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.
Today, I will count my many blessings. Today, I will do my work honestly.
Today, I will be kind to every living creature.
Showing posts with label positive thinking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label positive thinking. Show all posts
Friday, November 9, 2012
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
A Positive Outlook For A Positive Life
Our outlook and attitude on life in general plays a huge part in how happy we are in life and ultimately how successful we become. Someone who thinks positively about everything will be more relaxed, calm and smile more than someone who is always looking on the bad side, who lets stress get to them and who constantly wears a frown.
Not only does how you think and feel affect you, it also affects those around you, in short, our mood affects our day. Developing and keeping a positive outlook is essential if you wish to lead a positive and fulfilling life. People will automatically pick up on your positive vibe and love to be around you.
There are many ways in which you can develop a more positive outlook and begin to change how you think and feel about many situations that you encounter in day-to-day living. Changing your attitude and not slipping back into negative thinking will take time but eventually the new outlook will become second nature. The five main key points to remember when changing your outlook are:
1. Turn your way of thinking into positive thinking and practice on a daily basis the art of thinking always in a positive manner. You should set your mind on completing one task at a time and think only of a positive outcome and how good you will feel when you have completed the task. Never allow yourself to give in to doubt or let yourself believe that you have taken on too much. Learn to press on and keep going.
2. Don't let your conversations with others turn negative. When in a conversation it is easy to let others discourage you, particularly if they have a negative outlook on life. Don't be tempted to fall back into your old ways, turn negative talk into positive talk and look for the good in everything and any situation.
3. Look for the positive in those around you and point it out, this way you can encourage a positive attitude all around you. Tell people you meet how much you like their clothes, hair, car, company etc. People love to be noticed in special ways and will respond very positively.
4. Whatever you are doing in your day-to-day life always look for the good in it, although it might be a boring task which you usually hate doing and one which leaves you feeling negative, try to find something about it that turns it into a more positive situation.
5. Never let yourself become distracted or hoodwinked into going back to negativity, it takes time to change the way you feel and think and if you have been down on yourself and the world for a long time then your new outlook will take a while to register and stay around. Stick with it - adopt an attitude of "stickability".
You will find over time that many areas of your life can be changed just by changing your outlook from a negative one to a more positive one. You will find that your self-esteem improves, you become more popular, you feel happier and are more confident than before. You will find yourself being able to tackle the tasks you once hated without them causing you stress and anxiety. You will find your interpersonal relationships greatly improving as well.
These are just a few of the areas where you can self-improve and gain a more positive outlook and thus lead a more positive life. Look on it as an opportunity for a new beginning.
Not only does how you think and feel affect you, it also affects those around you, in short, our mood affects our day. Developing and keeping a positive outlook is essential if you wish to lead a positive and fulfilling life. People will automatically pick up on your positive vibe and love to be around you.
There are many ways in which you can develop a more positive outlook and begin to change how you think and feel about many situations that you encounter in day-to-day living. Changing your attitude and not slipping back into negative thinking will take time but eventually the new outlook will become second nature. The five main key points to remember when changing your outlook are:
1. Turn your way of thinking into positive thinking and practice on a daily basis the art of thinking always in a positive manner. You should set your mind on completing one task at a time and think only of a positive outcome and how good you will feel when you have completed the task. Never allow yourself to give in to doubt or let yourself believe that you have taken on too much. Learn to press on and keep going.
2. Don't let your conversations with others turn negative. When in a conversation it is easy to let others discourage you, particularly if they have a negative outlook on life. Don't be tempted to fall back into your old ways, turn negative talk into positive talk and look for the good in everything and any situation.
3. Look for the positive in those around you and point it out, this way you can encourage a positive attitude all around you. Tell people you meet how much you like their clothes, hair, car, company etc. People love to be noticed in special ways and will respond very positively.
4. Whatever you are doing in your day-to-day life always look for the good in it, although it might be a boring task which you usually hate doing and one which leaves you feeling negative, try to find something about it that turns it into a more positive situation.
5. Never let yourself become distracted or hoodwinked into going back to negativity, it takes time to change the way you feel and think and if you have been down on yourself and the world for a long time then your new outlook will take a while to register and stay around. Stick with it - adopt an attitude of "stickability".
You will find over time that many areas of your life can be changed just by changing your outlook from a negative one to a more positive one. You will find that your self-esteem improves, you become more popular, you feel happier and are more confident than before. You will find yourself being able to tackle the tasks you once hated without them causing you stress and anxiety. You will find your interpersonal relationships greatly improving as well.
These are just a few of the areas where you can self-improve and gain a more positive outlook and thus lead a more positive life. Look on it as an opportunity for a new beginning.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
How to change from "glass half empty" to "glass half full"
This time we will tackle how to deal with the first feel bad item in the Feel Bad Zone.
When you look at something (opportunity, job to do, etc.) do you consistently see the good in it; or do you see only the bad?
If you are already a glass half full person - congratulations - you are an optimist - well done.
If you believe you are a glass half empty person, then you are considered to be a pessimist by nature. Sorry to hear that!
If you are constantly pessimistic you KNOW that nothing seems to turn out right. Nothing seems to come up to scratch for you.
You are never satisfied. There always seems to be a problem with everything. There is always something wrong with the meal you are served with at ANY restaurant you visit. There's always too much to do - how can you possibly fit it all in? Problems seem to surround you.
I call this sort of behaviour "Perception Deception". It has a lot to do with your attitude. It is simply your interpretation of reality as a working function of your attitude. You see, what you may be seeing as a problem, someone else will see it as an opportunity - you lose!
Your negative (pessimistic) outlook to life may be affecting you in so many ways - financial, health, employment opportunities, family and romance to name just a few.
I'll give you a great example. Did Sir Richard Branson originally think that the idea of getting into the already crowded market of retail music was just too hard, had too much competition, and would probably fail anyway, so why bother? Or did he adopt a glass half full attitude and believed he saw an opportunity to out compete his competition? I guess you know the answer to that one!
THE GOOD NEWS.
The glass half empty attitude to life is just like all attitudes - it is learned, and, as such, it can be unlearned. This attitude, through constant repetition, has also become a bad habit. Bad habits can be broken and be replaced with good habits.
How did you learn it? Most likely by adopting very negative self-talk (negative thinking) at some stage. Also have a good look at your friends, relatives and co-workers that you see on a regular basis - how do they talk and act? Circumstances you say? Sorry, that just won't wash. You are responsible for you. Your attitude to your circumstances is well and truly under your very direct control. The colored glasses that you see yourself and your life through are tinted entirely by YOU!
THE CURE.
When you look at something (opportunity, job to do, etc.) do you consistently see the good in it; or do you see only the bad?
If you are already a glass half full person - congratulations - you are an optimist - well done.
If you believe you are a glass half empty person, then you are considered to be a pessimist by nature. Sorry to hear that!
If you are constantly pessimistic you KNOW that nothing seems to turn out right. Nothing seems to come up to scratch for you.
You are never satisfied. There always seems to be a problem with everything. There is always something wrong with the meal you are served with at ANY restaurant you visit. There's always too much to do - how can you possibly fit it all in? Problems seem to surround you.
I call this sort of behaviour "Perception Deception". It has a lot to do with your attitude. It is simply your interpretation of reality as a working function of your attitude. You see, what you may be seeing as a problem, someone else will see it as an opportunity - you lose!
Your negative (pessimistic) outlook to life may be affecting you in so many ways - financial, health, employment opportunities, family and romance to name just a few.
I'll give you a great example. Did Sir Richard Branson originally think that the idea of getting into the already crowded market of retail music was just too hard, had too much competition, and would probably fail anyway, so why bother? Or did he adopt a glass half full attitude and believed he saw an opportunity to out compete his competition? I guess you know the answer to that one!
THE GOOD NEWS.
The glass half empty attitude to life is just like all attitudes - it is learned, and, as such, it can be unlearned. This attitude, through constant repetition, has also become a bad habit. Bad habits can be broken and be replaced with good habits.
How did you learn it? Most likely by adopting very negative self-talk (negative thinking) at some stage. Also have a good look at your friends, relatives and co-workers that you see on a regular basis - how do they talk and act? Circumstances you say? Sorry, that just won't wash. You are responsible for you. Your attitude to your circumstances is well and truly under your very direct control. The colored glasses that you see yourself and your life through are tinted entirely by YOU!
THE CURE.
Start by constantly monitoring your thoughts. Put simply; are they nice thoughts, or are they horrible, discouraging thoughts? The trick is to start deliberately noticing all the great things that surround you. This is called pivoting your thoughts.
Try making a physical pen and paper list. Writing things down can carry a lot more weight subconsciously. What pleases you? What brings you joy? Why? Where do you like to visit? What wonderful holidays have you had? Write them down. All the GOOD stuff.
Make a list of all the wonderful inventions that have made your life so much easier. Believe it or not, each one of those inventions started as a positive, constructive thought in someones mind.
Positive affirmations are a brilliant way to start. Used daily they help to re-program your thoughts into more positive and constructive channels. Just Google "positive affirmations" and go for it.
The world, yes, your world as well, is crammed full of positive, wonderful things. Good things happen all the time. People get rich everyday. Switch off the television news - they make a living reporting mostly BAD and depressing news. It's nice to be informed - but not overwhelmed.
All journeys start with the first step. I've given you some ideas to start. The rest is now up to you.
Travel well!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Towards better feeling thoughts.
I would like to share with you a good method for changing negative or bad feeling thoughts for positive or better feeling thoughts. A way to turn your day around. Perhaps a way to turn your life around!
The Law of Attraction states that like attracts like unto itself. This means that if your thoughts are heading in a certain direction, unless you take some form of action to change that thought direction, your thoughts about the subject, or more accurately, the essence of your thoughts on your particular chosen subject, or thought stream, will build one on top of another. Avalanche!
If your thought was a negative one, which made you feel bad, before you are really aware of it, your mind will be flooded with like thoughts of a negative, or bad feeling, nature. The next step is you feel miserable and your day goes rapidly downhill.
On the way to work on the freeway someone cuts you off in traffic. You THINK the guys an idiot. You THINK about how many idiots there are on the road these days. The traffic slows. You THINK how this will make you late for work. You THINK about how the boss will not be happy. You THINK about how the government is not investing enough into bigger freeways. A truck moves in front of you slowing traffic even more. You THINK about all the crazy truck drivers on the roads and you THINK how it always seems to happen to you. and on. and on. and on. and on.
You start to feel ill!
Let's go back to that very first THINK. OK, you've thought the guy's an idiot. There is not, nor will their ever be anything you can possibly do to change that guy's behaviour!
But you can change yours. In fact, it is the only thing you have any control over. You can take responsibility for, and indeed change, the direction of your thoughts.
Taking control of and changing a negative stream of bad feeling thoughts to a positive and good feeling stream of thoughts is called "PIVOTING". You pivot your thoughts in a different direction - the good feeling direction.
The guy cuts in front of you. You THINK the guy's an idiot, you start to feel bad - the day's going to hell with all these crazy drivers. WHOA! Stop! Pivot. I can't wait to get home tonight. My wife's got a great evening planned with some friends coming over. What a great day - the weather is just fantastic. We had a great holiday this year, that was a wonderful hotel where we stayed. I couldn't stop giggling to myself all morning over that comedy we watched on TV last night. The traffic is a little slow but my boss is a really great guy and will understand.
See what I mean. Pivoting works.
Try it.
Use it.
"Thoughts have power; thoughts are energy. And you can make your world or break it by your own thinking." - Susan Taylor
The Law of Attraction states that like attracts like unto itself. This means that if your thoughts are heading in a certain direction, unless you take some form of action to change that thought direction, your thoughts about the subject, or more accurately, the essence of your thoughts on your particular chosen subject, or thought stream, will build one on top of another. Avalanche!
If your thought was a negative one, which made you feel bad, before you are really aware of it, your mind will be flooded with like thoughts of a negative, or bad feeling, nature. The next step is you feel miserable and your day goes rapidly downhill.
On the way to work on the freeway someone cuts you off in traffic. You THINK the guys an idiot. You THINK about how many idiots there are on the road these days. The traffic slows. You THINK how this will make you late for work. You THINK about how the boss will not be happy. You THINK about how the government is not investing enough into bigger freeways. A truck moves in front of you slowing traffic even more. You THINK about all the crazy truck drivers on the roads and you THINK how it always seems to happen to you. and on. and on. and on. and on.
You start to feel ill!
Let's go back to that very first THINK. OK, you've thought the guy's an idiot. There is not, nor will their ever be anything you can possibly do to change that guy's behaviour!
But you can change yours. In fact, it is the only thing you have any control over. You can take responsibility for, and indeed change, the direction of your thoughts.
Taking control of and changing a negative stream of bad feeling thoughts to a positive and good feeling stream of thoughts is called "PIVOTING". You pivot your thoughts in a different direction - the good feeling direction.
The guy cuts in front of you. You THINK the guy's an idiot, you start to feel bad - the day's going to hell with all these crazy drivers. WHOA! Stop! Pivot. I can't wait to get home tonight. My wife's got a great evening planned with some friends coming over. What a great day - the weather is just fantastic. We had a great holiday this year, that was a wonderful hotel where we stayed. I couldn't stop giggling to myself all morning over that comedy we watched on TV last night. The traffic is a little slow but my boss is a really great guy and will understand.
See what I mean. Pivoting works.
Try it.
Use it.
"Thoughts have power; thoughts are energy. And you can make your world or break it by your own thinking." - Susan Taylor
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Four stories for change.
"You are the way you are because that's the way you want to be. If you really wanted to be any different, you would be in the process of changing right now." - Fred Smith (1)
"The longer I live, The more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gifted ability, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing that we can do is play on the one string that we have and this string is, attitude. I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it. And so it is with you.....WE ARE IN CHARGE OF OUR ATTITUDES." - Charles Swindoll (2)
"It's amazing what happens when you recognize your good qualities, accept responsibility for your future, and take positive action to make that future even brighter." - Zig Ziglar (3)
"Whatever you're thinking about is literally like planning a future event. When you're worrying, you are planning. When you're appreciating you are planning.....What are you planning?" - Abraham-Hicks (4)
Life changing quotes from:
(1), (2), and (3) - from "Over the Top" by Zig Ziglar, pages 138, 113, and 155 respectively.
(4) - Abraham-Hicks Daily Quote of 10/28/2008.
It IS your life and you ARE in control. You are the master of your destiny - the Captain of your ship. Where you find yourself right now is the result of where you have been steering your personal ship for the last..........(insert your age) number of years.
If you don't like where your find yourself - change course for YOUR future.
"The longer I live, The more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gifted ability, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing that we can do is play on the one string that we have and this string is, attitude. I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it. And so it is with you.....WE ARE IN CHARGE OF OUR ATTITUDES." - Charles Swindoll (2)
"It's amazing what happens when you recognize your good qualities, accept responsibility for your future, and take positive action to make that future even brighter." - Zig Ziglar (3)
"Whatever you're thinking about is literally like planning a future event. When you're worrying, you are planning. When you're appreciating you are planning.....What are you planning?" - Abraham-Hicks (4)
Life changing quotes from:
(1), (2), and (3) - from "Over the Top" by Zig Ziglar, pages 138, 113, and 155 respectively.
(4) - Abraham-Hicks Daily Quote of 10/28/2008.
It IS your life and you ARE in control. You are the master of your destiny - the Captain of your ship. Where you find yourself right now is the result of where you have been steering your personal ship for the last..........(insert your age) number of years.
If you don't like where your find yourself - change course for YOUR future.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Your Power For Change
Have you ever walked into a room and wished you hadn't. What I'm talking about here is the "vibe". The term "I could have cut the air with a knife" comes to mind. The people in the room are whispering and frowning is commonplace. No one is laughing. Yuk!
The opposite of course is often the case. You enter a room full of people and there's a "buzz". It's all happening to use a 70's term. Smiles all around, everyone chatting and laughing - immediately you know this party is going to be Gooood! You can feel it.
One room is negative while the other is positive. Imagine if we could stop time for a couple of minutes - no, let's not just imagine - let's do it! We have stopped time. Now let's turn all the people in the negative room into a sum much like we used to do at school with arithmetic. Then we'll play averages.
This person over here has a very negative attitude to everything so he gets a -9. That lady over there is not too bad so she gets a -2. The friend you came with is fairly cheery, he gets a +2. As usual, of course, you're on top of the world, all fired up, so you are awarded a +9. The others range from -1 to -9. We end up with a "per person vibe" average of -4.
We go through the same process with the other, positive, room. Much better. The average here is a wonderful +5. This place is jumping - you don't want to go home - this party is looking to go Waaaay into the night.
Take this same template and place it over your family - what do you get? Your place of work? Your country? Your world? You?
What makes each of these hypothetical people's +'s or -'s are their personal vibrational states. This personal vibrational state is constructed from their personal thoughts. My wife often has the unnerving habit of turning to me and saying "I can tell you're deep in thought, what are you thinking about?" She could feel the vibrations emanating from me due to the fact that I actually was very deep in thought about some subject that I was intensely interested in and emotionally attached to. Hence she picked it up.
I can hear your question. O.K. Doug, this is all very interesting and I can see where you are coming from, but, what's the point? The point is this - to make change for the better in our life we must always endeavour to make sure that we are a + person. Always being in a + vibration (positive and/or joyous thoughts) is a real way in which we can truly influence those around us. You can't force other people to change, they have to want to change. By your positive thoughts, becoming positive words and then positive deeds you can have a very real impact on the world around you - just as my wife picks up on my vibrations, so other people will pick up on yours.
You see, the future is not really in everyone's hands, it's actually in their thoughts, where everything begins. Let's all go change the world - one thought at a time.
A quote for you: "Our life is what our thoughts make it. A man will find that as he alters his thoughts toward things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him." - James Allen
Change your thoughts, change your life. It's the book that's changed the life of millions. Download a free ebook of James Allen's "As A Man Thinketh."
The opposite of course is often the case. You enter a room full of people and there's a "buzz". It's all happening to use a 70's term. Smiles all around, everyone chatting and laughing - immediately you know this party is going to be Gooood! You can feel it.
One room is negative while the other is positive. Imagine if we could stop time for a couple of minutes - no, let's not just imagine - let's do it! We have stopped time. Now let's turn all the people in the negative room into a sum much like we used to do at school with arithmetic. Then we'll play averages.
This person over here has a very negative attitude to everything so he gets a -9. That lady over there is not too bad so she gets a -2. The friend you came with is fairly cheery, he gets a +2. As usual, of course, you're on top of the world, all fired up, so you are awarded a +9. The others range from -1 to -9. We end up with a "per person vibe" average of -4.
We go through the same process with the other, positive, room. Much better. The average here is a wonderful +5. This place is jumping - you don't want to go home - this party is looking to go Waaaay into the night.
Take this same template and place it over your family - what do you get? Your place of work? Your country? Your world? You?
What makes each of these hypothetical people's +'s or -'s are their personal vibrational states. This personal vibrational state is constructed from their personal thoughts. My wife often has the unnerving habit of turning to me and saying "I can tell you're deep in thought, what are you thinking about?" She could feel the vibrations emanating from me due to the fact that I actually was very deep in thought about some subject that I was intensely interested in and emotionally attached to. Hence she picked it up.
I can hear your question. O.K. Doug, this is all very interesting and I can see where you are coming from, but, what's the point? The point is this - to make change for the better in our life we must always endeavour to make sure that we are a + person. Always being in a + vibration (positive and/or joyous thoughts) is a real way in which we can truly influence those around us. You can't force other people to change, they have to want to change. By your positive thoughts, becoming positive words and then positive deeds you can have a very real impact on the world around you - just as my wife picks up on my vibrations, so other people will pick up on yours.
You see, the future is not really in everyone's hands, it's actually in their thoughts, where everything begins. Let's all go change the world - one thought at a time.
A quote for you: "Our life is what our thoughts make it. A man will find that as he alters his thoughts toward things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him." - James Allen
Change your thoughts, change your life. It's the book that's changed the life of millions. Download a free ebook of James Allen's "As A Man Thinketh."
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