| I've been a spiritual seeker for many years now and | | | | people believe they can't sing? It's because someone |
| I've always been interested in reading books about | | | | told them to be quiet in church when they were |
| spirituality, self-improvement, healing and learning as | | | | singing, and from then on, they adopted a negative |
| much as I could for quite some time. I feel like I've | | | | belief system about singing. Just because they may |
| been blessed by aligning myself with some of the | | | | not have had a pretty voice, or a professional voice, |
| best spiritual teachers through workshops and | | | | is not the same thing as they "can't sing". I found |
| individual counseling sessions. I've had to overcome a | | | | myself coaching a few of these people for my |
| lot of obstacles in my life, due to family issues, and I | | | | sight-singing class, and lo and behold, they could it. |
| needed a lot of guidance. | | | | Not all of us can afford coaches, or counselors, or |
| One of my mentors was a counselor in Houston, | | | | professionals to help us. But, one thing we can do is |
| Texas. I spent almost ten years working with this | | | | help ourselves by working with affirmations. The one |
| woman who whole-heartedly believed in the power | | | | great thing about affirmations, is that there is so |
| of affirmations. It was sort of like going to | | | | much information out on the Internet about |
| confession in the Catholic Church. We would have our | | | | affirmations. What I like to do is to search through a |
| session where we would talk about issues, and then I | | | | lot of written affirmations in healing, prosperity, |
| would be assigned my so called homework. Instead | | | | health, career, relationship issues, and find the ones |
| of ten "Hail Mary's" and five "Our Father's", it would | | | | that I like. Then I re-word the affirmation into |
| be to write this affirmation 25 times: "I begin to bless | | | | something that feels right to me. I always make sure |
| everything that comes into my life as good, good, | | | | that the affirmation is written in the "present" tense |
| good." Then I would write this affirmation in first | | | | and that it is positive and specific. |
| person with "I", second person: "You begin", and third | | | | Some affirmations have a bit of a "charge" let's say. |
| person: "Laureen, begins to." The reasoning is that | | | | What I mean by a "charge" is that you are stating |
| yes, I need to affirm myself. When writing in second | | | | something positive, but you're feeling some negative |
| person, it's as if someone that I trust is talking right | | | | emotions as you write. All this means, is that |
| to me. In third person, it's as if it were written, and | | | | somehow, you're not quite sure you actually believe |
| already true. | | | | this, and there is some healing to do in this area. As |
| Over the course of 10 years, I have written | | | | you keep writing the affirmation, there can be a |
| thousands of affirmations. I've written affirmations of | | | | whole series of emotions flowing, if you allow |
| healing from past childhood traumas, healing of | | | | yourself to go through the process. The experts say |
| relationships, healing from a divorce and healing from | | | | that the subconscious mind doesn't know what is |
| career changes. I was basically reprogramming my | | | | real, or not real. So, why not give ourselves the best |
| conscious and subconscious negative thoughts into | | | | positive belief system, to replace the negative beliefs |
| positive "affirming" thoughts. Instead of believing in a | | | | we've adopted through the course of life? Changing |
| "negative belief" that no longer works for me, I | | | | our beliefs, is like giving ourselves a new life, a new |
| worked on accepting and affirming the "positive" | | | | outlook and a new future that's based on positive |
| experiences from the situation. | | | | beliefs. |
| In the beginning, I would complain that my hands | | | | When I was going through a difficult time in my life, I |
| would get tired from all the writing, but the repetition | | | | use to write "I now release all fears and |
| imprints the affirmation into the subconscious mind. | | | | resentments", over and over again. It was difficult, |
| Also, the more times you write an affirmation, the | | | | because I was in fear, and I had a lot of |
| more emotionally involved you get. How can you | | | | resentments. I was tired of being depressed. I was |
| write "I am healthy in mind, body and spirit" dozens | | | | tired of being fearful. What I had to do, was |
| of times, without believing it? Writing, helps you | | | | reprogram myself into releasing these negative |
| believe it, feel it, and reprogram your mind. | | | | feelings, so that I could live a joyful life. Even though, |
| I've written affirmations down in journals and | | | | I didn't initially believe that I could actually "let go" of |
| post-it-notes around the house. I've typed in | | | | those negative emotions, the more times I wrote |
| affirmations on my computer and printed some of | | | | the affirmation, the more relaxed I became. |
| them in large type and pasted it to my wall, such as: | | | | I love affirmations so much, that I buy CD's and |
| "The more money I spend, the more money I | | | | audio downloads of so many wonderful teachers and |
| receive from the Universe". I tend to like this one a | | | | healers, and I usually play them when I meditate or |
| lot! I've even taped myself speaking affirmations, so | | | | go to sleep. I find that continued use of affirmations |
| I can listen at home, while I'm doing yoga. I find there | | | | changes my outlook, my productivity, and my joy |
| isn't such a thing as too much. We spend so much of | | | | and happiness. I even subscribe to a number of e-mail |
| our lives in negative surroundings, whether that be at | | | | subscriptions from Unity's Daily Word and Joel |
| work, or at home, with our family, friends or even | | | | Osteen. I find that immersing myself in positive |
| watching TV. | | | | affirmations has helped me to grow significantly and |
| When I was in music school, I was a vocal | | | | has healed many wounds. I am now a much more |
| performance major. I use to hear all the time from | | | | joyful and positive person than I've ever been in my |
| various students (some instrumentalists), "I can't | | | | whole life. |
| sing." Well, who told them they couldn't sing, and why | | | | My new affirmation of the day is "I choose positive |
| did they believe it? I've found through years of | | | | words and experience positive results." Have a great |
| singing, performing and teaching, that very few | | | | day! |
| people are actually tone deaf. So, why do so many | | | | |