All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become. ~ Buddha
An affirmation is a short, extremely powerful statement to manifest change – essentially you are what you say or think. Using affirmations in your life is an extremely empowering choice. As you put words or thoughts behind an affirmation, you are able to tap into an inner strength and start to believe these thought processes to change your life patterns and meet your goals.
The History of Affirmations
While affirmations may seem like a new age concept, the roots of affirmations are firmly entrenched in eastern religions, particularly within Buddhism. Although termed a mantra, they have the same goal affirming effect when repeated over and over again during meditation periods.
More modern uses of affirmations can be traced back to the French psychologist Emile Coue who used mantra-like conscious suggestions in the 1920s to bring about change. Coined the Coue method, Emile would ask his patients to repeat positive phrases to better their health. The New Thought movement, which believed that success can be achieved through affirmation, spread throughout the United States in the 19th Century spawning many self-help books based around the affirmation process. Authors like Louise Hay and Rhonda Byrne have ensured that the subject has a firm foothold in the mainstream.
An Overview of Affirmations
Affirmations work through the use of repetition and the power of positive thinking and allow you to be fully in tune with your thoughts – both negative and positive.
Research has shown that individuals think between 45,000 to 51,000 thoughts per day and unfortunately the majority of these thoughts are negative. These self-limiting thoughts, subconscious or otherwise, can dull your affirmation. Therefore it is important to listen to this inner dialogue and ensure that the positive intentions are strong and clear. What many fail to realise is that these negative subconscious and even unconscious thoughts are affirmations in their own right and need to be replaced with affirmations of love.
When you hear yourself being negative, it is important to acknowledge the patterns and create change; change in the form of positivity to counteract the negativity, using new improved affirmations as the way to move forward. Think of it as declaration of truth.
Creating affirmations are a somewhat easy process however believing and accepting them to bring about change is more difficult. It really is a matter of reprogramming your thought patterns and focusing on your goals or aspirations. Sometimes our inner thoughts act as a saboteur and stop us achieving what we desire. Some of these thoughts have even been instilled into us from our childhood and can be hard to break. Repeating your affirmations on a regular basis will help shatter these patterns for good.
Your affirmations are your script for a new life whether focussed around your personal life, your career or even your studies. Affirmations can be very powerful life changing words so take a deep breath and start shaping those affirmations to work for you.