|
22nd March 2007 Affirmations ....Gratitude! Thank-you for this day, every second of it, Anyone who knows me, will know how strongly I believe in the power of positive affirmations to effect change... however, I have discovered that there is an element to using positive affirmations that can cause stress and rebellion, unless you are mindful of this aspect. When a child is born, they have no idea what ‘Hot’ is or even what ‘Cold’ is... as you have to experience them to understand what they are.... and even then, my perception of what a ‘Hot’ bath or a ‘Hot’ day is, and yours can be different. Whilst, I feel the cold, even when it is slightly cold, my husband thinks I am a wimp when it comes to ‘cold’ weather. Yet when he finds it ‘hot’ and is dripping with sweat, I am comfortably happy. *Grin* Basically you have to experience both before you can appreciate the other.... and someone who has always been thin and slim, can never really appreciate what it feels like to be overweight, even though they may have empathy. It’s simply knowing and understanding that everything that happens to us, every event, every occurrence, every experience... is a coexistence of an opposite value! I have a friend who refuses to repeat positive affirmations unless they are true for herself and she believes them to be fact, otherwise, she considers it just lying to herself.... so even though I think she is a comfortable weight, she believes she is about 10 kg’s over weight, and so refuses to repeat an affirmation like, ‘I am slim.’ or ‘I am trim.’ Often when first starting with affirmations, especially if they are contrary to your belief in what is true, like ‘I am slim’ - the initial process will cause rebellion and stress within you, as it is contrary to your belief.... but that’s the reason affirmations are so powerful. Repeating something even if you don’t believe it when you first begin, will bring about a ‘thought’ or mind change, which allows you then to manifest the results - being slim! The part of the process that causes stress and rebellion however, can be extremely painful and too much like hard work to continue, and so many give-up in the initial stage. The other aspect about repeating and using positive affirmations is that it can cause a person to become more judgemental, especially when having a challenging day. The very nature of life on earth, and our experience... is that it is the coexistence of opposite values:
And the level to which we experience each during our lifetime, is the level to which we give each value, depth and breadth! Saying a positive affirmation like, ‘I am happy,’ when really you are just having a ‘bad’ day, can make the level of your distress feel even worse, which is actually the opposite of what you are trying to achieve. Let’s face it, there are ‘bad’ days, and then there are ‘awful’ days and then there are just ‘worse’ days. We also all have ‘good’ days, ‘better’ days and ‘best’ days! Albert Einstein said, “When the solution is simple, God is answering.” - so I sought a simple solution, without even realising I was already practising it. On the days when I was too tired, too grouchy, and basically I just couldn’t be bothered to say my affirmations, I would say, “Thank-you for this day, every second of it, ....which brought me amazing results. *Grin* The neutrality of that statement - no words that ‘classify, judge, label, title, describe, interpret or evaluate’ brings unconditional acceptance, stills turbulent thoughts and negative internal dialogue, and promotes gratitude and appreciation from within. As simple as that! And, changing affirmations to bring more acceptance, less judgement and more gratitude and appreciation from within can also be a simple process. So ‘I am trim, slim and healthy.’ becomes: Even just, “I am trim, slim and healthy, thank-you.” will make a difference. It’s the “Thank-you” that takes the ‘challenge, contrary belief, stress and even the rebellion’ out of the affirmation and allows us to be more appreciative and grateful..... and to follow through with action. Love always I would love to hear from you and would enjoy your feedback, so please [ Email ] if you would like to share your experience! ********************************************** The platform from which you act Feedback from Bevskins: What an inspirational and beautifully written newsletter - your uplifting comments have forced me to re-look at my "positivity" and look towards my gratefulness and gratitude for what I have and not my desperation for what I don't! I am grateful for:
Thanks Mands |