Affirmations are positive statements you make to yourself to encourage and support yourself on your personal voyage through this life, and you can never get enough of that kind of encouragement. This practice can be found the world over in many cultures and spiritual circles dating back to ancient times, so to think reciting affirmations is a new-age fad would be to ignore their long history in helping people to achieve their goals.
Brain training
The discovery of neuroplasticity, that our thoughts can change the structure and function of our brains, even into old age, is the most important breakthrough in our understanding of the brain in four hundred years.
In Tibetan Buddhism, the concept of neuralplasticity has been around for far longer than Western science has recognized it – the term for it is le-su-rung-wa which means “pliability”; your brain can change based on repeated experience. It’s no surprise then that studies have been performed on plasticity during meditation and have shown that the brain can change based purely on mental training. This of course has huge ramifications for mental practice and its impact on overall well-being. If you can think yourself into being more compassionate, or more positive and more resourceful, or calmer and more content, it seems a little too good to be true. But with some effort, it’s possible. – Neuroplasticity: Your Brain’s Amazing Ability to Form New Habits
Affirmations and mantras
Affirmation recitation is closely related to recitation of mantras.
Saying any word produces an actual physical vibration. Over time, if we know what the effect of that vibration is, then the word may come to have meaning associated with the effect of saying that vibration or word. This is one level of energy basis for words. … Another level is intent. If the actual physical vibration is coupled with a mental intention, the vibration then contains an additional mental component which influences the result of saying it. – Healing mantras
Affirmation practice
Maintaining a positive attitude іѕ vital tο maintaining both physical health and mental health, and a flow of healthy and happy thoughts can result from establishing an affirmation practice. In fact, affirmations can change how you think about yourself and how you view the world.
Be the change you want to see in the world. — Mahatma Gandhi
I have found many affirmations created by others fit my practice, but the most powerful affirmations are those of my own creation. The most powerful affirmations are personal, passionate, purposeful, positive, and stated in the present tense.
Reciting affirmations helps me select a direction for my flow of thoughts at the beginning of the day and reciting them again throughout the day helps me rebalance when I feel off-balance. Combining creative visualizations with my affirmations using all of my senses makes the affirmations more vivid and realistic.
There is nothing in your life that you cannot modify, change, or improve when you learn to regulate your thought. — Rhonda Byrne
Many people interested in self-growth use readily available affirmations they find in books or on the internet or that others have shared with them for a short while, then claim they experience no results and stop. I have done this giving up on myself more than once too but I know I must persist. Like any other mind training practice to be effective affirmations must be repeated on a regular basis. Each time I reaffirm them by saying them aloud, with passion and purpose I am slowly changing my mindset.
There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. –Aldous Huxley
Affirmation resources
The Affirmations Directory provides a list of all the categories of affirmations currently available. Daily Affirmations provides a list of individual affirmations, presented with a simple image that can be printed. The How To pages provide guidance for writing and using affirmations.
I don’t make New Years Resolutions but I did choose “creative” as my One Powerful Word to inspire me in 2011. Below you will find some of the affirmations I have been using in my practice.
An endless reservoir of creativity lies within me.
Creative energy flows through me at all times.
I am always developing new ways of doing things.
Every creative thought I express provides me with great joy.
Discussion
- Do you now or have you ever had an affiirmation practice?
- If you do would you like to share one or more of your affirmations?
- Do you have any thoughts on affirmations that you would like to share?
Related posts found in this blog:
Daily Affirmations
Affirmations
Reblogged this on From Homeless Healer to Life Changer and commented:
I was so pleased to run across this blog on the power of personal affirmations. I speak to this power in both my books, Thank God for the Shelter: memoirs of a homeless healer and The Art of Reinventing You: Ignite your imagination. Here are a few of my daily affirmations:
God is my source.
I am love.
I am financially free.
I love passionately and sincerely.
I add value to the life of each person I come in contact with.
I touch millions of lives.
Care to share any of your personal affirmations?
I discovered the power of affirmations from Louise Hay’s book “You Can Heal Your Life” in my early 20′s.
The first affirmation she recommends is: “I approve of myself.” And she recommends using it as often as possible for a full MONTH before moving on. Write it out, think it often, say it to yourself in the mirror, sing it loud and joyfully when you’re out on a walk… but continue using it as often as you can.
Because we often let our minds run free, negative thoughts can take deep root if we are not careful to protect ourselves from careless thinking.
An important part of using affirmations is to select ones that seem possible. They can be a stretch, but not so much that you find yourself smirking at how unreasonable they are.
For instance, if you are swimming in debt, you might resist something like, “My bank account is overflowing with funds.” Whereas something like, “I am increasing my net worth every day.” might be more believable for you.
I play ice hockey, and since I started later in life, I’m constantly looking for any small advantage I can get. Affirmations such as:
“I always keep my feet moving.”
“I am quick and strong.”
“I take the puck to the net with speed and confidence.”
“I battle hard and come up with the puck,”
have helped me focus on those aspects of the game I can control.
The most important sports affirmations I use are:
“I forgive my errors.”
“I always do the best job I can.”
“My mind is a force I use to make things happen,”
could be used in other situations with great effect.
Thanks so much for writing about affirmations, TimeThief! It’s powerful information & worth sharing.
Hello there,
It’s good to meet you. Thank you for the book, which I haven’t read but is now on my reading list and thanks also for the affirmations you have shared. I like the idea of sticking with an affirmation for a month. I agree that chosing affirmations athat are a stretch but still within reason renders them as both positive and powerful motivators.
Best wishes
Ooh, I’ll be interested what you think of Louise Hay…
Best wishes to you, too!
Hi again Carrie,
I’m going through a rough time right now and muttering my mantra ie: “this too shall pass”. When I have time I willl read the book and maybe even review it here in my blog. Thanks again for suggesting it.
I’m sorry to hear you’re going through a rough patch, timethief. Hopefully your mantra helps pull you through!
As so often happens, I find something you’ve written just when I need it – this kind of affirmation practice is something I keep meaning to try, but admit I feel a little silly… on the other hand I AM always talking to myself inside my head, so why not this way too? I’m going back to the top and read it all again, and follow links and try again to put this into practice. Thank you, Timethief.
I liked reading this and thinking about the concept. Your contributions and those of your visitors are quite useful for me, so here’s one I will offer in return. It’s an affirmation practice in physical form (like yoga), with a mantra chaser.
When I sit, I begin the process of calming and centering for focus by taking in a big breath as I open my mouth, not rushed, but drawn in fast enough to create an “awww” sound. While I do this, I think the word ruach (“roo-acchh”). Ruach is the Hebrew word for breath and wind but also for spirit. Our English word spirit is from the Latin spiritus, and it’s derivatives include inspiration which is both the mind-spark AND the intake of breath. Or to put it comically, with every breath I attempt to inspire :)
Hi Mikey,
Thanks so much for sharing your inspiring breathing practice and the history too. :)
TT-for some reason I still can’t send you a shout. So I want to let you know I received the message about your family member and I hope all goes well.
Dear Marty,
It was a terribly trying week and there will be many more to come that will even worse but I am hopeful and I will remain strong. Thanks again for your kindness and support.
The insight you provide here is helpful, however at the same time it’s almost overwhelming; while’s it’s encouraging to be aware of neuralplasticity and the concept that I truly can be whomever I choose to be, being cognizant of it makes apparent to me how much of a journey I still have ahead of myself, and what going about that transformation will entail.
I guess my question is – assuming that personal affirmations’ success relies on the subject’s ability to be content with the moment during which they recite them – how do I allow myself to truly believe in my affirmations when I’m unhappy with the current version of my-self. For instance, maybe I want to affirm my ability to complete an assignment, but if deep down I truly have no interest in doing the assignment, does my ability to complete it in theory even matter? Should I instead try to use an affirmation that addresses my desire, or lack-there-of, to do the assignment, rather than focus on whether or not I possess the ability to do it?
I know that’s kind of a weird question… I hope I worded it clearly enough.
@James
What’s believable is achievable. So start with one small change and then build on that. Employ creative visualization and whatever you affirm becomes more powerful. “Today I will complete this assignment. “
I knew about neo-plasticity but not the actual name of it. Here is how my husband and I practiced a bit of afirmations:
except we lightheartedly called it, “our daily brainwashing”.
He and I would sit facing each other each morning. Look into the eyes with your hand cuped over eachothers ears. First I would tell him all manner of positive things like, “you are smart. you are strong. you are healthy. you will have a wonderful day today. You can be happy. etc” and the listener would have to listen while the speaker is sincere. Then he did the same for me. It was fun and I am sure it had a good impact on our lives.
@lifewith4cats
Thanks so much for sharing. I love that idea. I’ve never heard of it before but how powerful it must be to have your partner affirm you — wow! I want to try this.
I have to admit, the first thing that came to mind was Stuart Smalley on ‘Saturday Night Live’ long ago. “I’m good enough, smart enough and, doggone it, people like me.” Still makes me smile.
I often find myself reciting certain mantras during difficult tasks or situations. They do help me maintain focus and feel more positive. One I’ll share? Whenever I’m stressing over a situation I created I tell myself, “I am not a victim. I chose this.” It may sound a little harsh, but it keeps things in perspective for me. It also serves as a reminder the next time I raise my hand to volunteer. ;)
I don’t have a particular affirmation that I say inside myself except:
when I bike up a difficult hill, I tell myself to grind slowly up in granny gear, no matter how slow, to go ’round and ’round to get up to the top and over. When I tell myself this, it is relaxed, not hard pushing.
But I have yet to try this affirmation on going up mountains –yet.
That’s a type of affirmation. You are encouraging yourself — go slowly up those mountains and reach the top in good enough shape to enjoy the view when you get there.
Like SprigBlossoms, I’ve never had an affirmation practice, but I have noticed many people speak of them. Miranda Kerr (another Aussie) uses them a lot. I think I would like to, but to be honest whenever I’ve tried, I’ve felt rather strange about it.
I’ve reached a point in life where I am happy in my own skin, but I do think affirmations would be helpful in my current situation to maintain calmness.
I’m going to look at the whole concept in more depth after reading this. Thank you!
If you don’t feel comfortable with affirmations that’s okay. It’s a little strange when one first starts but that wears off quite quickly. I also like inspirational quotes and read quite a few of them. At one time I used to select one for every day. :)
Thank you for understanding – I wasn’t quite sure how to express that strange feeling!
I do know what you mean. I have younger siblings and when I read “The Little Engine Who Could” to them I recognized it was an affirmation book. It was aimed at teaching kids that “I think I can, I think I can” can become “I know I can.”
When recovering from a bad accident that I did not cause, I was afraid to ever get behind the wheel again. However, I looked in the mirror every morning and said over and over to myself: “I can drive well. I have always driven well. I am going to conquer this fear and drive again”.
I wrote those down on 3″ x 5″ index cards and read them from time to time throughout the day. It didn’t take long for me to be able to close my eyes and see myself behind the wheel with no other cars in sight driving happily down a country road singing. Soon I could visualize myself driving confidently in traffic. It didn’t take long after that. I was nervous at first and I chose quiet places to drive around in but I got my confidence back.
So, you see I do understand what you mean by feeling odd. If you think you can then try. Encourage yourself bit by bit to write down affirmations that are personal and meaningful to you. Then encourage yourself to begin an affirmation practice. The worst that can come of it is that you will have a stack of affirmation cards that tell you a lot about yourself and what you truly want to overcome or to achieve.
That is true – after all, affirmations are essentially between me and, well, ME! It is not as if I have to shout them from the roof tops.
I think I used them a bit today actually, telling myself to stay calm when I felt far from it. It wasn’t anything fancy, just telling myself “Breath, Robyn, breath. Come on, you can do it. Breath.” I don’t think I managed as well as I would have liked to, but at least I didn’t cry in the office, so I achieved something.
I could really see your driving again example too. It makes sense.
Glad you got back behind the wheel!
Greatly enjoyed your post. I don’t particularly have any affirmation practice. However with age, I have learnt to believe in myself more. “Just don’t believe those who think you don’t matter” – is what I have learnt to do. No matter how sensitive or strong we claim ourselves, inevitably other people’s negative energies do affect us. I love your creativity quotes, too : )
1. My aphorisms tend to be affirmative; but my real affirmations are my actions.
2. Here’s a new one I wrote just this week: “Embrace this day, and don’t worry what will become of you.”
3. Only what you already know. That in the case of severely depressed individuals, affirmations can sometimes prove to be counter-productive. Something one has to be sensitive to when dealing with such individuals.
Hi Marty,
Your affirmations are always thought provoking and “yes” they are affirmative. I enjoy them so much.
Embrace this day — be in it.
I’m sure you know what I mean by “ be in it”. We are often absent no matter we appear to be or what we appear to be doing. lol :D
timethief, I’m always so amazed by how you weave similar, but different threads together to create a beautiful and informative article. Your creativity shines through in your writing.
I do fully believe in the capacity to train the mind and in the power of affirmative thought and speech as well. When it comes to affirmations though, one of my challenges is a lack of consistency. However, I do mantra and visualization practice each and every day.
I really like the way you blend affirmations with creative visualizations. I would like to do some drawing and include affirmations in my drawings – as time and space opens up for this more in my life.
I enjoyed this journey into the power of speech. Thanks for the link luv too.
Hi Sandra,
Thanks so much for the kind words about my writing. Minding training concepts are interwoven throughout what I write. I think Hugo Deslippe sums this up very well.
“Buddhism is, according to the Dalai Lama, more a science than a religion. I would respectfully put it a little differently. I think Buddhism is a philosophy/religion that gets validated, on many aspects, by science. Things like the effects of meditations on the brain are studied by scientists and mystics alike. It is up to us to develop the habits and practices in our daily lives that science proves has a beneficial effect on us. Buddhism is a good way to get rid of the root causes of depression. ” http://www.japanese-buddhism.com
Without doubt, creative visualization makes affirmations much more powerful and effective. I create mental pictures along with each affirmation but I am not entirely consistent in my practice. Images are also extremely useful reminders for me. When I witness acts of kindness and generosity I can visualize them as they happened, and I can visualize myself as being either the person who receives or who gives. I make the choice minute by minute and hour by hour to be mindful in all I do. I affirm my ability to be mindful, caring, compassionate, loving etc. by visualizing myself in those states is what I focus on. I do drift away from my practice from time to time but I don’t beat myself up for doing so — I just resume.
I love your idea of drawings that contain affirmations. I enjoyed making the wordle. Did you click the thumnail to see the full size image?
Peace be with you
Get article with lots of great resources. I loved you comment about picking one powerful word to work with for 2011. I will definitely used that in my practice.
As far as affirmations: I use a lot of them for different occasions. One new affirmation concerns weight loss. Over the last year 2010 I lost 30 pounds as I started to work out at a gym and change my eating habits to even healthier standards. Now however it seem the easy pounds are off. So I decided to do affirmations at five pound intervals. So right now my affirmation is. I am so excited that I am now 227 pounds. I feel healthier, lighter and lean. When I’m at 227 I will change the affirmation to 222.
I write my affirmations out three times by hand(that’s important typing doesn’t count), and then say them aloud three times, first thing in the morning, then I repeat them as often as I can through out the day. I have another one for money flows.
Coupled with other daily practices they are a powerful vehicle to manifest your desires.
Nick
Hello Nick,
It’s good to hear from you. What wonderful news it is that you are encouraging yourself with weight loss affirmations and you are succeding at losing weight. Congrats!
I agree that the act of writing is a powerful one wehen it comes to affirmations too. I like writing affirmations of 3″ x 5″‘ inch index cards and keeping one each daywith me. I have one propped up on my computer desk right now.
Best wishes in all you do. :)