The Power of affirmations

Have you ever told yourself; “this is who I am and I can’t change it!” Newsflash! Yes, you can. I consider myself a bit of a chameleon in that I constantly change who I am. I reflect on the areas of myself that I am not altogether happy with, and then envision how I would like to change in a way that would serve me. I carefully consider what I really want out of my life. Then I create an affirmation to facilitate the change. I knew all about affirmations long before I started using them, but in my young, misguided mind, I thought, “what is the point of saying it if I don’t believe it?” Now, not a day goes by when I don’t recite my long list of affirmations a few times over and over. Many have already been manifested, the rest are on the way and I continually create new ones. I find affirmations are a gentle way to move through obstacles and break down barriers. It allows me to focus on what I want rather than don’t want, and make strides to do something about a seemingly unchangeable situation, rather than just ‘living with it’.

So, what are Affirmations and how do they work?

An affirmation is a statement said in the present tense about something that you would like to create in your life. It starts with “I am” or “I have” and can be repeated as many times and with as much conviction as you can, for as long as you need to. The best part of this, is that you don’t have to believe it to say it, as the core purpose of affirmations is to change your belief systems. All our thought patterns are stored in our unconscious mind and form the basis of our beliefs. In order to change any limiting beliefs, we need to overwrite it with new material by constantly bombarding the unconscious mind and saturating it with improved thoughts. Eventually the mind accepts those affirmations as real, and a new improved energy replaces the old weakness. The process of affirmations is to develop conscious optimistic thought patterns, and by doing so you increase your chances of an optimistic outcome. In everything you think and everything you do; you have a choice. Always choose the optimistic and nurturing option and it will eventually become your spontaneous reaction and habit. Affirmations are the starting point towards this goal, and the result can change your destiny for the better. However, like anything else in life, in order to be successful, there must be a congruency  between thought, word and deed. You can say to yourself a million times ‘I am a great writer’ but if you never take the time to put pen to paper, it is never going to happen. Change and create your future by implementing affirmations into your daily life. It is free, easy and can be tailored made for you, by you. Most importantly – it works! Remember, if you are not consciously engaged in positive thought patterns, you are unconsciously engaged in negative ones. Affirmations are your strongest confidence builders. Here is a quick guide to successful Affirmations:

• Affirmations are statements chosen and spoken consciously. They should be specific, not too long, positively worded, complete sentences, spoken in the present tense and repeated daily, a few times a day if possible.
• Whenever possible say it out loud. Sound carries its own vibrational energy that helps seal the belief into your subconscious
• Write it down as often as possible. Again, the act of writing carries its own energy, enhancing the depth of the affirmation, but on a practical level, you can look at them whenever anxiety and uncertainty grips you, and they will give you a booster shot of confidence.
• Energise them with visualisations and feelings – everything significant in your life is attached to an emotion. You can implant the affirmation more firmly into your subconscious if there is an emotional force behind it.
• Although there are a lot of resources out there, I find the best ones are those that you create yourself. These will be the strongest as they will reflect what the mind actually feels.
• As with anything else, the more you do it, the better you become at it. Let your convictions grow stronger the more times you say it.

You can find a plethora of online materials to help you throughout your affirmation journey, one of them being the daily affirmations newsletter by Louise L. Hay at www.louisehay.com/affirmations. Who are we? Conscious Business Community provides training and ongoing support to help you grow a holistic, ethical and sustainable business. Our ultimate goal is to uplift humanity and heal the planet. By bringing together like minded people to collaborate and support each other, we aim to expedite this vision by creating a ripple effect which we hope will soon envelop the world. Join us on our ‘quiet revolution.’ Words by: Michele Yeomans, Founder and CEO