| One of the most powerful tools we can use to | | | | bored, or they give up when they don't see the |
| change our beliefs and our behaviors is the tool | | | | results they want right away. Why do positive |
| known as affirmations. | | | | affirmations sometimes appear not to work? |
| Affirmations are simple, short, strong messages that | | | | Let's get scientific about this. Get out a calculator, or |
| we send to ourselves, by repeating them out loud or | | | | a pen and paper. Now, take a bit of time to think |
| silently. Affirmations can also be written. | | | | how many negative affirmations go through your |
| There's a good reason why we should master the | | | | mind every hour. How often do you catch a subtle |
| use of affirmations. If you don't learn how to choose | | | | little thought fleeting through your brain that is really |
| and use positive affirmations, you will be a victim of | | | | a put down of yourself and your abilities. Does it |
| the negative affirmations you are already repeating | | | | happen once an hour? Ten times an hour? More? |
| to yourself. | | | | Now multiply that number by the hours you are |
| Do you ever catch yourself saying something like, | | | | usually awake during the day. Multiply that number by |
| "There you go again, being stupid again. Don't you | | | | the number of days you have been alive since you |
| ever learn? Can't you ever do anything right?" | | | | were a child. |
| For many people, this is a typical affirmation that runs | | | | The resulting number will give you a rough idea of |
| through their head many times a day. | | | | how many negative affirmations you have said to |
| If you take a look at this particular affirmation, you | | | | yourself during your life time. If you are like many |
| will notice that it is very, very negative. It says to | | | | people, the number of negative affirmations is a |
| the person, "You are stupid. You are always wrong, | | | | huge, astounding number, perhaps in the tens of |
| and you will always be wrong." | | | | thousands or even the hundreds of thousands of |
| Affirmations can be incredibly powerful, whether they | | | | times. |
| are positive or negative. An affirmation acts like a | | | | Do you have an idea now why negative ideas can be |
| form of hypnosis. It tells the listener how to be and | | | | so entrenched in your mind, and do you see why |
| how to behave. | | | | doing positive affirmations for a few weeks might |
| Can you imagine the effect of such a negative | | | | not be enough to turn the tide of your own negative |
| affirmation, repeated dozens or even hundreds of | | | | opinion? |
| times a day, over many years? | | | | For affirmations to work, you'll have to commit to |
| When you make the decision to start using positive | | | | doing them long enough and often enough. That |
| affirmations, you will be challenging many years of | | | | might mean, repeating your positive affirmations |
| negative affirmations that you have used in the past. | | | | hundreds of times a day for many months. You'll |
| You need to experiment and discover the best way | | | | need to find a way to phrase your positive |
| that positive affirmations can work for you. There is | | | | affirmations so that your mind can accept them. |
| a lot of information available about how to use | | | | If you give up on the idea of using positive |
| positive affirmations, and not every technique is the | | | | affirmations, it's all too easy to slip back into letting |
| same. Not every system will work well for each | | | | negative affirmations rule your life. |
| person, as we are all individual. | | | | You are probably doing affirmations already, you just |
| Still, there are many people who claim that positive | | | | need to make sure the message you are affirming is |
| affirmations don't work for them. They try using | | | | the one you really want to hear. |
| positive affirmations for a while, and then they get | | | | |