The Power of the Mind / The Power of Affirmations

Affirmations are more than just good ideas. They are the powerful personal statements of how you truly desire to experience yourself, your Relationships and your life. Use them everyday to assist in transforming and enriching your life. They do work. I learned long ago that, "Life is make believe. We make it up and then we believe it".

Our experience in life is a direct reflection of our thought patterns and belief systems. These structures are set into our unconscious mind by the age of 5 or 6 years old through observation, situation, traumas, repetitive experience and parental patterning. We make decisions on a very primal feeling level, to survive and to try and get our needs met. At times we give up pieces of our true self and take on attitudes, behaviors and beliefs that we feel will protect us and somehow bring us what we need.

However, as adults these very survival systems, that we took on to make through, keep us from thriving and from having the quality of life, love and relationships that we desire. We cannot reach deep levels of intimacy, trust, joy, fulfillment and surrender if we are guarded, fearful of being hurt, angry, feel undeserving, have low self esteem or believe we can never get our needs met, no matter what we do.

The problem is we have carried these old and negative beliefs beneath our Conscious level of awareness, stored deep within in our mind for so long we have forgotten that we made them up. Yet, they continue having an effect in our lives and relationships every day. They are tripping us up and causing us to repeat patterns of behavior, experience and feelings. Also, they get us into situations and relationships that are painful, upsetting, un-fulfilling and disappointing.--- mirroring the old pain, hurt, disappointment, fear and anger from our long ago past.

Have you ever said, " I will never do that again…." Or " I will never get into another relationship like that…" or I will never let anyone treat me like that again…and then found yourself doing the very same thing, or involved in yet another situation or relationship where you experience that old familiar feeling… This is THE POWER OF PATTERNS.

Keeping in mind that to change something in life one must make change, do something differently, think differently, shift a perspective, adjust an attitude.

The good news is that we can change these unconscious patterns born of the past. We do not need to spend a lifetime repeating over and over the same old feelings. To change, we must restructure the Belief Systems that are the foundation of how we see and feel about ourselves, others and life, as well as, release the old energy of the emotion, that is holding all of it in place. This equals an inner shift of energy that will translate into results in all aspects of life. Bringing more aliveness, improving relationships, health and vitality, plus, increasing feelings of self-esteem, confidence and well-being.

One of the ways to implement change is through the powerful techniques of affirmations.

Affirmations are positive statements that you consciously choose to program and accept into your mind-body system. Here is a system to help you identify the underlying thoughts, beliefs and emotions: RELAX TAKE 5 FULL BREATHS, RELAXING ON THE EXHALE Allow your mind to be as still, and as free from trying to figure out an answer, as possible. Write a question statement a the top of a page. Examples of statements that will help to uncover your belief structures and negative, or limiting thoughts are:

• Something I am afraid of is…..
• Something I feel guilty about is...
• Something that is not working for me in my current relationships is...
• A negative thought I have about relationships is….
• A negative thought I have about myself is….
• A negative thought I have about this situation is...

Write as quickly as you can. Keep repeating the question to yourself and writing the first thing that comes to your mind. Do not censure or edit. Keep writing responses until there are no more responses. It is very important to notice your emotional responses while you are identifying your negative thoughts and patterns. This emotion acts as the glue that holds the old thought structures in place. While you are doing your Rapid Response Writing Technique, NOTE in the margin of the page you are working on, any emotional response, any thoughts and any physical feelings (such as an up set stomach, headache, sleepiness, etc). Once you have found some of your key negative thoughts you can turn them into positive affirmations and begin the process of changing the old structure and implanting new positive, empowering thoughts and beliefs.

For example, if you found negative thoughts like "I don’t deserve love" or "I can never get the love and attention I desire." This can be changed into a positive statement like. "I choose to love and accept myself believe that I am worthy of love and attention." Or " I now receive all of the love and attention I desire because I am so deserving. Here is a story of how affirmations can change a life situation quickly. When I first met my husband he was going through a difficult financial time. I told him about the power of affirmations to bring about change and positive results. I gave him the affirmations: "I now meet and receive assistance from all those people needed to bring about my desired result of receiving additional flow of money easily. I receive financial abundance now and I give thanks.

He did theses affirmations that night and the next morning the telephone rang and it was an old acquaintance advising him of a Navy contract. William had the type of boat needed for this contract. He applied and received the contract and experienced additional steady flow of income for more than two years…. Even if you do not experience such rapid results do not give up. We are each on our own transforming timetable, here in Hawaii, my husband calls it "Pacific Divine Time".There is an inner shift that occurs before an outward result is manifested and realized. Keep focusing on your desired result. Look to see if you have any hidden conflicting belief. If you do, then do work to change them. Do not be afraid to feel and release the old emotion that has held the negative limiting beliefs and patterns in place. This stored emotion coupled with the belief/thought system has kept you on the hamster wheel of repeating over and over again the painful experiences, situations and relationships. Whether you are experiencing a struggle with money, feelings of rejection, loss, self-esteem, anger and frustration, health issues, dissatisfaction or just a nagging sense that there must be more for you. There are old thoughts, decisions and emotions somewhere within you causing and magnifying your negative life experiences. You can make a change for the better. Do not despair.

One way to implant these new positive thoughts and ideas is a unique and rapid change technique called"Temporal Tapping." To Temporal Tap take your 3 middle fingers of your right hand and tap gently on your right temple and the continue tapping just over the top of the ear and around the back of the ear to the base of the bone, across from the bottom of your ear lobe, while saying your positive affirmation statement, out loud. Do this tapping starting again at the right temple until you have said your affirmation 3 times. Be sure to put your name into the affirmation, such as "I, Pamela, deserve nurturing, affection and pleasure and I receive it more every day." It is most effective to do the temporal tapping 3xs in all-3 persons, I, you, she/he. Example. 3Xs I, Pamela….. 3Xs You, Pamela…. And 3Xs She Pamela…. Start your morning with your affirmations and end your day with them. It will set the tone of your feeling responses and experience throughout your day and doing them just before sleeping will allow you integrate your new beliefs while your conscious mind is at rest.

Write your affirmations on colored 3x5 or 5x7 cards and place them on your bathroom mirror computer, car dash, refrigerator or any other place that you will see regularly throughout your day. To make the new thought structures real, you must consciously choose to believe and think in a new way. Allow yourself to release the old stored feelings and emotions from your past that are the glue holding the old negative patterns and feelings in place. Be conscious of the old habits and behaviors. Then you will own it and set it into the very fabric of your being. Then you will live it. Then it will truly be yours.