Empowering beliefs to help control your thoughts
EMPOWERING BELIEFS TO HELP CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS
************************************************
If you want to change your life fast, even though it might seem like it's slow, then take the statements below, put them on index cards and read them 3 times/day. morning, noon and just before you close your eyes at night.
They'll seep into your consciousness. And since you'll be saying them so often, you'll soon begin to believe them. That's how most beliefs start. Spaced repetition of thought.
Your attitudes will then positively change your emotions, and you'll be compelled to do more... And you'll love it.
* I can make any change I want to
* Each success programs me for the next one
* I appreciate my successes
* Every decision is important to me
* I make good decisions concerning my future
* I trust myself to do what's best for me
Answers:
Am a great supporter of using affirmations to help with life changes in the short term & probably all most folks need to get things moving.
The reason why I say short term is that I feel that imposing a new pattern or program atop of the old patterns, is more of a 'quick fix' & isn't actually addressing 'the underlying cause'. Am a bit of a stickler for getting as close to the root cause as possible & doing damnedest to reslove this & hopefully, thereafter all falls into place.
In 'real life' there tends to be another layer that surfaces, so on & so on, for sometime.
But, of course, if you really grasp the concept of affirmations, then very carefully & objectively chosen words can help you resolve the causal issues. It's like the 'be careful what you wish for' senario.
The simpler - the better! [sm=dance.gif]
And if you get it down to one word, that you know for sure has no 'negative' associations, then you could regard it as a mantra. ;)
Answers:
PS
Forgot to point out the potential pitfall of 'trying' to control mind with the mind itself!
Answers:
Anahata
Thanks so much for your great comments. I would tend to agree... in principle with some of the comments you made above. yes affirmations are excellent for helping a person to chnage their mind set and help them to switch to a different one. Namely from switching from negativity to positivity, from destroying themselves to start rebuilding themselves and so on.
Do they work only "short term"? Are they a "quick fix"? Well let me say, to avoid generalisations, that yes and no. At times all we need is a simple pain killer, at times we need to find out why certain situations have occurred/are occurring. Certainly as a life coach and counsellor I would use affirmations as the beginning of a much wider and deepr process, thus confirming your comments. They would be the starter to a process to find out the root causes of certain problems and issues.
On the other hand there situations where stating positive affirmations may need to continue for some time as there serious issues that a person is tackling with and in this sense they will form part of a continuous strategy to get the person to move from the present situation to the new situation. In this sense they are not just"short term" but rather "part of the strategy".
Pitfalls in trying to control mind with mind itself? Well on this my friend I would tend to disagree; but I am not sure if you are pointing to specific situations. But generally speaking no mind therapy would exist if what you said were true. NLP for instance is working to reprogramme your brain linguistic patterns through your mind. With great success. Hypnotherapy is doing the same. With great success. EFT is doing the same with some degree of success. And above all life coaching is doing that with huge success.
What I would say though is that your mind "therapy" is only and can only be part of a broader strategy. For instance, if you have problem of confidence I would support you in many "mind" exercise such as affirmations; but my support would not, and it could not, end there. I would expect to see chnages happening in the way you think sure.... but I would also expect to see chnagess happening in the way you feel things, you do things, you speak about things, your choices, decision making and so on. So "mind reprogramming" as I like to say is only part of a broader process.
I hope this helps the discussion. Take care.
Answers:
Hi Alex,
I'm a big fan of affirmations, but sometimes they don't seem to work; I suspect this is often a question of 'pacing'
What I mean is to make sure that what you are writing is not too far away from where you are already. Then when you start getting those results, you can move on to the next level. If the gap is too great, then you are unlikely to make any changes.
So, check out your reaction to your affirmation. If you come up with an uncomfortable feeling, or you think "no way" or notice just how far there is to go, then you will probably need to start with a smaller step. If the step is too big, or the emotional cost of making it too high, then change will not happen. In my opinion, it's much better to use small steps and change the affirmations frequently.
That said, the affirmations above are good becuse they have many possible outcomes which could be true, so they are likely to get in under your internal critic's radar.
"You already have all the resources you need"
All the best
Jonathan
Answers:
One of my mentors encouraged me to use the expression "I am willing ..... [to change, or whatever the statement is]" when I/clients met resistance with affirmations. I have found that statement useful with clients who at the time could not accept that 'they loved themselves' for example.
What I have also noticed is that an affirmation is much more likely to be accepted if it is defined by the individual.
And with regard to the rest of the post, just when I think I know everything I find I know nothing ... I do so enjoy this learning.
Answers:
If there be a key to the effectiveness & value of affirmations then - ultimately we must mean what we say! :)
So if we say that we 'Love & approve of ourselves' then we must mean it.
This can start with just saying the words & going through the motions - as syniscism turns to scepticism, then belief progresses to knowing - sooner or later we'll get there.
If the sabotage tactics kick in long before that point, then, well you're a bit stuffed.
:(
One could say that you've not suffered enough to make that significant life change. [X(]
If, on the other hand you've surpassed that point & are ready to take it that step further - then take it to the mirror - look yourself in the eyes & say & mean it there.
You can woolley around your issues for as long as it takes, but if you stick with it, then you will need no affiramtions - you'll just see & know thyself & be.
;)
Answers:
Anahata
very good sound advice that I am sure would work very well.... in an ideal world. The fact is that there is a dicotomy between speech and action for most of us. This is often, to cut a long story short, because our brain reacts in different ways and our thought patterns have been trained to make allowances and create excuses. So what you are saying is exactly the road that anyone should go, as you say, if they are serious about it.
But... but... it is not as easy as you make it sound I am afraid. And realistically people need to know that they need to commit themselves to it and that it is going to be hard work. It surely can be done but... there is no switch to press to make it happen. It takes NLP, life coaching and a lot of tlc to get there.
Answers:
:)Yes Jacqueline r I too have come across a helpful additionto use when we use affirmations .
I might say an affirmation that brings up an immediate response of 'that isnt true!' and this response may be so strong that I give up too quickly, so it can be helpful to precede it with ' I am in the process of.....' which is true....and then I can continue with the affirmation, which slowly dissolves the old beleifs and replaces them with new supportive beliefs.
in light
tigress
I am in the process of weighing 10.10
Answers:
Thank you all for this advice. I have very low self-esteem and lack confidence. I am trying to remember so say my affirmations on a regular basis. I so want to get my massage business going and am really going to try.
Purpose - I have copied your affirmations onto card and am going to use them.
Thanks everyone - I wish I could get my point accross in the same way that you all do - but who knows - I may even end up teaching massage/aromatherapy in years to come!
Take care
Answers:
My problem with affirmations used to be that I never believed them so, of course, they didn't work. However, they can be a great starting point for discovering what you DO believe (generally negative) so you can eliminate those beliefs first. Then when you say the affirmation again, it feels completely different and more 'possible.'
Answers:
Hi All....
Would you say affirmations are positive thinking.. or are they different?
Flowerx
Answers:
Hi guys
I think the big problem for many, if not most of us, is that we tend by nature and upbringing to look at our limitaions, at what we CAN'T do, at the barriers and obstacles rather than our potential. The result we chose to live in our "comfort zone", where we feel safe and secure because it is known ground. And when we are on home turf everything seems less frightening and challenging.
Now there are many thing we could/should do to get us out of our comfort zone, out of our self-imposed limitations and out where the action really is and where we can rediscover our real ",e". One of such things is positive affirmations as I have mentioned many times on this forum. And though we have already touched on this issue in the past let me go over it again.
Positive affirmations are just that: a series of positive statements that will nurture our minds to develop positive thinking which in turn will trigger positive feelings and positive action.
Positive affirmations also help to strengthen our personal self-belief and self-confidence. And they will also support you in opening your miond to a wider perspective, in enabling you to look beyond the horizon of youir comfort zone towards the horizon of your full life.
But let us remember that positive affirmations are only a tool, only a part of a wider strategy. I hope this helps.
************************************************
If you want to change your life fast, even though it might seem like it's slow, then take the statements below, put them on index cards and read them 3 times/day. morning, noon and just before you close your eyes at night.
They'll seep into your consciousness. And since you'll be saying them so often, you'll soon begin to believe them. That's how most beliefs start. Spaced repetition of thought.
Your attitudes will then positively change your emotions, and you'll be compelled to do more... And you'll love it.
* I can make any change I want to
* Each success programs me for the next one
* I appreciate my successes
* Every decision is important to me
* I make good decisions concerning my future
* I trust myself to do what's best for me
Answers:
Am a great supporter of using affirmations to help with life changes in the short term & probably all most folks need to get things moving.
The reason why I say short term is that I feel that imposing a new pattern or program atop of the old patterns, is more of a 'quick fix' & isn't actually addressing 'the underlying cause'. Am a bit of a stickler for getting as close to the root cause as possible & doing damnedest to reslove this & hopefully, thereafter all falls into place.
In 'real life' there tends to be another layer that surfaces, so on & so on, for sometime.
But, of course, if you really grasp the concept of affirmations, then very carefully & objectively chosen words can help you resolve the causal issues. It's like the 'be careful what you wish for' senario.
The simpler - the better! [sm=dance.gif]
And if you get it down to one word, that you know for sure has no 'negative' associations, then you could regard it as a mantra. ;)
Answers:
PS
Forgot to point out the potential pitfall of 'trying' to control mind with the mind itself!
Answers:
Anahata
Thanks so much for your great comments. I would tend to agree... in principle with some of the comments you made above. yes affirmations are excellent for helping a person to chnage their mind set and help them to switch to a different one. Namely from switching from negativity to positivity, from destroying themselves to start rebuilding themselves and so on.
Do they work only "short term"? Are they a "quick fix"? Well let me say, to avoid generalisations, that yes and no. At times all we need is a simple pain killer, at times we need to find out why certain situations have occurred/are occurring. Certainly as a life coach and counsellor I would use affirmations as the beginning of a much wider and deepr process, thus confirming your comments. They would be the starter to a process to find out the root causes of certain problems and issues.
On the other hand there situations where stating positive affirmations may need to continue for some time as there serious issues that a person is tackling with and in this sense they will form part of a continuous strategy to get the person to move from the present situation to the new situation. In this sense they are not just"short term" but rather "part of the strategy".
Pitfalls in trying to control mind with mind itself? Well on this my friend I would tend to disagree; but I am not sure if you are pointing to specific situations. But generally speaking no mind therapy would exist if what you said were true. NLP for instance is working to reprogramme your brain linguistic patterns through your mind. With great success. Hypnotherapy is doing the same. With great success. EFT is doing the same with some degree of success. And above all life coaching is doing that with huge success.
What I would say though is that your mind "therapy" is only and can only be part of a broader strategy. For instance, if you have problem of confidence I would support you in many "mind" exercise such as affirmations; but my support would not, and it could not, end there. I would expect to see chnages happening in the way you think sure.... but I would also expect to see chnagess happening in the way you feel things, you do things, you speak about things, your choices, decision making and so on. So "mind reprogramming" as I like to say is only part of a broader process.
I hope this helps the discussion. Take care.
Answers:
Hi Alex,
I'm a big fan of affirmations, but sometimes they don't seem to work; I suspect this is often a question of 'pacing'
What I mean is to make sure that what you are writing is not too far away from where you are already. Then when you start getting those results, you can move on to the next level. If the gap is too great, then you are unlikely to make any changes.
So, check out your reaction to your affirmation. If you come up with an uncomfortable feeling, or you think "no way" or notice just how far there is to go, then you will probably need to start with a smaller step. If the step is too big, or the emotional cost of making it too high, then change will not happen. In my opinion, it's much better to use small steps and change the affirmations frequently.
That said, the affirmations above are good becuse they have many possible outcomes which could be true, so they are likely to get in under your internal critic's radar.
"You already have all the resources you need"
All the best
Jonathan
Answers:
One of my mentors encouraged me to use the expression "I am willing ..... [to change, or whatever the statement is]" when I/clients met resistance with affirmations. I have found that statement useful with clients who at the time could not accept that 'they loved themselves' for example.
What I have also noticed is that an affirmation is much more likely to be accepted if it is defined by the individual.
And with regard to the rest of the post, just when I think I know everything I find I know nothing ... I do so enjoy this learning.
Answers:
If there be a key to the effectiveness & value of affirmations then - ultimately we must mean what we say! :)
So if we say that we 'Love & approve of ourselves' then we must mean it.
This can start with just saying the words & going through the motions - as syniscism turns to scepticism, then belief progresses to knowing - sooner or later we'll get there.
If the sabotage tactics kick in long before that point, then, well you're a bit stuffed.
:(
One could say that you've not suffered enough to make that significant life change. [X(]
If, on the other hand you've surpassed that point & are ready to take it that step further - then take it to the mirror - look yourself in the eyes & say & mean it there.
You can woolley around your issues for as long as it takes, but if you stick with it, then you will need no affiramtions - you'll just see & know thyself & be.
;)
Answers:
Anahata
very good sound advice that I am sure would work very well.... in an ideal world. The fact is that there is a dicotomy between speech and action for most of us. This is often, to cut a long story short, because our brain reacts in different ways and our thought patterns have been trained to make allowances and create excuses. So what you are saying is exactly the road that anyone should go, as you say, if they are serious about it.
But... but... it is not as easy as you make it sound I am afraid. And realistically people need to know that they need to commit themselves to it and that it is going to be hard work. It surely can be done but... there is no switch to press to make it happen. It takes NLP, life coaching and a lot of tlc to get there.
Answers:
:)Yes Jacqueline r I too have come across a helpful additionto use when we use affirmations .
I might say an affirmation that brings up an immediate response of 'that isnt true!' and this response may be so strong that I give up too quickly, so it can be helpful to precede it with ' I am in the process of.....' which is true....and then I can continue with the affirmation, which slowly dissolves the old beleifs and replaces them with new supportive beliefs.
in light
tigress
I am in the process of weighing 10.10
Answers:
Thank you all for this advice. I have very low self-esteem and lack confidence. I am trying to remember so say my affirmations on a regular basis. I so want to get my massage business going and am really going to try.
Purpose - I have copied your affirmations onto card and am going to use them.
Thanks everyone - I wish I could get my point accross in the same way that you all do - but who knows - I may even end up teaching massage/aromatherapy in years to come!
Take care
Answers:
My problem with affirmations used to be that I never believed them so, of course, they didn't work. However, they can be a great starting point for discovering what you DO believe (generally negative) so you can eliminate those beliefs first. Then when you say the affirmation again, it feels completely different and more 'possible.'
Answers:
Hi All....
Would you say affirmations are positive thinking.. or are they different?
Flowerx
Answers:
Hi guys
I think the big problem for many, if not most of us, is that we tend by nature and upbringing to look at our limitaions, at what we CAN'T do, at the barriers and obstacles rather than our potential. The result we chose to live in our "comfort zone", where we feel safe and secure because it is known ground. And when we are on home turf everything seems less frightening and challenging.
Now there are many thing we could/should do to get us out of our comfort zone, out of our self-imposed limitations and out where the action really is and where we can rediscover our real ",e". One of such things is positive affirmations as I have mentioned many times on this forum. And though we have already touched on this issue in the past let me go over it again.
Positive affirmations are just that: a series of positive statements that will nurture our minds to develop positive thinking which in turn will trigger positive feelings and positive action.
Positive affirmations also help to strengthen our personal self-belief and self-confidence. And they will also support you in opening your miond to a wider perspective, in enabling you to look beyond the horizon of youir comfort zone towards the horizon of your full life.
But let us remember that positive affirmations are only a tool, only a part of a wider strategy. I hope this helps.