Power of Affirmations

What is an affirmation?

Affirmation simply means declaring to oneself that something is already true. Popularized first by Napoleon Hill in his famous "Think and Grow Rich', he simply said that it is a repeated instruction to your subconscious mind. The "New Age" writers and NLP practitioners have since popularized this as the "Power of Positive Thinking". I will simply stick to NH's idea that affirmation is simply a belief that what one wants has already happened and to send a directive to the subconscious to record the event. If this is often repeated to be true the subconscious believes this to be true and makes available all resources to manifest the truth which it already believes to be true.

Guidelines for Creating Effective Affirmations

1. Go deeper, reach higher. Visualize what you want is already achieved. Hear the sounds of joy and happiness at your achievement. How do you feel after this achievement? Describe what is happening to you after this visualization.
2. Affirmations are the declaration of a successful culmination of an event for oneself by oneself. Surprise, surprise, it therefore has to start with "I am...." The subconscious then takes it as a command to make it happen.
3. As it has already happened and this is a declaration of the achieved event, it has to be state din the present tense.
4. Affirmations have to be stated in the positive. The subconscious registers in images and not words. Therefore any statement stated in the negative is not understood by it. The unconscious has no images for the word no. So if I said, "I am not smoking" then the image in the subconscious will be that of smoking. Instead if directed " I am free from the habit of smoking" - it can create a picture of your freedom from the habit and act accordingly.
5. Keep it short and simple - so that it becomes a mantra you can repeat anytime and anywhere.
6. Make it SMART: Specific and measurable. I will be rich, is not understood. An additional 1$ is richer by one dollar and that is what the subconscious will provide you. So make it I will make 1 million $ by 31st December 2010 and watch how your plans unfold to make you achieve that.
7. Make it an active verb (add -ing) so that it energizes you to act now.
8. Add emotions to your affirmative statement. You need to be in motion to achieve your goals, so saying it with emotion will keep your motivation at the highest level.
9. You are affirming for yourself and not for others. Your subconscious is interested in delivering to you not to others.
10. Add a bit more - you know it, make it large. Is you want 1 million $ ask for 10 million. Your subconscious does not know the difference, if it will work to deliver 1 million to you, it will also work as hard to deliver 10 million to you.

If I were to make an affirmation today:

I am enjoying being a successful coach and facilitator earning $100,000 per annum by enriching the lives of my clients. Dated the 31st December 2010.

Now that you have an affirmation, how do you go about using it?

Review your affirmation as many times as possible. If you are able to do it in a meditating state - so much the better. Otherwise, just close your eyes, okay you don't like closing your eyes, so keep them open. Forward yourself to the date on the affirmation and repeat the affirmation. Feel all the emotions that you will feel and say it with passion.

Sanjay Behuria

http://www.knowurself.com

"Achieve Your Unlimited Potential"

Life and Executive Coach

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