USING AFFIRMATIONS: How To Really Make Them Work

Does the practice of saying affirmations really work?
We've all been exposed to the philosophy of using affirmations as part of our personal growth. But have you ever tried them? Most people who have tried using affirmations have done so with mixed results. Some people have trouble with affirmations because affirmations sometimes “feel like a lie”.

And frankly, a lot of people feel that they just don't work at all. But using affirmations is one of those teachings that just doesn't seem to go away. A lot of people still believe in them as I do and many respected speakers still preach the use of them.

But there are still some big questions about using affirmations:

1. If they do work, why don't they work all the time?
2. Is there a proper way to “say” them?
3. How long do I have to wait for what I'm affirming to show up ?

Well, I want to clear away some of the fog about using affirmations.

WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT AFFIRMATIONS?
Affirmations can be used to destroy bad habits and create good ones.
Affirmations can help you get clear and stay focused.
Affirmations can help you speed up the progress on your goals.
Affirmations keep you balanced and calm.
Affirmations can help you live the life you want.
Affirmations can change your life.

The key, is that you really need to know how to use them. It is important to first understand what affirmations are really all about. In a nutshell, affirmations are everything you think, say, believe and feel. So if you've ever recited affirmations that just didn't happen in your life, it's because there is some conflict between what you are saying and who you are.

Once you come to an understanding of what affirmations are, you need to know how they work. I don't have enough room in this article to explain it all, but understand that our affirmations directly relate to our energy. Our energy directly relates to the Universe. The Universe relates back to us. So in other words, our affirmations work, based on, (again), who we are.

Are you starting to notice a common thread? You see, the affirmations really have no power in the Universal scheme of things, it is you that has all the power. Affirmations are simply a tool; a tool for influencing you. And you - by way of your energy (or vibrations) and your actions, influence the Universal flow as it relates to your life.

SO WHAT DO AFFIRMATIONS ACTUALLY DO FOR YOU?
Affirmations are truly the key to getting yourself in line with what you want, need and desire in life. You see, affirmations, when used properly, change the way you think. They change the way you look at things; at yourself, your problems, your hopes and dreams. Once you change the way you think, feel and believe - you can then take the appropriate action to manifest your desires.

BUT THERE IS A FLIPSIDE
Affirmations operate in our lives whether we use them or not. If left unchecked, our affirmations are whatever feelings and thoughts are going on inside us. Those feelings and thoughts become our reality. That explains why we wind up with things in our lives that we don't want, and don't always get the things we do want. So whether you believe in the power of affirmations or not - they are already operating in your life. That's why it is wise to learn to understand and use them properly.

Now, I'm going to help you understand some very important principles about affirmations, so that you can start using them effectively today.

SIX KEY PRINCIPLES FOR USING AFFIRMATIONS EFFECTIVLY
1. Before using affirmations, take time to study how and why they work. Once you come to an understanding of them, your affirmations will become much more effective.

2. Using affirmations out of a book are fine, but the most effective ones are the ones you write yourself. When you write your own affirmations - they are you, from your heart and soul. Even if you see a really great affirmations in a book, change it somewhat so that it becomes yours.

3. Write your affirmations so that they are stated in a positive, powerful way.

4. Have a special time and place for your affirmations. Recite them with energy and conviction. Recite them on a regular basis - at least twice a day. And if an affirmation feels stale - tweak it, change it, or trash it and start over.

5. Develop a strong faith to support your affirmations. Without a strong faith, your affirmations have little chance of success.

6. Live your affirmations. Remember when I said that “you are your affirmations”? You have to embody them - live them. And your affirmations have to reflect who you are, how you feel and what you believe.

Affirmations are extremely powerful yet, they are one of the most overlooked techniques for personal growth. This is because most people do not understand how they work. Do yourself one of the biggest favors of your life, learn about the power of affirmations, and how to use them properly. Put these principles to work in your life. If you do, you will see your life change in ways that will pleasantly suprise and delight you.

James Boehm

Determination and Success

How important is determination and drive for success? Drive is a common characteristic among successful people. The good news is that just like luck and success, drive is a continuum. There’s examples where people with minimal drive, but they enjoy what they do, experience great success. On the other end of the spectrum, you find ruthless obsession.

What if you aren’t naturally driven? Here again, there’s good news. You can adopt successful strategies. What you lack in personality, you can make up for in approach.

In this post I write about the role of drive and determination in success.

• Drive is the one common characteristic among successful people. The one thing all successful people share is drive and determination.
  
• Drive ranges from enjoyment to ruthless obsession. Drive can range from simply enjoying the path to what folks would consider “a little mad,” meaning a ruthless obsession for results.
  
• A desire for personal power. One cause of drive is a pursuit of personal power, or an extension of their personality.
  
• Enslaved by an idea. Some people become consumed by an idea. Their drive is fueled by the passion of bringing an idea to life.
  
• Determination to finish the job. Some people are fueled by a passion for finishing what they started. They can’t stand the idea of a leaving something half-finished.
  
• You don’t have to change your personality. If you’re not naturally driven, you don’t have to try to change your personality. Instead, adopt proven success strategies that characterize successful people.
  
• Adopt success strategies of successful people. You can adopt proven strategies such as becoming more single minded and focused, a strong sense of direction, don’t take no for an answer, and become better at saying what you don’t like.
  

What I’ve learned through experience is that while drive is important, you need to know what you’re trading. For example, try to find balance between your conviction and your connection, so you don’t burn bridges or leave a trail of dead bodies in your pursuit of results. Try to invest in your body, your relationships, and fun during the pursuit of your goals, so that you enjoy the process. Goals are a vehicle. They are a means to an end, but not the end themselves. Be careful not to compromise your values along your journey.

Drive and Determination is The One Common Characteristic of Successful People

Successful people are often very single-minded and determined. Indeed, it would be possible to pick this out as the one characteristic common to almost all successful people. It can take the form of drive: if you want something hard enough, you will get it. it can take the form of ruthlessness: let nothing stand between you and your goal. It can take the form of a strong sense of purpose. It can take the form of determination and persistence: accept failure only as a step on the path to success.

One Single Goal

Some people make big trade-offs in the pursuit of a single goal:

This type of determination comes close to fanaticism and what might be called ‘a little madness’. It implies a rather unnatural view of life, because one single goal becomes more important than any others. A person may be willing to sacrifice his wife, his children, his friends, his health, and even his life for this goal. At times the goal may seem very much like an obsession. At its extreme, obsession is a form of madness.

A Sense of Direction Urges Action

Having a direction helps somebody take action and gauge whether they are on track:

There are many advantages to powerful determination and a strong sense of direction. The sense of direction urges action. The sense of direction shapes the action. The sense of direction allows the value of the action to be assessed: has it got me nearer to my goal? The sense of direction allows all judgments and decisions to be made more easily: does this help me toward my goal or does this hinder me? Most people in their ordinary lives lack such a strong sense of value when taking a decision. Most people may have to take into account a soup of different factors such as family, health, enjoyment, career, etc., when making a decision. The strongly-success oriented person only takes into account one thing: the path to success.

Determination Ranges from Enjoyment to Obsession

Drive is a continuum:

As with luck there is, of course, a spectrum. At one end is the ruthless obsessed tyrant who could properly be called mad. At the other end of the spectrum is the person who enjoys what he or she is doing, enjoys his life and friends, and just seems to stumble into success (as with Nolan Bushnell, Norman Lear, or Sir Clive Sinclair). Readers may be surprised to find that most of the people in this book seem to fall into this second grouping.

Determination for Personal Power or Enslaved By an Idea

Some people are fueled by making an idea happen:

Determination and ruthlessness always seem to suggest a person who wants success and power for their own sake and as an extension of his or her personality. There is, however, another sort of obsession. This is when a person is enslaved by an idea. The person wants to see the idea work, wants to make it happen. Power, riches, and fame have virtually nothing to do with it. Determination can spring from this sort of obsession.

Determination to Finish the Job

Some people are compelled to finish what they started:

There is even a further sort of determination. This is where someone sets out to do something and takes the first few steps. There is then a determination to see things through, to finish that job. Once one block has been place on top of another, there is a compulsion to finish the building. This characteristic also becomes clear in some of the people mentioned in this book.

You Don’t Have to be Driven

Some people that aren’t naturally driven take a passive view on determination:

From a practical point of view it does matter whether we attribute success to a particular type of personality. Some people may feel that since their own personality is not ‘driven’ in this way, then there is little they can learn by reading about people who are so driven. Like the ‘luck’ explanation of success, this is defeatist and passive.

You Don’t Have to Change Your Personality

You don’t have to worry about changing your personality:

I would not want to get into an argument as to whether people can or cannot change their personalities (through awareness training, counseling, or environmental change). It is not easy for someone to become ruthless by just willing himself or herself to be ruthless … A reader can, however, try to become more single minded and more focused. Once a reader perceives that a strong sense of direction may be an ingredient for success, it is possible to do something about it (for instance, by dropping other projects).

Adopt Strategies to Improve Effectiveness

You can adopt strategies of people with determination and drive to improve your success:

A person who will not take ‘no’ for an answer and writes ten letters runs the danger of being a nuisance and a pest but may be more successful than the person who is turned off by first refusal. Such things may arise naturally from a personality or they may be adopted as strategy. You cannot will yourself to have a foul temper (even if this often seems to be most useful for success), but you can become much better at saying what you do not like. It may well be that having success-oriented characteristics by virtue of your personality is much more effective — nevertheless adopting some of them as deliberate strategies can also be valuable.

Every Month a Million and the Daily Dose Of Good