Making Affirmations Work for You!!

Affirmations are one of the most powerful manifestation tools we have at our disposal, but there are specific ways to use them that can greatly improve the results we get from them.

One commonly known way to boost the power of affirmations is to infuse them with strong positive emotions while reciting them. This helps “energize” the intention so that manifesting it becomes much more likely. But some people struggle with this because they haven’t had much practice in consciously controlling their emotional state. They try to feel strong positive emotion but the feelings fall flat.

There is another little-known method of intensifying affirmations that often works better for beginners, and that is writing the affirmations down. This may not sound powerful but once you do it a few times you quickly realize how “real” it makes your affirmations seem.

There are a few reasons why written affirmations work so well:

1) In most cases we tend to write down things that are “true”.

Unless you are a fiction writer, you know that most everything you write tends to be factual. You make lists of things you need to do, you create reports and proposals for your job, write letters and cards to loved ones, and even emails to friends. You record your bank transactions in your chequebook register and fill out forms for many different purposes. All of this information you are writing down day to day is sending a message to your mind that it is all true and real.
But here is the neat thing. When you begin writing affirmations, your mind is more receptive to accepting them simply because you are used to being truthful when you write things down!

2) Writing affirmations is a slower process than speaking them.

Anyone who has recited affirmations knows that not much happens from saying them one or two times. You need to keep repeating them over and over again in order for them to sink in. We absorb information more completely when we are exposed to it repeatedly.

Written affirmations work the same way, sinking into our subconscious minds more easily because it takes more time to write them down than it does to speak them aloud. We are spending more time focusing on them and therefore absorb them more completely.

3) We tend to visualize and connect emotionally when we write.

Spoken affirmations are often just “meaningless words” until we charge them with emotion, which is hard to do in the space of 1.3 seconds it takes to say the words. But when we write the affirmations down we have more time to engage our emotions – and even more importantly, we generate a mental image of what we are writing about.

If I asked you to write an essay about your best friend from your childhood right now, you would see an image of that person in your mind, right? It works the same way with affirmations. When writing affirmations about something you would like to experience, you can’t help but “see” the situation as if it were happening. When it comes to manifestation, that mental imaging is important!

How to Write Affirmations:

– Present tense.

There are several different ways to write affirmations for best effect, but in general you want to try to write them in the present tense. Unless the present tense is something your mind would reject. For example, if you are trying to manifest a slim, slender body but you have been seriously overweight for much of your life, writing an affirmation like, “I am fit and slender” just won’t work. Your mind knows that is not true so it will resist absorbing the message.

What you could do, however, is write the affirmation in a way that your mind would be willing to accept. Try these: “I am becoming stronger and fit every day.” “I crave healthy foods and moderate exercise.” “I love treating my body kindly and respectfully.” Write it in a way that is moderately believable for you.

– Create a mental picture.

As you write your affirmations, be sure to mentally picture the outcome you desire. You don’t have to put a lot of detail into this vision, just see a “snapshot” of the final outcome, or alternatively you may find it easier to create a moving picture like a mental movie. See yourself walking around the mall while feeling good about your body. Or see yourself taking a brisk walk in the early morning, feeling fit and happy to be alive.

(Calling up positive emotions while doing this also helps!)

– Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Just as with spoken affirmations, repetition is important. Try to write 10-20 affirmations each day or more if you can. It may seem like writing a bunch of affirmations would take a lot of time but I find I can get mine done in 10 minutes or less. And I try to do it twice a day or more if I can.

Also effective is if you alter the affirmation while you write it. For example, let’s say you want to attract more money into your life. Start by writing this affirmation 5-10 times: “I am receiving great abundance now.” Then switch to this one and write it 5-10 times: “I am open to receive great abundance now.”

You can do this as many times as you like, even adding things like, “I am so grateful to be receiving great abundance now!” and “I love having plenty of money!” Get excited and infuse your affirmations with strong emotion and you’ll find that they become even more powerful.

With Age Comes Wisdom…

Wisdom and Experience are two such things that increments with the lapse of time. There is no short cut to expertise or inculcate wisdom in a moment. Time is the real teacher, that slowly and gradually teaches various good and bad aspects of life.

If we look into the practical life, the notion becomes very clear. Age is a factor that makes you mature in thoughts, feelings, emotions and everything. During the childhood days, we cry for small things, get angry for getting video games and other fun stuff, and soon forget every thing. That is called innocence and wisdom is almost in the womb at that point of time because we are hardly aware of emotions , feelings, mistakes and other pros and cons.

But as we grow, we come to know our responsibility to our education, to our parents and to our nation as well. That’s the time wisdom is born and starts growing inside you. Teenage is the stage that one starts taking education seriously and becomes self-dependent to learn the subjects. That’s what wisdom has done, it makes them capable enough to work on their own. Getting more closer to the world with the running span of time, they get stronger in thoughts, feelings, and starts experiencing life.

It is the time they commit several flaws. These mistakes are the building blocks of wisdom. Every mistake makes you aware of a wrong move and cautions you for the next time not to repeat it. Learning to know from your mistakes and move ahead is called experience. So far, it has been very much evident wisdom and experience shows a latent growth with time, that is revealed by your behaviour and your actions.

It has been rightly said by one of the thinkers:

“When You are 20, You worry what others think of You.
When You are 40, You hardly concern what others think of You
When You are 60, You realise they have not been thinking of You ”

That is very true. Looks the lines from an experienced hand. That is in fact the outcome of experience which one gained in the entire life. Wisdom is an ingredient that adds quality to one’s life, ideas, emotions and actions. I also agree to the fact that Wisdom does not make a man perfect and but in a real sense puts somewhere closer to perfection.

If you have ever devoted an hour or two to sit with your grandparents you would have realised that though they are not that much educated as you are, but their experience in all spheres is par excellence. They are well versed in every work where you are not even you are more educated. That is wisdom and that is experience too. These are things that cannot be taught orally or mugged up as a subject, but these are the gifts of the time which grows and grows with the age.

 

Loneliness, Isolation & Fear

Loneliness involves a deep sense of isolation and disconnection from others, and it occurs when persons feel that they have no one with whom to share the joys and hardships of life. Some have stated that their loneliness feels less like sadness and more like an imprisonment that leaves them despondent toward life.

Loneliness is hard to heal. It requires more than just casual social contact – we need to form genuine connections with others on a personal one-to-one basis. It requires an investment in other people and patience until real, sincere relationship develops. Loneliness teaches us the value of a friend, whom we do not take for granted. But first we need to make friends with ourselves, and then we can confidently look outwards and see the best in others.

Remember that almost everyone feels lonely at some time. It is a sign that important needs are not being met. Changing the situation may involve finding and developing a circle of friends, but it may also mean learning to enjoy your times alone; to use them more constructively and pleasurably. The tools and resources recommended here will help you overcome loneliness and isolation.

Loneliness is potentially a more dangerous emotional state which in the worst cases can lead to depression and suicide. Emotional loneliness does not have to be associated with physical loneliness. You can be physically alone but still remain happy. Instead, the emotion of loneliness is often linked with personal insecurities which make you think that you are isolated from others. For example, maybe you feel like a social outcast because you do not have a partner. This is not true because lots of single people are perfectly happy and are certainly not social outcasts. It is just an emotional state.

If you are constantly affected by feelings of rejection and/or have real trouble taking chances in your life, the signs of emotional loneliness and the fear of the unknown are present.

Once you have identified the problem you can begin to take action. Below I have outlined 3 ideas to help you overcome these emotional states:

1) TAKE UP AN ACTIVITY THAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO:- Maybe you have always wanted to join the local soccer team but you made excuses not to? Well now is the time to dive in and do that special activity. Not only will this involve taking a chance and help you defeat your fear of the unknown, but it will also place you in a social situation allowing you to bond with others and rise above feelings of isolation.

2) GO TRAVELLING: – If we are being honest, most of us have ambitions to see the world and go travelling. However, the fear of the unknown keeps us trapped in a pretty routine lifestyle so that this is never possible. Now I know for some people going travelling is simply not possible but if you sit down and think “is it really not possible or am I just making excuses?” you may be surprised at the answer. Going travelling represents a huge leap into the unknown. Therefore, it is a great way to overcome your fear of the unknown. Plus, you will meet all kinds of people on your travels and start to feel accepted.

3) FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF: – This one is probably the most important. If you cannot love yourself is it fair to ask others to love you? If you do not accept yourself as a person then it is no wonder you feel isolated. No matter what your physical condition or your financial circumstances, you need to start thinking about yourself positively. Once you start to think about yourself positively you will develop a new-found sense of confidence. This confidence will help you destroy the feelings of loneliness and allow you to take more risks, helping you overcome your fear of the unknown.

Forgiveness – Letting Go…

Next to love, forgiveness is the most misunderstood concept. Forgiveness has been twisted by a lack of awareness as to how it functions. To forgive does not mean we must rejoin with our ex-lovers, free criminals from prisons, return to old jobs or anything else absurd. We are taught to believe that if we are to forgive the one who hurt us, it must manifest in some form of behaviour and it reflects weakness.

Forgiveness is a function of love that seeks to understand the negative impact of another person and then to release the pain and find inner peace. When you choose to forgive somebody this does not mean that you acknowledge their cruel behaviour as acceptable, for doing this would be dishonest. Above all, it does not mean that we assume a superior (holier than thou) attitude to pardon the sins of others.

Let’s explore the truth of forgiveness. The meaning of the verb forgive, translates into “to let go”, which is the act of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the releasing (letting go) of negative feelings generated in you by another. It is your responsibility to let go of the hurt that another produces for you. The other person can apologise to you for their negative impact, but you still have to let go of the hurt feelings in order for forgiveness to become a healing experience.

What makes forgiveness so difficult, for so many? The greatest obstacle in the living of our life is the negative ego, which loves to hold onto a grudge and is our greatest source of resistance toward forgiveness. Our negative ego is what blocks our happiness and peace of mind. We hold within us grudges, bitterness and resentment which later manifest into stress, ulcers and poor health conditions. Ultimately, we have a choice to support our EGO or our SOUL, to be RIGHT or find PEACE.

Forgiveness like all other soul qualities (peace, love, innocence, respect, oneness, and passion) does not require a type of behaviour. It begins with a relinquishing of emotional baggage and the choice to function from your Soul versus your negative ego. Forgiveness is a willingness to perceive everyone, including yourself, as either feeling and expressing love or perceiving it’s absence, and having a need for more love. It is a relinquishing of a harmful train of thought that leads to constricting feelings. Forgiveness offers freedom to live a full and harmonious life.

The bi-product of forgiveness is our own willingness and ability to forget. If we cannot seem to forget then we have never completely let go. Holding on to pain only weaken us and produces misery. The purpose of forgetting is to prevent the mind from becoming a battle field. Negative feelings evaporate whenever they are looked at calmly and honestly and are dealt with responsibly. Often this process is gradual. The desire to function from your Soul (love) and to live your life in peace is the greatest motivation for forgiving another.
If you feel that forgiving ads one more grudging obligation to your life, you are functioning from your negative ego.

You have to understand that forgiveness is the doorway to your happiness and is the choice to function with love. When you are attacked by another, you must first deal with the hurt feelings that you honestly feel. Forgiveness is not a short cut to avoid dealing with the negative impact of your emotions. Too many try to forgive without releasing their anger and hurt. That common mistake only represses the anger and it putrefies into resentment down the road.

A great habit to cultivate is to pause whenever you are having difficulty releasing an upset from your mind. Look directly, and in detail at the contents of your thoughts. Dissect your emotions. Step back from them for a moment and gain new perspective. Write them down in a journal to gain deeper clarity. And give yourself time to forgive, it doesn’t have to be instantaneous, but know it is necessary to your happiness and peace.
A person who claims they “love everyone equally” and are never hurt by others are not more spiritually evolved, but more likely emotionally repressed.

To be a spiritual, doesn’t mean you have to like the ego of everyone that crosses your path, for you would then become transparent and lose your individuality. Liking somebody and letting go of someone’s negative impact upon you are two completely different issues.