“From that point on, having also added the belief that affirmations really work, not only did my memory continue to improve, but I created affirmations for every area of my life that I wanted to advance I began using affirmations to improve my health, finances, relationships, overall happiness, confidence, as well as any and all beliefs, mindsets and habits that needed an upgrade. Nothing was off limits. There are no limits!” Hal Elrod
If you are unfamiliar with what are affirmations are they are phrases which you repeat to yourself that are filled with positivity. They can seem weird or odd to repeat at first but then, just like everything else that is done over and over, repeating these messages becomes a habit. These words, phrases and thoughts become powerful sparks of thought. It was Lisa Hayes that said “Be careful how you are talking to yourself because you are listening” Lisa Hayes.
The weekend after I sat down and started writing my book, I went into the bank I worked at, at the time, and told my co-worker that following Monday I was writing a book. At the time I had only written a few hundred words. Of course, when you tell people these types of things they always want to believe you, but people also know that saying and doing are two very different things. I didn’t care I was only on day 3 of writing the book I wanted to tell everyone, I wanted to believe it to be true. On the days I felt I had nothing worth contributing to the book I wrote these words instead. I will finish this book, I will finish this book, I will finish this book. Even if I had to drill it into my mind and type the same sentence over and over and it wasn’t actually writing my book I was preparing my mind for when it was time for me get fresh ideas and contribute again. I affirmed it over and over to be true even at times I wanted to doubt it.
The beauty of affirmation messages is that they can work to improve almost every area in your life, such as your career, relationships and health. When you restate these messages in your mind it awakens the brain causing us positive reinforcement. Saying the same messages over again can help point your brain in the right direction. Think about it…you’re having a bad day, bad month, bad break up, whatever it is or may be. Instead of taking control of the bad day, the day controls you. Instead of trying to fix the bad month, it remains a bad month.
Now visualize this. You wake up and it’s raining. It’s a work day, a Monday nonetheless. Immediate negativity starts to flow through your mind as you remember you left your rain boots in the office, your umbrella is broken. By the time you leave for work the negativity keeps flowing. Think of a recent problem or bad situation you have found yourself in. During this time in your life what are the messages that you keep repeating to yourself? Most likely if it’s an outcome you don’t like, the messages and thoughts may be self-sabotaging.
From the time we wake up so many thoughts start flooding our minds. Negative thoughts can take precedence over our positive thoughts. Instead, come up with positive, present-tense statements you can repeat to yourself several times a day. What thoughts can you exchange for those thoughts?
Take a woman for example, she is in her late 30’s, a wife and mother of two small children. After having two kids she has put on more weight than she thought was ever possible. When she wakes up in the morning she has frustration with her body. She begins first thing in the morning by feeding her mind with negative thoughts as she can’t believe she ever allowed this to happen. “I look so awful” “I really need to get back to the gym” “I will start to work out again as soon as the kids get a little older” As a result, guess what she believes? That she isn’t in good shape. That she doesn’t have time to work out, and that it isn’t going to happen anytime soon. But what if she altered her mind and started to feed her mind with positive messages. She started working out and fed her mind with these types of thoughts:
“I am in great shape because I work hard at exercising”
“I am motivated to exercise”
“I am fit and full of energy”
The great thing about affirmations is that you can write them and design them to fit your life.
1). Remember whatever messages and affirmations you are feeding to yourself, are impacting your life. Always be mindful of how you are talking to yourself and catch yourself from thinking negative thoughts. Exchange those negative thoughts with powerful positive thoughts
2) Practice makes perfect. Just like you cant exercise for a month and then expect to be in shape the rest of your life, affirmations need to be practiced over and over. When you tackle one, try taking on another.
Now it’s your turn. Pick an area of your life. Health, relationships, your finances, career, accepting your faults, anything you want to improve. Also, keep in mind, they can also be what I like to call well rounded affirmations. Strong simple affirmations that fill your mind with positivity.
I am wealthy
I am successful
I am a leader
Remember, the first step to truly accomplishing anything is realizing whether you want to first believe it to be true. Then you remind yourself, every day and affirm that yes, you deserve to believe those things, and it can and will happen for yourself.