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What You Say Is What You Get: The Power Of Affirmations

Some people have trouble with affirmations because they feel they are not speaking the truth when they use an affirmation. For instance, if you are sick and you say, "I am whole, healthy, and energized," it might feel like a lie; however, affirmations are not the facts of your current situation. They represent the experiences you want to have in your life.

An affirmation is a positive statement expressed in the present tense. It should not contain references to what you do not want only what you do want. For instance, suppose you have cancer and want to be well. Your affirmation might be, "I am healthy and energetic. All of my cells are healthy and functioning perfectly."

Notice the statement is in the present tense. It does not say I will be healthy. It says I am healthy. Also notice the statement does not mention cancer. It only refers to the positive condition you are trying to create.

Learn to use the power of affirmations and your life will reflect the new image your words express.

* Steven Covey - Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People

A good affirmation has five basic ingredients: it's personal, it's positive, it's present tense, it's visual, and it's emotional.

Example:

It is deeply satisfying (emotional) that I (personal) respond (present tense) with wisdom, love, firmness, and self control (positive) when my children misbehave.

Then I can visualize it. I can spend a few mintures each day and totally relax my mind and ody. I can think about situations in which my children misbehave. I can visualize them in rich detail. I can feel the texture of the chair I am sitting in, the floor under my feet, the sweater I am wearing.

The more clearly and vividly I can imagine the details, the more deeply I will experience it, the less I will see it as a spectator.

Then I can see my children do something very specific which normally makes my heart pound and my temper start to flare. But instead of seeing my normal response, I can see myself handle the situation with all the love, the power, and the self control I have captured in my affirmation. I write the program, I write the script.

If I do this, day after day, my behavior will change. I will rewrite the scripts (reactions) given to me by my parents, situations, or environment.

* Adapted from Steven Covey's "Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People", Page 133 - Begin with the end in mind.