My Daily Affirmation 12 January

Self Help with Affirmations & Other Cards

Every morning I pick out a card from my basket as part of my self help, self development strategy. Most of the time they are affiramation cards, something I will repeat constantly throughout the day to make it so. But they are also to reflect on what they mean for me personally and try to figure out why they have appeared today. In the same basket are self help cards and other divination cards, primarily crystals and animal totems. Today's card is an exercise in self help. Want to join me?

The Main Thing... Affirmation Exercise

Of course my very first reaction is probably the same as everyone else - not a lot. It made me feel uncomfortable that I would need to sit and think about some positive aspects of me - but - here goes.

Appearance wise - I have to say my legs! I've always had good legs and grew up in the age of mini skirts, even our nurses uniforms were short!. Today they are the only parts of my body that have aged well. It's like having two different hemispheres - slim and shaply legs and ankles and blob above - well less blob than a few months ago but still not exactly a matching set.

Now that whole paragraph is telling and something I obviously still need to consider. Why did I feel compelled to add a negative onto a positive? We all do it, the trick is - if you turn up something you don't like, either do something to change it ( like me and my 5:2 diet) or learn to live and accept it.

I was tempted to go with this exercise and I probably will in my personal journal - I like my compassion, my principles and ethics and a whole lot more. But it is the physical that I stumble on most and if it makes me so uncomfortable that I am having trouble expressing it - then I really need to look more closely at why it is important to my personal self esteem and what I can do about it to change my reaction. So I will take today to react to this card and


 maybe today my card will read

Nursing Graduation in Dundee 1973

What Are Affirmations and Do They Really Work?

Believe from freedigitalphotos.net

Introducing positive thinking and how it can improve your life.

A great way to introduce positivity into your life is through affirmations. 

Affirmations are short positive statements which you repeat to yourself over and over - almost like a mantra if you like.  Instead of wasting energy going over the hundred different things you should have said or done, train your mind to introduce positive improvements in your life.

In a very short time you will notice that there are many more positive things in your life than there were before. So whether you want to attract abundance in material or spiritual things, to improve your body and your health or just to feel more in balance, affirmations are a great place to start. 

The first Universal Truth is that “Energy Follows thought”

Note Card: Positive Thoughts by Just_Cards

What you think is very much - what you get. Consider every thought that passes through your mind as a point of power in your life. With the help of affirmations you have the choice to use that point of power in a positive manner. 

There are some simple rules to remember: 

1. The universe does not recognise NO and NOT so don't use them. Don't say "I have NO debt." Rather say, "I am Free of debt." 
2. Be specific. At a time in my life when I was particularly hard-up I would chant, “money comes quickly and easily to me” on my way to work. Three mornings running I found a 1p piece on the ground outside my shop. The universe does have a sense of humour.
3. Use the present tense. If you say “I am going to..” it will always stay in the future. Say “I love me,” not “I am going to love me.” That usually means you are qualifying it, like "I am going to love me when... I lose weight."
4. Keep it short. If it becomes too long it is cumbersome and you won’t remember it all. If it helps, set it to a tune or pace one word in time with each of your footsteps or to your heartbeat.
5. Get into the habit of changing your thought patterns into positive affirmations. When you find yourself tormenting yourself with thought, shift it into a positive statement. For example, “I am free of torment,” or develop a stock phrase you use when you are not programming your universe for something specific. For example, “I am safe, I am well, I am happy.” You will find you very quickly manage to think in affirmations which can only make you stronger.
6. Use them everywhere, in the shower, in the car, on your way to work, even during meditations. They are especially powerful in that half state between waking and sleeping.
7. Say them with your heart and mind. Take a deep breath and take it down into your chest. The universe knows when you are half-hearted. Sometimes believing you deserve whatever it is, is half the battle. Losing weight for example is often linked to low self esteem, often creating a 'shell' of comforting fat around you to shield you from the world. So if one of your affirmations is related to body image try something like, "I am the perfect shape for ME." It takes the burden off you and gives the universe the opportunity to make the perfect you.
8. Be prepared for the positive results although they don’t always come as you expect. Sometimes the things we wish for are not for our higher good, but something else is. Using affirmations regularly means you are opening yourself to possibilities. 
9. Using affirmations promotes a positive, helpful attitude to your life. You'll find your life improves automatically if your attitude changes.

from freedigitalphotos.net

Getting started with affirmations:

Write a list of 10 things you would like to change in your life then think of 10 affirmations which would help. Write them down in a diary or journal. 

At first if you would prefer to weigh less than you do now your may write, “I must lose weight.” But note how this makes it a compulsion and if you don’t succeed it sets you up for a failure which gives you yet something else to hit yourself over the head with. Instead, your affirmation here might be, “I am the perfect weight.” And you are, remember that extra inches always indicate a comfort zone and when you are ready to lose it, you will.

Keep going if you can, add a few more every day until you have around 50 - you can make these into your own personal affirmation cards later on. 

Affirmation Cards

There are loads of affirmation cards available to buy online or you can make your own. These are simply little business-card-size cards with positive sayings or aspirations on them. The idea is you can pick one out at random and use that for your affirmation of the day. I talked about them earlier as a divination tool but they are just as useful as a self help tool. 

My affirmation cards

Making your own cards can be a powerful start-up tool for self help and self improvement. With a computer it is so easy to do. 

You can either just print out a long list of affirmations you have thought of for yourself, cut them into strips with a saying on each and put them in a basket.

Or - use a business card template to create more professional looking ones. 

from freedigitalphotos.net

Tips on how to make affirmations for positive thinking and positive living even more powerful.

Once you start using affirmations regularly you probably know they work well provided they are for your higher good. Here is a wee trick just to reinforce your affirmations and make them even more powerful.

I try to take at least 20 minute exercise every day and since I don’t believe in the “no pain no gain” fraternity, that is either swimming or walking. I use this time to let my mind concentrate on any affirmations I might be working with – timing each short affirmation either to a stroke in swimming or to a pace in walking. 

For me, this type of exercise is really “moving meditation”, a chance to let the right side of my brain take control.  Essentially it gives me at least 20 minutes every day to convince the universe I really, REALLY mean it.

Please note I say SHORT affirmations – long complicated ones won’t work and lets face it, the universe much prefers you to keep it simple anyway – makes for much less confusion.

Over time I have found that with each affirmation I can reinforce it – Strengthen it – By introducing a mental image of me achieving the affirmations.

The affirmation:

·         I am slim – Constitutes an immediate image of a much thinner me.

·         I am trim – An image of a very flat stomach.

·         I am healthy – Well what would that mean to you? Running upstairs, having boundless energy? The instant image I have is of myself looking fresh, bright eyed with shining hair and rosy cheeks.

·         I am wealthy – What image would you like to see of yourself? For me it is opening envelopes with large cheques from publishers.

·         I am fulfilled – in my head I see myself working in my garden and growing my herbs.

I’m sure you get the idea. Don’t try to complicate it, life really can be simple. Enjoy.

10 ways to love yourself

TEN POINT GUIDE TO LOVING YOURSELF

LOVE from freedigitalphotos.net

Learning to love yourself is vital for self esteem. It isn't selfish, it is common sense. I've put together an easy to remember 10 point guide to help you learn to love YOU. 

We spend most of our time caring for other people and don't take enough time to think about caring for ourselves. The key to full health in mind and body is to learn to love YOU first and foremost. We have been conditioned to put ourselves way down the list but your life will work much better if you actually care about yourself. 

Remember how, on a flight the air-hostess tells you, if you are travelling with children and an emergency occurs so you need to use the oxygen mask, put your own on first? You would be of little help to them if you are oxygen deprived. So too in life - you are better able to care for others if you are in balance and harmony in your own life.  

1.         STOP ALL CRITICISM

                        Criticism never changes a thing.  Refuse to criticise yourself.  Accept yourself as you are.  Everyone changes - every single day.  When you criticise yourself your changes are negative.  When you approve of yourself your changes are positive.

2.         DON'T SCARE YOURSELF

                        Stop terrorising yourself with your thoughts.  It's a depressing way to live.  Find a mental image that gives you pleasure and immediately switch your scary thoughts to pleasant thoughts.

3.         BE GENTLE AND KIND AND PATIENT

                        Be gentle with yourself.  Be kind and patient.  You are learning a new skill - you won't get everything right every single time but there is no need to knock yourself over the head every time you falter - that is setting you up for FAILURE - there is no such thing.  Treat yourself as you would someone you love very much and are helping to learn like a child learning to walk.

4.         BE KIND TO YOUR MIND

                        Self hatred is only hating you own thoughts.  Don't hate yourself for having thoughts - gently change them.

5.         PRAISE YOURSELF

                        Criticism of any kind breaks down the inner spirit.  Praise builds it up.  give yourself credit for all the good you are - tell yourself how well you are doing even in the little things and really celebrate the big ones.

6.         SUPPORT YOURSELF

                        Find ways to support yourself.  Reach out to friends and allow them to help you.  It is actually being strong to ask for help when you need it.  Find ways for self nourishing.

7.         BE LOVING TO YOUR NEGATIVES

                        Acknowledge that you create negatives to fulfil a need.  Now you are finding new positive ways to fulfil the same needs.  Lovingly release the old negative patterns.

8.         TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY

                        Learn about yourself - what your needs are and how you can meet them.  Make it a joy not a chore.  Cherish and revere the temple you live in and it will reward you with joy.

9.         MIRROR WORK

                        Look into your eyes often.  Express this growing sense of love you have for yourself.  Forgive yourself while looking in the mirror.  Talk to your parents while looking in the mirror,  Forgive them too.  At lease once a day say 'I love you, I really love you' to yourself  looking directly into your eyes.

10.       LOVE YOURSELF...DO IT NOW!

                        Don't wait until you get well or lose weight or get a new job or relationship.  Begin now and do the very best you can.