Submitted by: Paul J. Meyer(674) PJM Resources Log in to become a member of Paul J. Meyer's Fan Club!
Think about the qualities of the most successful people you know. It is likely they are talented, positive, decisive, good leaders, and action-oriented. Regardless of all the similarities – and even their differences – every successful person is self-motivated. If you are willing to invest the time and effort required to develop a new habit of thought, you can become a self-motivated winner, too!
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought." Buddha
The proper use of affirmations is one of the most powerful tools known to man. We have all heard people say something like, “I’m no good at that." We may have even said that ourselves. Such a defeatist statement is technically an affirmation, but NOT the type of affirmation that all of us need. What we need are affirmations that encourage, motivate, and change us for the better.
The affirmations that we need are positive declarations stated in the first person and in the present tense that specifically describe your objective. For example, a well-known French physician Dr. Emile Coué (1857-1926) used to tell his patients that they would improve faster if they adopted the simple plan of saying over and over: “Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better."
Those who followed his instruction found that his method worked. The repetition of a positive thought – an affirmation – over and over, day after day, affects the subconscious mind and stirs up the creative power within. Positive thinking is powerful and empowering.
“It is the nature of man to rise to greatness, if greatness is expected of him." John Steinbeck
Your automatic self-talk reflects how you react to experiences of the past. Constant repetition produces acceptance and eventually belief, then new habits follow. Objectively, using affirmations does not change anything; it is on the subjective level that things actually change.
You tend to live up to what is expected of you, whether good or bad. As children, when someone believed in us enough to say, “You can do it!" didn’t those words have a way of building our confidence and belief in ourselves? Hearing the opposite, “You can’t do it!" also had far-reaching effects.
Because your unconscious mind cannot distinguish between fact and fancy, it can accept the image you construct through affirmations. Say it, feel it, believe it, and be it! Affirmations are a powerful tool in building your self-motivation and expectations for yourself.
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." King Solomon
Before you can become a different person, before you can be what you wish, and before you can have what you want, you have to visualize your affirmations as current reality. See yourself in your desired role and know how it feels. Your affirmation – in the present tense – is the tool that lets you experience how these new conditions really feel.
You must know exactly what you want to become, what you want to do, or what you want to have before you can make such changes. Create the affirmations that will support the changes in your personality, attitudes, or possessions that you seek. For example, “I enter this day without giving mental recognition to the possibility of defeat."
Writing down your affirmation makes it more concrete and powerful. Read and re-read your new affirmations so that they reinforce the habits and attitudes you wish to develop. Put them in places where you will see them daily: bathroom mirror, car dashboard, checkbook, night stand, office wall, and so forth.
Changing your thought patterns from negative to positive can change your life. Remember, affirmations are never a substitute for action and they do require patience. Become self-motivated through self-talk and affirmations, and you will be well on your way to becoming a winner!
Paul J. Meyer may be a New York Times best-selling author, but it is his success as an entrepreneur that has made him a millionaire many times over. To learn more about becoming a winner through using positive affirmation, order Paul’s very practical book, Self-Talk & Self-Affirmation for Winners t oday, available at www.pauljmeyer.com or Amazon.com.
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