The power of affirmations

A 'to do' list...

Everyone has one, or at the very least everyone has had one in their lives. 

It could have been drafted on a piece of paper, into a book/diary or with the aid of some smart technology punched into an ipad or audio recorded on another device. 

Moreover,  It might not have been drafted on any tangible object but embedded deep into the cerebral cortex. After all, for some, the brain is the safest form of storage.

A 'to do' list is a tally of tasks to be completed. This is a list your brain is 'programmed' to finish. The thought process for each one is "I will complete it without doubt!"

If you happen to fail one, you go over it again and again until it is done. Because you are convinced you can do it and have a conviction to pursue it until a glorious big tick appears in the completed tasks sidebar. 

It is like an example I gave in a recent post; If you are going to play a game of snooker with a player you are one hundred percent positive that you can beat; Nomatter he defeats you three, four or five consecutive times, you will challenge that person to a sixth or seventh game.

This is because it is clearly branded in your mind that YOU CAN AND WILL beat the player. Your challenges will continuously pour in until your victory is ticked on your check list.

The magic of affirmations

Now, with that in mind.....imagine if you could treat your goal/vision/ambition like a point on your 'to do' list?

Imagine how much further you can go, treating an ambition like something you know you WILL achieve.  Treating every failure like a slight hiccup that will not deter you from pursuing the dream.

That is the magic affirmations are meant to work. They are meant to create a new way of thinking that sees all big problems and fears as mere tasks waiting for the axe.

Affirmations are meant to transform a "I don't think I can do it" to a "I can and will."

Affirmations are deep, positive and intended confessions that can alter the subconscious mind. They are meant to 'toughen' up the subconscious such that the conscious mind is challenged to do more.

Affirmations can be done by meaningfully speaking out positive confessions and what you want to see in yourself.

"The best way to achieve a feeling is to act as if you already had that feeling" - William James

Alternatively, they can be done by listening purposefully to an audio file of affirmations.

An example is listening to music. When you deeply and steadfastly listen to music, you can feel it sinking right into your bones such that song's lyrics mean something in your life. For that moment, it would seem as if that the song was written specifically for you.

Below is a short audio track (about 15 minutes) of affirmations. You can search for more related audio books here

Seems a bit too simple doesn't it?
That is because affirmations really are 'simple words', but they require a specific hunger and a deep yearning for a particular achievement for them to grow into pillars of strength.

So as mentioned earlier, affirmations are meant to fortify the subconscious mind. This, in turn is meant to produce a more tenacious response.

Without a doubt, many goals and ambitions require a lot of tenacity, determination and relentlessness. This is because turbulence is guaranteed to be encountered. Turbulence are the challenges faced whenever someone is chasing a dream.

A weary mind and uncertainity from the get go then can shred your dreams mid air.

"Tenacity is the most underrated quality in life" - Arsene Wenger

In such times of trial, affirmations can help create a tenacious mind. One that shrugs through the turbulence. 

A tenacious mind can only see the finish line. Therefore, you might stumble, fall, get bruised or injured in the process but you will still have the strength to rise and chase the finish line.

Remember the example given above about the snooker player you are certain you can beat?

How do affirmations really work?

Some consider affirmations as a way of 'tricking' the mind to suite what an individual is pursuing.

Personally I consider it a training of the mind.

The human mind can be trained. Actually, it is believed that if someone repeats a characteristic behaviour for 66 days it becomes a habit; one the mind will have to unlearn to rid.

A simple childhood experience, for example, is when I used to wake up early to prepare for school. Everyday at 5 a.m an alarm would sound and I would irritatedly shove my head under a pillow and just hope that just this once the day would proceed without me.

However, in my displeasure, I still had to wake up and prepare for school.

A few weeks later, even without an alarm, I found myself waking up around that period 4:30 a.m to 5:30 a.m. It had become almost second nature.

Then, a couple of months down the line, the behaviour evolved, even during weekends!

I knew I did not have lessons on a Saturday morning but somehow my eyelids would open round about 4:30 a.m to 5:30 a.m. My mind had already been trained for the early morning shift.

Affirmations follow a similar approach. It is feeding the subconscious mind everyday and consistently with a 'new habit.'

For even more explanation, I have written a piece about how affirmations improve self confidence. Click here to access it. Trust me, you will like it :)

The key behind affirmations

Affirmations, like any other subject, require some form of discipline if they are to be successfully applied. Reading inspirational topics and stories can help gear up the mind for some affirmative influence. The rest, is basically up to the individual.

Below is what I call the BCD of affirmations

Believe

First and foremost, one has to believe that they can be what they want to be. 

Imagine affirming yourself that "you will win the snooker game" when deep inside you are thinking "only if i get lucky!" 

Its a state of an internal war within oneself isn't it?

If need be, gather up small facts that will aid your belief. Thinking positive always comes in handy. If its a project, think of other people who have successfully completed a similar task. Do not focus on past failures.

Consistency

As mentioned before, affirmations are a way of training the mind to think differently. It is like developing a new habit. There is bound to be a resistance to change and consistency is the only way to overcome it.

Desire

When you possess a deep desire for something, your perseverance will last much longer. It is a 'wants and needs' scenario. When you need something you will most likely go the extra mile in a bid to attain it. A 'want' on the other hand is something you will easily let go of once challenges prove to be a bit troublesome.

Conclusion

Affirmations are a mental affair and for that reason possess varying degrees of success among individuals.

When in use, they are a great way to create some positivity before undergoing any given task. They can also help improve self confidence and perseverance. 

They are best assimilated when treated as one's own natural thought process and not like an external voice that barks instructions. They should be a choice, not an order.