Why affirmations work? Can something so simple be effective? Once you understand why and how affirmations work, you will no longer doubt the power behind doing self affirmations.
Mention about self affirmations and most people will immediately dismiss it. People want to take concrete actions that they think will bring results. Many do not understand that practicing affirmations is taking action.
The reason why affirmations work can be grouped into the following ;
The mind cannot differentiate between what’s real or not
Believe it or not, our brains don’t work with the concept of reality. That is exactly why you can feel upset by just thinking about something. It doesn’t matter whether it actually happened or not.
This is why you cry at movies. And why today you still feel stupid just because your kindergarten teacher said that 30 years ago.
So, when practicing self affirmations you are continually verbalizing & visualizing what you desire. When done with intensity and repetition, your mind will treat it as reality. You would have developed a new belief.
When that happens, your potential will increase by many folds. Your mind will find a way to make it happen. To make what it perceives as real become a reality.
Take a look at this diagram.
Each one leads to the other. But where does the cycle begin? We can have an endless debate over this. The point is, you can install beliefs by practicing affirmations. And with that, you start a never ending success cycle. This is why affirmations work.
Your thought creates….
Yup that’s right. According to advanced quantum physics, everything in this universe is energy. Water, air, soil, light, the stars, even yourself. Just like everything else, your thoughts are made of energy as well. And this is where creation & attracting what you desire comes in.
One of the main hypothesis in quantum physics is that ‘the object is influenced by the observer’. After all, what we call reality is in essence our brain’s interpretations to the data gathered by the sensory cells in our eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin.
Without you, there will be no reality, so to speak. We co-create our reality.
Our physical universe is ‘shapeable’. When you have a thought, it carries (or rather is) energy and goes out all the way to the universe.
This energy contains the contents of your thoughts and the Universe starts to manifest it. Due to the dense & low vibration level of the physical plane, there is a lag to the manifestation.
It doesn’t happen immediately. In the spiritual world it is immediate. In the physical plane, all you need is patience and faith.
So think about it for a moment, what are you doing when practicing self affirmations? That’s right, you are sending thoughts out.
The more you do it, the stronger and faster the manifestation. That’s the second reason why affirmations work.
Now you might ask ‘If it’s that easy, why haven’t I gotten the Ferrari yet?’ Read the next point to find out.
Consistency vs. inconsistency
OK great. Now if that is true, why don’t I see a million dollars in my bank account? Where is the Ferrari? Realize that in the physical world, there is a lag time to the manifestation.
The thoughts you give out now will not manifest until later in the future. So here’s the question, what have you been focusing on during this lag time?
If you are not consistently holding that thought, then the energy & momentum gained in the manifestation will be wiped out.
Let’s say you lost focus along the way. You started to doubt the possibility of achieving it. Now before your initial desire can be manifested, the change in your thought stops that manifestation process.
Instead, now you are sending out the thought/message that it cannot be achieved.
That is why you must have strong faith & belief. Don’t lose hope. Even though you cannot see the results yet, it doesn’t mean that underneath the surface great things aren’t happening.
Just like the transition of water from ice to liquid. An ice cube is at 0 degrees Celsius. Though it absorbs the heat (energy) around it, the temperature remains the same.
We can’t see any changes, however within it there are changes happening to the molecules in the ice cube. Finally at the critical threshold, it turns into liquid. Only then can we see the changes.
This explains why most people who are successful are usually those that stick to their thoughts and rarely change their minds. This is why affirmations work if you practice it consistently.
Neurological pathways (the more you do something, the more it becomes a habit.
Whenever we think or do something, we make a mark in our brains. (As in physically there is a neurological pattern) The more we do it, the deeper the mark and the more reinforced it gets.
Ever noticed that whenever you start something new like an exercise program or changing habits, the beginning is the hardest.
But once you do it for it while, it becomes easier & natural. This is because the mark became deeper after doing it numerous times. It becomes easier and easier to change and adopt the new belief/habit/lifestyle.
By practicing self affirmations, you are carving a deep mark of what you want into your brain.
Up to the point where the mark becomes so deep that you will automatically focus on what you want, consistently and without doubts.
At that point you will subconsciously find a way & make things happen. This is the final reason why affirmations work.
Final thoughts…
To sum up, let’s go back to the original question, “Why affirmations work?” Self affirmations do work because not only is the process and practice of self affirmations in sync with the process of creation in our universe, but it is also in line with the way our brain operates.
That’s it for me now. Hope it answers the question of why affirmations work for you.
Self Improvement Mentor is not just about sharing tips for increasing productivity or becoming smarter.
Rather the information here approaches self improvement through total alignment and integration of the whole being to support the outcome.
True lasting success can only exist when the soul, mind, body and emotions are aligned.