You already have most of the knowledge in the self-improvement subject. Still, why are some people more successful than others? You might have been inspired by a book or tape in the past. Why doesn’t that motivation last longer? Even if you already know the things, why weren’t you able to apply them effectively as the time goes by? The answers to these questions are in affirmations.

Key point is you need to be constantly reminded of the positive qualities you already possess. It has been said that the repetition is the mother of skill. Affirmations provide an excellent way to accomplish that.

It’s a well known fact that our beliefs create our reality. If we think we can win, we can. Affirmations are the best way to develop our belief system.

What is Affirmation?

The Official I AM University website defines Affirmation as A positive statement that has been specifically worded for the purpose of reprogramming the subconscious mind with positive and spiritual thoughts. One of the key tools of attitudinal healing and reprogramming our subconscious mind. This is a fundamental tool given that our thoughts create our reality! (iamuniversity.org/glossary/cv_glossarylist.php)

Affirmation is also known as: Pep talk, Autosuggestion, Positive self talk, Self-suggestion, Mental programming, Positive thinking, Self-hypnosis, Psycho-cybernetics, the Alpha method.

Affirmation is the medium for influencing the subconscious mind.

How Do Affirmations Work?

You know the commercials – same advertisements are shown over and over again. They know the importance of repetition. It takes repetition for an idea to sink in our minds. You need to do the same thing with the positive qualities you are aware of, for them to be absorbed and acted upon by your subconscious.

Napoleon Hill says in Think and Grow Rich – “Here is a most significant fact – the subconscious mind takes any orders given it in a spirit of absolute FAITH, and acts upon those orders, although the orders often have to be presented over and over again, through repetition, before they are interpreted by the subconscious mind.”

Statistics show that negative news is broadcast 11 times more than good news. How can we positively influence our thinking in such a negative environment that we live in? Auto-suggestions help you stay positive even during adverse conditions.

The law of correspondence says our outer reality is a reflection of our inner reality. You attract what you are. It’s true with your financial success or any other success.

Pat Riley, Coach, Miami Heat Basketball team, 2006 NBA champions, quoted – “A champion needs a motivation above and beyond winning” – When you find your purpose and commit it to your core through affirmations you can find that kind of motivation.

A coach motivates his team. Words motivate. You use the affirmations to motivate yourself.

Psychologists and scriptures affirm again and again the importance of having faith. One must have faith in self to achieve any amount of success. “… FAITH is a state of mind which may be induced, or created, by affirmation or repeated instructions to the subconscious mind, through the principle of auto-suggestion.” – says Napoleon Hill the author of classic Think and Grow Rich – “… you may CONVINCE the subconscious mind that you believe you will receive that for which you ask, and it will act upon that belief, which your subconscious mind passes back to you in the form of ‘FAITH’, followed by definite plans for procuring that which you desire.

“…. any impulse of thought which is repeatedly passed on to the subconscious mind is, finally, accepted and acted upon by the subconscious mind, which proceeds to translate that impulse into its physical equivalent, by the most practical procedure available.”

Dr. David J. Schwartz, author of Magic Of Thinking Big says – “Build your own ‘sell yourself on yourself’ commercial. Think for a moment about one of America’s most popular products, Coca Cola. Every day your eyes or ears come in contact many times the good news about ‘Coke.’ The people who make Coca Cola are continually reselling you on ‘Coke’ and for a good reason. If they stopped reselling you, chances are you’d grow luke-warm and eventually cold to ‘Coke.’ Then sales would drop.

But the Coca Cola company isn’t going to let this happen. They resell you and resell you and resell you on ‘Coke.’ “

You got to sell yourself on yourself again and again to have faith, belief and confidence and then to succeed.

Mark Fisher and Marc Allen, authors of How to Think Like a Millionaire say – “Both authors of this book have experienced wonderful results by using a simple formula or affirmation developed by a famous French pharmacist, Emile Coue. … which consisted of these words: Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.

The golden rule of self-suggestion is repetition, so this should be repeated daily – throughout the day – to have the best effect. A relaxed state, where the subconscious is most receptive to new information, is the best – though not essential. It makes the process effective much more quickly, however.”

Affirmation Examples:

Suppose you want to work on increasing your self-esteem. Self-esteem is a self-image at an emotional level; circumventing reason and logic, a key factor in success. You can use the following affirmations to increase your self-esteem: – “I like myself. I am a winner.” – “I am a valuable person.” – “I have abundance of good things in my life and I am thankful.” – “I am enthusiastic, energetic and full of hope and promise.” – “I am tough, bold, strong and confident.” – “Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better”

Similarly, about Goal Setting and taking action: – “I set long, medium and short term goals.” – “My dreams and goals make me look forward to each day.” – “I take an action step toward the attainment of at least one goal everyday.” – “I create an environment that enhances my focus on my dreams and goals.” – “I just write down what I want, prioritize them, and set them as goals with a date.”

Affirmations must be in first person, present tense format to be most effective. There are also secondary affirmations that positively influence our environment favorable for success. They are, such as – famous positive, motivating, empowering quotes, pictures, our own notes and jots that remind us of the inspiring things.

As Deepak Chopra says in Affluence – you do not need to consciously think about the affluent qualities, you just need to listen daily. Similarly, just complete an affirmation session everyday and subconscious will pick it up eventually and do the work.

“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” – Michelangelo

21 Days Make a Habit:

How can we develop good habits? Experts agree that after 21 days of repetition of positive actions you develop them into a habit. So, to start with, just pick only one category, repeat the affirmations and act on it. After 21 days you can move on to other categories.

We are the creatures of habit. 21 days make a habit. You can develop a good habit by working on it consistently for minimum 21 days.

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”–Eleanor Roosevelt

Why do people tend to forget? You need constant reminders. When you use it regularly, this tool can act as a reminder of positive qualities you already possess.

Music:

Studies have shown that slow (60 beats per minute) music brings the heart rate down to relaxing levels, calms the mind, and increases memory, learning abilities and effectiveness.

You must have experienced a good feeling while listening to an uplifting or melodious music. Listening to slow rhythmic music during affirmation may increase the effectiveness of affirmations though not necessary.

“It occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind that intuition. My discovery was the result of musical perception.” – Albert Einstein upon being asked about his theory of relativity.

“Music cleanses the understanding; inspires it, and lifts it into a realm which it would not reach if it were left to itself.” – Henry Ward Beecher.

Anything is accomplished taking one step at a time and that starts with the first step. As Karen Lamb quoted – “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” So, start using the Affirmations today.