affirmation – Page 21 – Empowering Your Mind

Does working on a goal interfere with affirming it?

January 27, 2015 Linda-Ann Stewart

Question: When affirming the fulfillment of a goal, such as finding a job, doesn’t it interfere with the process of the subconscious to keep seeking it, such as networking, looking at ads, etc.?

Answer: This is a very good question. As a person is learning about how the subconscious works, it’s sometimes difficult to know just what to do. The object is to focus on your goal, such as finding the perfect job, but not to concern yourself as to which one or how you’ll find it.

Then you go about the action necessary to find a job. This sends forth energy into the world and lets your subconscious know that you’re serious about finding one. You may not locate your job from any of the avenues you’ve pursued, but the subconscious has been working behind the scenes, and you may bump into someone, or have someone contact you.

By thinking on this over and over, and keeping your mind focused on the goal, and working towards it, this helps the subconscious know what you want and that you truly want it. And by not trying to figure out “how” it will happen, this keeps you out of the subconscious mind’s way.

So many times, a person might say “I want a new job,” but do nothing to that end. The subconscious then figures that is just a fleeting wish. The dominant idea that a person has is what will manifest. In this case, the person might wish for a new job, but not want to put out any effort to find one. The dominant idea is to take the easy way out and stay where they are.

Do I need to translate affirmations from English into my native language?

December 24, 2014 Linda-Ann Stewart

Question: Do I need to translate affirmations from English into my native language for my subconscious mind to understand them?

Answer: I understand your concern about the subconscious understanding affirmations in a foreign language, but there shouldn’t be any problem with it doing so. The language of the subconscious is imagery, and your ability to understand English is also in the subconscious (as is everything else you’ve ever learned). If you didn’t understand English, then there would be a problem.

In my private hypnotherapy practice, I’ve worked with many people who have English as their second language. I generally give the suggestion (to everyone), that “Your subconscious mind hears and understands everything I say.” Their subconscious mind translates what I’ve said into information that they understand. If you find yourself putting too much effort into comprehending the affirmation, then you might want to translate it. Or just state, “My subconscious understands every word of this affirmation.”

What affirmations could I use to improve my self-image?

December 2, 2014 Linda-Ann Stewart

Question: What affirmations could I use to improve my self-image?

Answer: You’d have to determine what you feel is lacking in your self-worth. Suggestions such as: “I am worthy of all the good there is,” “I deserve the best,” “I feel confident and self-assured,” “I accept my true worth” would be a good place to start. Some of my clients say that they “don’t feel like I’m enough.” I give them suggestions that “You are enough, good enough, worthy enough.”

Since the self-esteem issue is individual, you’d know best what kind of ideas you need to emphasize. A suggestion, by Emile Coue, a pioneer in mental programming, is a good, general one. “Every day, in every way, I’m really getting better and better.”

Why no change after using affirmations?

November 4, 2014 Linda-Ann Stewart

Question: Why hasn’t my situation changed after my repeating affirmations for five weeks?

Answer: From my own experience, when you’re making significant changes, it may take the subconscious some time to do so. At one point in my life, I remember it took about four months of daily affirmations before I saw results, but the results were staggering. You have to continue affirmations even after you start to lose faith, because the follow through also impresses the subconscious.

Also, you need to let the subconscious mind do its work. If your conscious mind keeps asking “when, how?” it draws energy from the subconscious. I know it’s hard not to wonder (believe me, I know), but that’s one of the most important parts of it, and I think, the hardest.

Realize that even though you aren’t seeing results, the affirmations are working. They’re just making changes in the hidden recesses of your mind, and waiting until you let go of the “when, how?” When you’re able to release the concern about it, knowing that they’re working and will show results, then the subconscious can put all its energy into making the changes.

Any doubt or fear will give the subconscious mixed messages. They tell the subconscious you don’t really want your affirmation, because your focus is on the doubt or fear. Remember, the subconscious manifests what you’re focusing on – whether it’s positive or negative – it doesn’t care. It can only go where you direct it.

Why do results diminish as I use an affirmation?

October 1, 2014 Linda-Ann Stewart

Question: When I first begin using an affirmation, the results are great, but why do they diminish as I continue using it?

Answer: There are several things that could be happening, and you’ll have to consider which one might be happening for you. It could be that as you first use the affirmation, you’re very conscious of it, you are dedicated in its use, you say it with feeling. Then, as you get results, and get used to the affirmation, you begin to say it by rote, without emotion, almost automatically. The solution is to stay aware when you say it, and say it with feeling, again.

Or you could simply be getting so used to the affirmation that it loses its punch, or you could be getting bored with it. In that case, change to another one that with the same idea for awhile. Switching back and forth between affirmations on the same topic is sometimes a good idea to keep them fresh.

Or there could be an inner resistance or conflict to the changes that are occurring. In this case, you’d need to create an affirmation that would address the outdated ideas. I have one on my affirmations page to deal with blocks – “Whatever has been blocking what I desire is an outdated thought form which now dissolves in the Light of Spirit.”

Or as things taper off for awhile, as the changes you’ve experienced begin to become more solid, you begin to “feel” frustrated, lose faith in the affirmation, or feel desperate. The subconscious will respond to your feeling before it responds to your words, because feeling and imagery is the language of the subconscious. In the same vein, you could be holding an image/mental picture of the opposite of the affirmation.

These are some of the most common reasons an affirmation begins to flame out. It’s not the affirmation, it’s the attitude or belief of the person saying it. With everything, you have to be patient and persistent.

If it takes longer, you can have an attitude that the longer it takes, the better the results are going to be. The affirmation is working in the background, making changes that you may not be aware of yet.

As a speaker, personal and professional development coach and hypnotherapist, Linda-Ann Stewart empowers business and professional women who are stuck, immobilized or overwhelmed get focused, prioritize and break through so they generate more business and create consistent income. If you’d like some help to reach your goals, email her at LAS@Linda-AnnStewart.com with “Complimentary Consultation” in the subject line.

How do I stay focused on my goal?

June 4, 2014 Linda-Ann Stewart

Question: How do I keep my conscious mind from trying to control how a goal comes to pass, while staying focused on that goal?

Answer: Your question is one many people have. We’re taught to try to control the result. The answer takes a lot of discipline and trust. To keep the desired result in your mind, write it down on a card and read it several times a day. This helps to keep your subconscious focused on what it is you want. Then trust that your subconscious knows how to bring that goal into reality, and remind yourself that it’s working on it.

Take any action toward the goal that you know to take. Follow through on any ideas you may have for it. The more actions you take, the more you’re convincing your subconscious that you really want that goal. Keep affirming that “My creative/subconscious mind knows how to bring this to me, and is doing so now” whenever you think of the goal. That gives the subconscious the power and direction of what to do.

It is the subconscious’ role to figure out how things get done, not the conscious mind’s. The conscious mind’s role is to keep the mind focused on the goal, and follow through on any opportunities. It sounds simple, but it’s not easy for most people to do this.

Am I lying to subconscious with declarative affirmation?

April 3, 2014 Linda-Ann Stewart

Question: Shouldn’t a person say “I’m becoming/getting/…” at the beginning of an affirmation, rather than “I am/have…,” because the latter is actually lying to the subconscious?

Answer: An affirmation gives the subconscious instructions on where you want it to go. Like driving a car. When you have your attention down the road, you automatically steer the car in that direction. If you look over to the side and keep your attention there, you automatically begin to steer in the direction of your vision.

An affirmation doesn’t lie to the subconscious, it tells it the results that you expect from it. There’s a classic auto-suggestion that states, “Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.” An affirmation can be stated in the present, “I am/have (your goal)” or “I am getting/becoming (your goal),” which tells the subconscious which direction to go.

“I want…” or “I have…” affirmation?

March 17, 2014 Linda-Ann Stewart

Question: Is it better to write an affirmation or statement of desire as “I want…” or “I have…?”

Answer: Write the statement as if it is happening now (present tense) or has already happened (past tense) (whichever you can accept as an affirmation). The subconscious is very literal, so if you state “I want…” the subconscious will think you want to continue to want it. It will always remain in the future, like a carrot in front of a donkey to keep it moving forward.

If you state, “I have found the perfect car for me,” or “I am being guided to the perfect car for me,” (and believe it) then the subconscious must manifest that. This is one of the most important lessons to learn about writing affirmations.

Guided Visualization or Affirmations?

February 4, 2014 Linda-Ann Stewart

Question: What’s the main advantage of self hypnosis and guided visualization over affirmations?

Answer: Affirmations and suggestions are essentially the same thing. They’re both statements designed to change old mental patterns in your subconscious mind. The advantage of self-hypnosis is that you’re in a state that is more receptive to the positive statements you’re affirming.

When you add visualization to self-hypnosis and affirmations, it helps to give the subconscious more information on what you want and helps to make it real for you. The subconscious cannot tell the difference between a strong image and reality.

But the real power behind any re-programming is feeling. If you can FEEL it to be true, the subconscious mind accepts that and creates it. That also is the main reason for visualization. It’s a mental rehearsal that gives the subconscious a pattern to follow in those situations.

How do I achieve self-image, prosperity and success?

December 4, 2013 Linda-Ann Stewart

Question: I want a better self-image, prosperity, and success, but what do I work on first to achieve these?

Answer: First, a good self-image is the basis of the other two. If you don’t feel like you deserve good, you won’t manifest more prosperity or success. So the first thing I’d focus on is the self-image. I usually tell people to focus on one issue at a time, but since these three items tend to run hand in hand, I think you can work on all three of them at one time.

Write down what makes you feel bad about yourself. Do you feel like you don’t deserve, aren’t enough, aren’t worthwhile? Turn it around and create a positive statement that affirms your worthiness. Work on self-acceptance. And to begin with, I’d state that you deserve prosperity and success in the amount that you want. That would be the first step.

When you start to feel comfortable that you do deserve prosperity and success, then I’d expand the suggestion. State how much prosperity and success that you want. And remember, you don’t have to know how it will happen. That’s what your subconscious mind is for, to work out the details. That’s not to say that you don’t have to take some action, or move in that direction. But you don’t have to worry about the how.

Empowering Your Mind

Mindset, Motivation and Empowerment

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