Positive Affirmation vs Power Words

af·fir·ma·tion/ˌæfərˈmeɪʃən/ [af-er-mey-shuhn]

Meaning:
1. the assertion that something exists or is true.
2. a statement or proposition that is declared to be true.
3. ratification of the truth or validity of a prior judgment, decision, etc.
4. a solemn declaration accepted instead of a statement under oath.
5. to assert positively

Positive affirmations have been considered the panacea within the self improvement industry for a long time. Most of the self improvement guru's teach it. However, if affirmations were as effective as they are made out to be, then why are we all not wealthy? Popular? Harmonious? Creative? Slim?

Why? Because our conscious mind interacts and interprets information we are receiving, and filters "unrealistic" messages (messages that contradict our more deeply held views) from the subconscious mind. That's its job!

How many have repeated over & over again, sometimes for months & even years on end, the simple sentence, "I am wealthy"? Were you wealthy at the time? If not, your subconscious mind was filtering that message as a lie. It says, "Yeah right, you don't have two dimes to rub together pal, get a clue." That message, the lie, is the one the subconscious mind accepts as the truth. That message is the reality the subconscious mind works on.

Truth is, no amount of present tense affirming that "A" is not "A" will ever change "A" to not "A". If you are affirming you're 1.80m tall when you're 1.69m tall, this tells your mind that you are crazy, or a liar, or even both! Yes, there is a reason you may have been feeling foolish and futile with your affirmations!

The problem lies in using the words "I am". When you use "I am" and you are not, you are opening up yourself for attack from the subconscious mind. Get rid of the notion of affirmations and replace it with a concept of Power Words.

Look again at the word wealthy. When using positive affirmations we would say to ourselves, "I am wealthy." Change the word wealthy into wealth and you now have a Power Word. Now say to yourselves, "wealth."

In quiet contemplation we think about the concept of wealth and what it means to us. What kind of lifestyle changes would we have if we had wealth. Where would we live, what would we drive, what cause would we donate part of our wealth to.

By just thinking about the concept of wealth you're instructing your conscious mind to tell your subconscious mind to personalize what the word means to you. You create in your subsconscious your reality of the word. You leave no doubt as to what the word encompasses without having to try to fool your subconscious mind into believing you already have it.

I have personally experienced successes not by lying to my conscious mind by telling it something that isn't true, but instead by laying the groundwork in the subconscious through conceptual thinking and creating the atmosphere by which the successes were attainable.

Fact is: Using affirmations in conjunction with the words, "I am" can be self-sabotaging and lead to frustration, confusion and self-doubt. Unfortunately, this is the concept that many of us have been taught. And even more unfortunately, the use of this concept is what is holding back many of us on our personal development journey, and even leading some into abandoning the journey all together.

Practice the concept of Power Words. Here's what I do. I choose a new Power Word each week, and during my quiet time I contemplate what the word means to me. Below is a list of some of the Power Words I consider important to my personal development. You can use the same list or modify it. As long as you get rid of positive affirmations and replace it with POWER WORDS!

Peace
Harmony
Honesty
Charity
Freedom
Wisdom
Kindness
Inspiration
Intelligence
Memory
Grace
Confidence
Abundance
Health
Strength
Energy
Vitality
Power
Serenity
Love
Creativity
Life
Success
Happiness
Resourcefulness
Persistence
Purpose
Achievement

Power Up With Power Words, my friends!

Things do not change; we change.
-Henry David Thoreau

You can create the energy to turn your dreams into reality by knowing what to say when you talk to yourself.
-Shad Helmstetter