I get many people asking me about mindset and life paths or journeys. We talk about affirmations through the course of the conversation. Sometimes I get questions like,
“But I say my affirmations every day, and they never work! Why is this?”
I have found myself in this very situation and it was a source of much frustration and struggle. These people are kind, friendly people; very loving toward their friends and family; and giving of themselves. It has nothing to do with karma or getting what one deserves; it has everything to do with saying the words and expecting things to change, versus believing the words and using those words to your advantage.
Affirmations are a way of re-wiring our brain, resetting our thinking and even our self-talk. It is intention vs intent.
To use a Louise L. Hay affirmation as an example...
“I am now very well organised. Life is simple and easy.”
When I say this to myself over and over, I become motivated to tidy up and reorganise in order to make my life simpler and easier. The words have meaning; they motivate me to act, and therefore achieve or manifest my desires laid out in that affirmation. I have intention and I act on it accordingly.
On the other hand, some people may not be at a point yet where the affirmation is motivational or even meaningful... It is almost diversionary or a form of denial, and it always seems to happen when we are most desperate for change, or at a low point in our lives. When we are like this, some people often want something to give or change immediately; or even just wishing that someone would come and take the struggle away. These people aren’t sure how to get to the point of action, so while they have the plan toward a solution (intent), they didn’t have a course of action in mind (intention), so tend toward speaking the affirmation over and over with no outcome, because they aren’t clear on an outcome themselves.
What affirmations aren’t: They aren’t a magic spell that summons elves or fairies to do your bidding or fix everything (gee, wouldn’t it be nice though?). They aren’t a quick-fix, or something that will make some outside force inhabit your body to motivate you or to get things done.
What affirmations are: They are words of meaning, to encourage motivation and direction toward a course of action at the very least and an outcome at most. They are a self-talk enhancer. They are asking your subconscious to soak in the words and assist the conscious in finding ways to act on the situation one is asking for help with. They are inner work, steps toward the now clichéd self-love and forgiveness.
The magic of this is that it isn’t just “New Age rubbish”, there is extensive scientific research in the field of Psychology to back up the fact that affirmations work, as it is a form of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy designed to rewire our brains to think or approach something differently. With anything though, if used incorrectly; it won’t work. If you are saying your affirmation (using the examples above) with the expectation that tomorrow morning, you are going to get out of bed to a clean house and an organised home office; then you will most certainly be setting yourself up for disappointment. However, if you go to bed with that affirmation in your head and get up the next morning ready to tackle a room to clean and organise, then you are gaining the full benefits of the affirmation and on the right track.
I will also touch on affirmations in my next blog, Toxic Positivity. This may also put it further into perspective.
“But I say my affirmations every day, and they never work! Why is this?”
I have found myself in this very situation and it was a source of much frustration and struggle. These people are kind, friendly people; very loving toward their friends and family; and giving of themselves. It has nothing to do with karma or getting what one deserves; it has everything to do with saying the words and expecting things to change, versus believing the words and using those words to your advantage.
Affirmations are a way of re-wiring our brain, resetting our thinking and even our self-talk. It is intention vs intent.
To use a Louise L. Hay affirmation as an example...
“I am now very well organised. Life is simple and easy.”
When I say this to myself over and over, I become motivated to tidy up and reorganise in order to make my life simpler and easier. The words have meaning; they motivate me to act, and therefore achieve or manifest my desires laid out in that affirmation. I have intention and I act on it accordingly.
On the other hand, some people may not be at a point yet where the affirmation is motivational or even meaningful... It is almost diversionary or a form of denial, and it always seems to happen when we are most desperate for change, or at a low point in our lives. When we are like this, some people often want something to give or change immediately; or even just wishing that someone would come and take the struggle away. These people aren’t sure how to get to the point of action, so while they have the plan toward a solution (intent), they didn’t have a course of action in mind (intention), so tend toward speaking the affirmation over and over with no outcome, because they aren’t clear on an outcome themselves.
What affirmations aren’t: They aren’t a magic spell that summons elves or fairies to do your bidding or fix everything (gee, wouldn’t it be nice though?). They aren’t a quick-fix, or something that will make some outside force inhabit your body to motivate you or to get things done.
What affirmations are: They are words of meaning, to encourage motivation and direction toward a course of action at the very least and an outcome at most. They are a self-talk enhancer. They are asking your subconscious to soak in the words and assist the conscious in finding ways to act on the situation one is asking for help with. They are inner work, steps toward the now clichéd self-love and forgiveness.
The magic of this is that it isn’t just “New Age rubbish”, there is extensive scientific research in the field of Psychology to back up the fact that affirmations work, as it is a form of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy designed to rewire our brains to think or approach something differently. With anything though, if used incorrectly; it won’t work. If you are saying your affirmation (using the examples above) with the expectation that tomorrow morning, you are going to get out of bed to a clean house and an organised home office; then you will most certainly be setting yourself up for disappointment. However, if you go to bed with that affirmation in your head and get up the next morning ready to tackle a room to clean and organise, then you are gaining the full benefits of the affirmation and on the right track.
I will also touch on affirmations in my next blog, Toxic Positivity. This may also put it further into perspective.
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