Tag Archive for: Positive Affirmations

Beliefs: How to Challenge Them Now

When I was younger, I thought that beliefs could not be changed. My “belief” was that once I had a particular belief, I was destined to carry it my entire life. I then realized I was dead wrong on that matter. In fact, changing a negative, self-limiting belief can be changed almost instantly.

But before I dive into changing beliefs, let me give you a little background about beliefs and where they come from.

Beliefs are only thoughts held to be true.  They are not right or wrong, true or false, just VERY strong opinions. So, why is it important to constantly challenge your beliefs? The reality is that you will always act or not act in accordance to your predominate beliefs.

We need to distinguish ideas and beliefs so we can understand how to change them. Beliefs start out as just an idea that grows powerful as we put more focus and energy to it. Tony Robbins said it best; ideas are like a table with no legs while beliefs are the legs that hold up the table or idea. Remember that beliefs are not right or wrong so we can easily create beliefs that do not serve us. One other key thing to mention is that two people can have go through the same experience and leave with two completely separate beliefs.

What we need to do is become aware of when we are putting “legs” under that table. One quick way I have found is understanding the power of our vocabulary. The most powerful words we can speak are “I am.” You can say that confirming “I am” puts more legs under the idea (table) whether it is right or wrong. This means we can easily create powerful beliefs about ourselves that are completely self-limiting.

Here’s an easy four-step process I developed for changing those negative beliefs:
1) Awareness – become aware of what we are thinking
2) Thoughts – change our negative thoughts
3) Re-Program – re-write or re-program the thought
4) Vocabulary – change the words you are staying on a consistent basis

Most of the time we focus on what is not working, what is not right or what we feel we cannot change. By becoming aware of what we think, change negative thoughts to positive ones, re-program the thought or idea to empowering ones and this can be easily accomplished by changing a negative vocabulary to a more positive one.

With peace and gratitude,
Bill

Affirmations: Who Needs Them Anyway?

If you have read anything about me or my work, you will certainly know that positive affirmations are an important part of my work. Where I may differ from others is that positive affirmations alone are not very powerful. Sure, they are better than negative affirmations but we need a little more to make them stick.

I put them to the test back in summer as I read something from Napoleon Hill in which he stated that you should do them 12 times a day. I have always tried to practice them at least 3 times a day and then when I think about it during the day. In the July time frame, I grabbed an index card and marked on it each time I did the affirmations. I did at least 12 affirmations each day for six straight months.

Was it worth it?

You bet it was! I learned a very valuable lesson. Just getting yourself to state the affirmation has an immediate effect on your emotional state. I recall a few times I was upset or down a bit and going through the affirmations helped me feel a little better. I also believe it helped me stay focused on my goals and keep them in the forefront of my mind’s eye.

Are affirmations for everyone?

I believe they are. When you affirm something, it is as if you are changing your belief system by “tricking” it into something that isn’t real, YET. However, just affirming something doesn’t make it so. Oh, NO, not by any stretch of the imagination. You can affirm, “I am happy” thousands of times a day and still by miserable. The key is to make them real enough so you can FEEL them.  Here are a few tips for you to consider as you write your affirmations out:
1) Use “I AM” as often as possible. Those words are some of the most powerful words that can be spoken.
2) Keep them clear and concise.
3) Use positive words, not the negative. For example, state “I AM rich both mentally and physically.” rather than “I AM not poor.”
4) State them with conviction.
5) Say the out loud.
6) Say them during activity. Plan them during a walk around the block, exercise at the gym or stand in your room moving your arms and legs to increase the energy of your affirmations.

If you have any questions about your affirmations, don’t hesitate to send me a direct message.  Here’s to you and your affirmations!
With peace and much gratitude,
Bill