Do Positive Affirmations Work?
Written by: Mei Flynn, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
I love the power of our thinking and I mentioned in a previous article that positive affirmations are great if they work, but is it really that easy to positively think our way through life? I do not think so as we often get frustrated and impatient when positive affirmations do not work and we end up stopping them altogether. We also expect miracles overnight and start to feel sceptical about the power of positive thinking and drift back to our old negative mindset.
Thoughts become things. If you see it in your mind, you will hold it in your hand – Bob Proctor
Positive affirmations need to be used over time as this is often a new way of thinking focusing on what we want rather than what we do not want. We also have to trust the timing of when and how things manifest, we often think we know what is best for us but do we? We need to remember that there is a Higher Power soaring above us like an eagle that can see the big picture, but humanly we want to try and push forward in life. I think there is a lesson here in patience and embracing the unknown, then we can be open to new possibilities and doors start opening for us in ways we never imagined was possible.
Ordering from the cosmic chef
I remember a book shared by Dr. Patricia Crane when I trained as a workshop leader following the philosophy of Louise Hay. She compared the cosmic chef preparing our affirmations similar to going to a restaurant. When we go to a restaurant we go through the menu and decide what we would like to eat. When it comes to affirmations, we do the same and look at the areas we would like to work on, e.g., finances, relationships, career, etc. Then we place our order with the waiter in the restaurant or cosmic chef when doing our affirmations.
Then we sit and relax in the restaurant and maybe enjoy a drink and wait for the chef to prepare our food. We do not keep going into the kitchen to check how they are preparing the food, we trust that everything will be prepared in the right way and delivered at the right time. This is also the invitation with affirmations to trust Divine timing.
How can positive affirmations help us?
When positive affirmations do not work and we get frustrated it is just a warning signal that maybe we do not believe that what we desire is possible. There is often a part of us that does not believe the affirmation, so as a result it will probably block it from manifesting in our lives. This is why we need to be aware of our inner voice when we say our affirmations.
Let me explain it in a simple way. Imagine in your garden you are planting seeds (affirmations) but if there are too many weeds (limiting beliefs) there will be no space for the plants to grow. The weeds have often been there for a long time from the time we were born buried deep in our subconscious mind. This can be an interesting process of planting the seeds and also working towards plucking the weeds at the same time, only then we can start to see positive changes in our lives.
How do I know what is blocking positive affirmations?
Tips to get started
In my previous article, I talked about positive affirmation, so we need to create a few sentences and remember they need to be positive, personal and present tense
Practice the affirmations for a few days and make a note of the resistance, i.e., the part of us that does not believe it.
For example, our affirmation is, ‘I love and accept myself exactly as I am’ and our inner voice is saying ‘You’re overweight and life is always a struggle’
Next step is to adjust the affirmation to overcome the resistance and we do this by creating a bridge from where we are to where we want to be e.g., ‘I take steps to cultivate self-love more and more each day,’ or ‘I am willing to love and accept myself exactly as I am,’
This helps to break it down into smaller steps to help us get to where we want to be otherwise the leap is too big.
The willingness to take positive steps will give the Universe a sign that we are ready for positive changes in our lives.
It is also important to let go of expectations of how we think things ‘should be.’ Be open to the unlimited possibilities in life!!
Affirmations can be done for different areas of your life, and it is a process that takes time to adjust them so they feel right. It goes a lot deeper than just being a bunch of words and we need to experience that ‘inner click’ and feel that they are right for us. Once we get the right feeling behind the affirmations, we can then use them daily to set the law of attraction into motion and to see positive changes in our lives.
My goal with this article was to share how positive thinking alone does not always work and we need to gain awareness of the negative self-talk, otherwise, we could be blocking things from manifesting in our lives. I would love to hear how you get on and please feel free to reach out to me and share your experiences or frustrations.
Mei Flynn, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Mei Flynn is a Holistic Confidence Coach who inspires and empowers women 40+ to tap into their inner confidence to live the life they really want. She's suffered from low self-esteem most of her life and using a range of different psycho-spiritual techniques she has transformed her life and is now passionate about helping clients to do the same. The key is to help others to let go of limiting beliefs and blocks that's stopping them from living a happy and fulfilled life. Her mission is to help women thrive and not just survive.
