19 February 2012

ARE YOU POSITIVE? HOW AND WHY AFFIRMATIONS WORK



GUEST POST: WRITTEN BY JESSICA AINSCOUGH
Read the original post here

"An affirmation opens the door. It's a beginning point on the path to change."  -- Louise Hay

I talk to myself a lot. Most of the time I do it in my head, but some times I will do it out loud. The latter is usually in the company of my dog. I'm not crazy. Not by clinical standards, anyway. I simply understand the power my words and thoughts have over my life. Constantly repeating positive affirmations has had a major effect on my life.

According to Dr. Bruce Lipton, most of your beliefs are formed when we are children. Perhaps it was said that you were stupid, lazy, selfish or shy. This affirmation would have left an imprint in your mind. And then these unwholesome statements can stay with you in the conscious or unconscious mind, only to be reinforced throughout the rest of your life. Unless you do something about it. 


AFFIRMATIONS EFFECT ON THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND

The core beliefs that we have in this moment are the result of our past experiences - things we heard, things we have seen, and things we were told. This doesn't make them real though.

The unconscious mind cannot tell the difference between a real or imagined idea, so it respond to whatever suggestions to give it. If you are constantly telling yourself that you are stupid, fat, lazy or shy - this is the reality that you create for yourself. 

The awesome and empowering part of this is that we can turn it around. Wen we are aware of the mind's powerful ability to create whatever it is that we tell it to, we can go ahead and do just that. 

By repeating positive affirmations, you can actually re-train your mind to create a reality than matches your  goals. 

By changing your perceptions, you change your reality. It all starts with the thoughts you think. Your thoughts become your feelings, these feelings become you vibration, and your vibration ultimately becomes your life. It is your vibration that determines whether you are attracting what you want in to your life or not. So, as simple as they are, affirmations can transform every aspect of our loves including our health, relationships and success.


HOW TO MAKE AFFIRMATIONS WORK

For affirmations to be effective they must be written in the first person, be in the present tense, be goal orientated and be written as though they have already been achieved.  

Your affirmations must be followed through with some kind of supporting action. You need to walk your talk. There is no point affirming that you are a Power Ranger if you are not prepared to go out and hire a coloured suit and helmet.

Here are some of the affirmations I repeat every day:

+ I have a perfectly healthy body and mind
+ I am healing now
+ I love and approve of myself
+ Abundance flows in to my life in surprising ways every day
+ Life flows effortlessly
+ All my relationships are harmonious


HOW HAVE AFFIRMATIONS HELPED ME?

My best friend was into affirmations well before I was, so when I was first diagnosed with cancer, she told me to start repeating them. And so I did. Ever since that eventful day back in April 2008, I have been telling myself " I have a perfectly healthy body and mind." At first, it was hard to believe, what with all the doctors telling me that I was going to be an amputee and most probably die before I saw my mind twenties. But I stuck with it.

Whenever I was in a machine having a scan, or waiting to see the doctor, or hooked up to a vitamin C infusion drip; I would repeat this affirmation over and over again. The affirmation was my mental anchor among the craziness of that time, and to this day I have that same statement on mental repeat. 

On a less serious note, affirmations have also allowed me to see that I am not actually a shy person. I am an introvert, sure. But I am not as shy as I have always thought I am. Simply by repeating "I love and approve of myself"  I seem to have given myself permission to come out of my shell. I am proud of my personality, I am no longer intimidates by situations where I am out of my comfort zone, and I no longer want to throw up at the thoughts of speaking in public.


ADD POWER TO YOUR POSITIVITY

Repeat your affirmations as often as possible. The more you repeat them, the deeper they will be ingrained in to your mind, and the faster they will be implemented in to your subconscious. 

You can speak them out loud, repeat them to yourself, write them down over and over again in a journal and write them on post it notes and stick them all over your house. I have mine;

+ Written on the mirror in my bathroom
+ Inside my diary
+ On my computer screen saver
+ On my vision board
+ And I even set reminders, on my phone throughout the day so I am randomly greeted with something telling me "You look beautiful today, Jessica!"


WANT TO DIVE DEEPER?

+ If you want to know more about how affirmations can change your life, I recommend buying Louise Hay's book, You Can Heal Your Life. She is the pioneer of positive thinking. 

+ Louise Hay also has a website that will greet you with a daily affirmation. 

+ As does Dr Wayne Dyer

+ If you have some time, I really recommend watching this webcast of Oprah's Lifeclass featuring Cheryl Richardson. It is brilliant!


+ Do you use positive affirmations? How have they helped you? What are some of your favourites? I would love for you to share them with me in the comments below!


 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jess Ainscough is a writer, holistic health coach, and the creator of the health and wellness website, The Wellness Warrior. Via her e-books, daily blog posts, and videos, Jess’ goal is to empower people to take control of their health and show that the quality of our lives is directly linked to how we treat our body and mind. Her transformation from champagne-guzzling, Lean Cuisine-loving magazine writer to all-out nutrition nerd was made after she was diagnosed with a rare, “incurable” cancer back in 2008. Deciding she wasn’t having a bar of that “incurable” nonsense, Jess took responsibility for her condition and healed herself with two years of Gerson Therapy. Along the way, Jess developed a obsession with passing on all of her newly learnt wellness wisdom to anyone who was 
parked in front of her for long enough to listen.

Read more from Jess, at her website The Wellness Warrior
or connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

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