The Secret Truth About Affirmations Revealed
Simply put, affirmations are repeating a given sentence or an idea over and over in your mind or out loud.
One of the most famous quotes about affirmations in history being…
“Everyday in every way I am getting better and better” by the French psychologist Emile Coué.
The idea behind affirmations is based on the principle that any idea exclusively occupying the mind turns into reality, as long as the idea is within the realms 
of possibility. For example the father of affirmations himself (or at least the father of the most popular affirmation) Coué used to say that “curing our troubles require a change in our unconscious thought, which can only be achieved by using our imagination”.
I am personally not a big fan of how affirmations are done traditionally. Why?
Because I like using leverage. Leverage means doing more and more with less and less. Saying over and over “I am rich! I am abundant! I am healthy!” seems to me like a waste of time; especially for people who are not rich, abundant and wealthy.
It creates an emotional incongruence that has every chance of backfiring. I don’t believe in unrealistic positive thinking. And saying something over and over that you actually don’t believe to be true will only diminish all your faith on yourself and on the affirmations you are using.
So what do I do? I usually spend about 1 hour each day meditating and mind programming and I rely upon a combination of tools like hypnosis, meditation and yes also affirmation but in a different way. I use affirmations that are universally true and not just hopeful thoughts. My affirmations read like this:
“I now think about success, future goals and contribution to this world most of the time. Whenever I find myself indulging in negative thought patterns, I consciously decide to focus on what is good and exciting.”
Here is another one…
“I know the very first step for attaining success is being totally clear about what I want. Happiness is not a random event; happiness is the step by step realization of my chosen goals in life. I choose to be happy. I choose to know what I want from life. And I choose to gradually work towards attaining my goals everyday.”
So how to make the power of positive thinking work for you? Focus on a positive thought, but don’t try to fool your brain. Your conscious mind is way too weak to fool the entire psychosomatic system into something that is not even close to truth.
If you are sick and wish to be healthy, focus on universal health affirmations. An example could be: “as I exercise and eat healthy each day, my body heals faster and faster every day”.
If you are poor and wish to improve your financial status, focus on affirmations that are both true and goal oriented (as opposed fantastic hopes).
See the affirmations above? They are not just nice thoughts but embedded within them are real actions that can actually help you do things differently. That’s where the power of positive thinking comes from. Not saying happy words till the cows come home, but actually doing things differently as a result of having those positive thoughts. No matter how many “self help” products tell you your thoughts alone can change your reality, take this from me… unless you DO things differently, nothing ever will change.
The universe does not grow by thinking happy thoughts alone. It grows by evolution through constant adaptation and growth of its constituents. “Think happy thoughts inside but keep doing the same things over and over outside” is like “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” (Shakespeare said that by the way, not me). It’s a clever little marketing message that sells.
Suddenly all lazy people around the world have new ideology to hold on to: think positive thoughts and that will solve all your problems. Of course positive thoughts are essential but it’s not sufficient. If you keep DOING what your have always DONE, you will keep getting the same results you have always gotten. You need to change your thoughts but more importantly you need to change your habits and actions.
Shafin de Zane is a spiritual teacher and an author. Shafin is also internationally recognized as a popular author, master hypnotist, hypnotherapist and coach