Affirmations - An Introduction

Wikipedia, The Free Online Dictionary defines affirmation as ".......a declaration that something is true".

Affirmations are a powerful ingredient in positive thinking. They are not statements that you wish to be true; they are statements that you must believe are true in the present tense.

Affirmations are positive statements describing a desired condition in your life. That condition may not yet exist, but the affirmation is spoken as though it does. A simple example might be: "I am at peace with my life". This is repeated several times on a daily basis, out loud or mentally, the aim being to program the subconscious mind into producing the desired outcome. They must be sincerely felt, and spoken in the present tense with conviction and enthusiasm.

We carry out such mental programming every day whether we know it or not; the trick is to make this programming conscious and positive. The alternative is to be unaware that we are issuing negative affirmations to ourselves. If you have ever made a mistake and muttered "I am such an idiot", you have just given yourself a negative affirmation. The problem is that any negative affirmation you give enters your subconscious mind and has a harmful effect - it creates your reality.

Positive thinking as a popular psychology can be traced back to the turn of the last century, with the beginning of the New Thought movement. this movement remains just as important today, although there have been countless similar off-shoots in the years since on the subject of positive thinking and new ways of using the mind for personal success.

Many books on positive thinking. like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, focus mainly on the financial benefits to be gained from altering your thoughts. The reason for this is obvious: it taps into the almost desperate desire of so many people to become wealthy. Whilst this may be geared to capturing the public imagination, it may also give doubters and newcomers the wrong impression. People buy these books expecting some incredible revelation, and do not expect to be told that all they simply have to do is start thinking in a more positive manner.

The answer they seek is so simple it is easy for many to dismiss it, but simple does not always mean easy. Reprogramming a mind that has suffered negative thoughts and affirmations for years can be tough.

Despite the plethora of Think and Grow Rich type books, positive thinking is infinitely more than just trying to make yourself rich. Due to the apparent simplicity of this system of life improvement a lot of readers can be left feeling a little cheated, and therefore disillusioned with the whole notion. Can it be that easy?

This is a great shame, because positive thinking has the power to transform your life, and affirmations are the cornerstone of positive thinking and the beginning and maintaining of a truly successful life transformation.

7 Motivational Quotes to Brighten Your Day

Words are free for us to make, string together, and dispense with, but there are times in life when only the right words can make us feel better. We know what we want to hear or say but the right words simply don't come to mind. It is in these times that motivational quotes prove their worth. Motivational quotes may summarize everything we feel, expect, and believe in. We can use them to be inspired and feel better.

To be more motivated today, tomorrow, and for the days ahead try these quotes below:


"Focus on remedies, not faults" - Jack Nicklaus.

Mistakes are so difficult to forget while the good things in life have an ephemeral existence in our minds. But why should we let our minds dwell on mistakes? What good can it do? The only time we should think about our faults is for the purpose of learning from them. Upon achieving that, we should focus next on remedies and move on.

"Anger and haste hinder good counsel" - English proverb.

Motivational quotes shouldn't be exclusively used for creating happy thoughts and feelings. They should also be used to get rid of negative and unhappy ones which will allow for something nicer, warmer, and brighter. Anger is one such emotion and you can use the above quote to remind yourself how futile and destructive anger can be.

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm" - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

There are many ways to apply this quote to our lives. If you have a goal, mere wanting is inadequate. You must have a burning desire for it. For that matter also, enthusiasm isn't something to be embarrassed about. A world-weary outlook on life may be considered fashionable by some, but such affectations won't make you any happier. Be glad you have something to be excited about for these are the things that make life worthwhile.

"Everyman is the architect of his own fortune" - Sallus.

Do not blame God or anyone else for your misfortune. It is useless to do so. You need to strive above all things because it is your life and everything that happens to you is within your power. True enough, some things can't be achieved overnight but, if you work hard enough and believe in yourself enough, you will get what you want no matter what obstacles you are facing.


"When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid" - Audre Lorde.

Don't waste time dwelling on your fears and insecurities. Rather, concentrate on discovering your strengths and finding out the best way to put them to use in order to achieve your goals. When you do that, you will become too busy to ever remember to be afraid.

"Practice hope. As hopefulness becomes a habit, you can achieve a permanently happy spirit" - Norman Vincent Peale.

Yes, hope is something everyone knows and understands but it's not something everyone can do and do repeatedly. Hope takes practice. Moreover, It requires constant practice from you simply because it is one of the great paths to happiness.


"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh.

Explaining this quote is easier done by using another quote: "Courage is not defined by the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear" - Ambrose Redmoon.

Till next time.