Firm Intentions – How the Power of Affirmation Can Change Your Life
by Cat Stewart
The power of making a firm statement is available to anyone. You don’t have to be spiritual, metaphysical or even optimistic to apply this principle to your life. Your only requirement is to act.
Setting the mind to travel in the direction of a goal allows energy to move in the direction of that goal. Whether you want to refrain from destructive behavior or initiate actions that will lead to a desired outcome, the key is to get energy flowing out of the direction of what isn’t working and moving in the direction of what you want for your life. When you focus on what isn’t working, you subtly invite it to remain. Affirmations redirect your inner dialog to ask for what it wants and needs.
Maggie Oman Shannon, founder of TheNewsSotry.com and author of The Way We Pray: Prayer Practices from Around the World explains, “People sometimes think that saying affirmations is a modern psychological practice, since success stories of top performers in business, sports, and entertainment are usually the contemporary context for reading about affirmations. Some researchers have concluded that affirmations might have actually pre-dated prayer-they may have been the original form of praying before religious institutions shaped prayer’s definition.”
Joy Nordquist, M.A., life coach and former marriage and family therapist explains the connection between affirmations and change that leads to the realization of a goal.
“Core beliefs revolve around two questions: Am I loveable? Am I capable? How we answer these two questions is the root from which all other beliefs grow. Our beliefts determine how we function and experience life. They determine to a great extent what, if any, goals we set and whether we achieve them. Affirmation is about reprogramming any core beliefs not aligned with our highest good and desire. As soon as we become aware of those beliefs that don’t serve us and are prepared to alter them, crafting and repeating affirmations empower us. ‘I am’ are two of the most powerful words in the world, because we can decide what follows them.”
Maggie Oman Shannon also comments on the influence of affirmation. “Whether one things of affirmations as a spiritual or psychological tool, there ‘s no doubt that working with them-and really developing a sense of what it would feel like to experience them come true-has created inspirational and often amazing outcomes for many, many people.”
To be effective, affirmations must be in front of you. Writing them down in a journal is powerful, but they take on new intensity when they are displayed in view of everyone, especially yourself. Not only are they a constant reminder of your intention, they draw the positive energy of the people around you. Affirmations could be written on Post-It notes, notebook paper, electronic media in the form of a screensaver or telephone background, anything that works to get the message in front of you.
Certainly we’ve heard fantastical stories about amazing achievements with affirmations. Jim Carrey wrote himself a post dated check for five million dollars. He carried it in his wallet and looked at it every day. He signed the contract for the movie, MASK, the same month that the check was dated for. This was one power affirmation.
Yet these extreme examples are very hard for the average person to relate to. While it’s tempting to write affirmations aspiring to grandeur, the question remains, do they serve you? Do they align with your core issues? Joy Nordquist warns that people often try to develop affirmations from their head and not their heart, their intuitive spirit. These affirmations frequently end in failure because the person is affirming what they feel the ‘should’ want or have. She recommends that you examine your heart and ‘think below the neck’ before creating your affirmations. “Look for signs that you’ve hit upon your passion. Your voice will change, emotion will emerge, you will just light up. Shoulds usually come across dry, dull, almost monotone.”
Journaling is an excellent method of reconnecting with the self and beginning to identify negative core beliefs that are holding you back. Recognizing that your actions are the basis of feeling unloved or incapable provides a bridge to creating affirmations that help the mind to develop a new core belief system. Equally important is the recognition of positive core beliefs and connecting with them though affirmation. You can draw inner strength you already possess once you learn to tap into it though this process.
Don’t be too attached to the results. It’s not the arrival, it’s the journey. This sage advice is essential for embracing affirmations that do not immediately manifest. If you focus on the journey, you learn to recognize the necessary steps to bring the affirmation to fruition. It is easier to identify them in retrospect, but if you are patient and focused, you can bring them into view as you experience them. Many times these course corrections point you toward an affirmation you must adopt to reach the next level. That doesn’t eliminate setbacks, but keeping the greater goal in mind allows you to overcome them by listening to your spirit and adjusting or adding affirmations that act as stepping-stones to the deeper intention.
Joy explains the stumbling blocks people encounter when moving toward specific goals.
“Most often, people try to change by sheer will. And they give up if they don’t see results immediately. People have a great desire initially, but they get discouraged. Their skill, support, knowledge and perspective fall short; they become destined to fail.”
Affirmations that create personal power are the key to success. Declaring your personal truth allows you to remove your path from the subjective opinions of others. This is especially important if your desire challenges your core beliefs.
Joy Nordquist shares her personal formula for creating effective affirmations.
“Take your time crafting the affirmation. Don’t go into the debate mode, choosing with your head and talking yourself out of something you feel strongly about. Rather than censor what your heart desires, tune to that. Use the mind as tech spoort and your spirita as a guide to the needs and desires of your deepest self. “
Joy’s step by step approach to crafting the right affirmation is as follows:
- Use the first person (I am; I will)
- Use present tense
- Keep the affirmation short, simple and memorable
- Use only positive language ( I will ski with confidence; not, I will not ski afraid.)
- Get to the heart of your desire
- Use colorful, sensory language and powerful verbs
- Put your affirmations into auditory and visual formats (tapes, cards, reminder notes, picture collages, etc.)
Allowing yourself to examine core beliefs and create affirmations to support the change required will give you the tools to successfully take control of the life you desire. A journey from despair to success and happiness is proof that affirmations are life changing. Aligning desires and energy through affirmations will produce results. Once you experience the abundant joy that results from listening to your spirit and affirming the truth it shares, nothing will be beyond your reach.
