a systematic way to assist you in embracing an affirmation that you desire to believe but do not. If you have an intention and a desire to say and believe “I am powerful,” start by releasing powerlessness, open to the possibility of being powerful, affirm an intention and readiness to live in your power, claim your power, and let the idea of powerfulness integrate into your life.

Following are the five categories of affirmations described briefly with a few examples of each type.

Releasing/Cleansing Affirmations

The purpose of Releasing and/or Cleansing Affirmations is to let go of unwanted and unneeded stuff. Especially, they help you let go of resistance. They allow you to purify your system. These affirmations stimulate the release of toxins such as negative thought forms, repressed or suppressed emotions, old memories, negative bonds with others, karma, dark consensus reality, illusions of all types.

Examples:

I give myself permission to release toxicity from every level of my energy field.

I rescind outdated vows of poverty, celibacy, struggle, silence, and unworthiness.

I release resistance.

I let go of old programs that keep me stuck in old patterns.

I let go of everything I do not want or need for my highest good.


Receiving/Accepting Affirmations

The purpose of Receiving and/or Accepting Affirmations is to open to allow something to be. They allow us to receive goodness from the Universe. They neutralize the misqualification of energy; that is, they can reverse illness or other density. In addition, they help us shift the attention from disempowering actions such as, “getting” or “taking” to more freeing concepts such as, “receiving” and “allowing” and “accepting.”

Examples:

I open to the gifts of the Universe.

I allow abundance to flow through me.

I accept support when I need it.

Dear God, please let me know what to do in a way that I can understand.

I accept peace and joy in all aspects of my life.


Being/Intending Affirmations

The purpose of Being and/or Intending Affirmations is to ground your purpose, especially your higher purpose. These affirmations enhance conscious awareness of your intention about something or about your mission in life. In addition, these affirmations can deepen your understanding of your reason for being and/or acting generally or in a specific situation. They can be used to enhance any and all actions that follow.

Examples:

I know that this is for the highest good of all concerned.

I deepen my awareness of the consciousness from which actions spring.

I live my mission.

My intention is to live free from struggle, fear, and hopelessness.

I remember.


Acting/Claiming Affirmations

The purpose of Acting and/or Claiming Affirmations is to bring something into manifestation or to direct the energy of your intention to appropriate manifestation. These affirmations bring into the physical experience those ideas that you hold in your mind and/or heart. In addition, these affirmations help you to claim your power and establish boundaries in relationships.

Examples:

I act with high intention and purposeful awareness.

I step into the world to live my mission in every word and action.

I demand my good right now.

I make every act an act of love (or freedom or mastery or hope, etc.).

I am powerful. I am worthy. I am loveable. I am free.


Integrating/Embodying Affirmations

The purpose of Integrating and/or Embodying Affirmations is to allow the energy and meaning of the affirmations to merge with your consciousness. Affirmations and ideas that do not resonate, drop away. Integrating/Embodying Affirmations support us in knowing more deeply — integrating — what we have learned rather than introducing new information.

Examples:

I integrate trust into every aspect of my life.

I breathe love into my job, my body, my relationships.

Yes to Life!

Today is an opportunity for peace.

I breathe in abundance, letting my whole body feel its energy.


Affirmations as Lifestyle

As you work more and more with intentional affirmations — written, spoken, read, chanted, meditated upon — you will make them part of your lifestyle. Affirmations are already working for (or against!) you. It is your job to select the ones you want to live by. Remember, you are already using affirmations every time you think or speak! If your current affirmations are disempowering, you can intentionally change them to ones that you choose to live by.

? 1993-2006 Marshall House. Jeanie Marshall, Empowerment Consultant and Coach, produces Guided Meditations on CD albums and MP3 downloads and writes extensively on subjects related to personal development and empowerment. She is the author of the well-known DailyAffirm Process available free to the Internet, subscribe join-dailyaffirm@lyris.dundee.net
http://www.dailyaffirm.com

It is true; affirmations are just sentences with a positive slant, just words. On their own they can do little to change your life. Power, life transforming power, becomes embedded in affirmations when you add emotion while you are saying them.

Words are words, but emotion is energy and our Universe operates on energy. It is the energy behind our words that gives life to affirmations and sets them in motion to manifest. One of the main pitfalls people run into when saying affirmations is that they are saying a sentence they do not believe in and thus do not put emotion into. The goal is to feel your affirmations as if they were already true. Here are the three reasons that emotion is absent from affirmations and the remedy for each:

Existing beliefs conflict with the affirmation. When you affirm, “I am a millionaire!” while believing “There is not enough to go around.” it can be impossible to feel like a millionaire. You would actually be manifesting more lack because when you say your affirmation with a conflicting belief, the automatic reaction is to think that the affirmation is false which is usually accompanied by a feeling of hopelessness.

The fix here is to work on the conflicting belief first. First, pay attention to how you feel when you say your desired affirmation. If you feel hopeless or sense a conflict, explore that feeling until you come up with the belief that is the root cause. When you have identified that belief, create an affirmation to address it. From our example above, if you believe that there is not enough to go around an effective affirmation would be “I choose to believe in abundance.” Once you have addressed your conflicting belief your mind will open up to believing all sorts of new and exciting things.

Doubt. If you doubt that saying affirmations will change your beliefs, habits, actions and life, it can certainly be hard to feel emotion while you say them.

To address this, read as much as you can about the power of your mind and affirmations. Say your affirmations right after you have finished reading something particularly inspirational or motivational. You will find that your excitement over reading the possibilities related to the potential of your mind will carryover while you say (and feel) your affirmations. I highly recommend, “You can Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay.

You are not quite there. You may be close to believing you affirmation, but it is a bit of a stretch. You may not have a conflicting belief, but it is hard for you to imagine and feel that truth in your life at this moment.

In this case, adding the words “choose” or “accept” to your affirmations can soften them enough to make them 100% believable in this moment. The affirmation “I am abundant.” would become “I choose to be abundant.” or “I accept abundance into my life.”

My last tip for adding emotion to your affirmations is to smile! Works every time.

If you would like to see a list of words that can assist in adding extra emotion to your affirmations, visit http://www.creativeaffirmations.com/positive-words.html

At Creative Affirmations, you can learn to write and use the power of affirmations immediately to change your thoughts and change your life.

Creative Affirmations was started as a resource for assisting people with the journey toward a life they choose. Topics include: gratitude, visualization, mind power, healing, writing affirmations and affirmation techniques. Please visit us online at: http://www.creativeaffirmations.com