The Power of Affirmations

Our belief system underpins everything we do in life. Self-limiting beliefs are ones that prevent us from doing things. For example "I am not a good cook" is a belief that will prevent someone from cooking a healthy nutritious meal; this in turn may lead to the consumption of processed and convenience food leading to health problems. How did they get this belief in the first place - perhaps some meals did not turn out as expected - perhaps someone did not show any appreciation for the effort put into preparing a meal - perhaps the recipe was unclear? There could be thousands of reasons but none of them mean that that you cannot cook. What has happened here is that the brain will look for evidence to support your beliefs. So if you believe "you are not a good cook" you will have no trouble finding evidence that will confirm your belief.

In order to change a negative belief, you have to break what is known as the 'self talk cycle' - a technical term for the voice that pops into your head just as you are about to do something that will challenge you or take you out of your comfort zone. For example, "there is no way you can do this" - or words to that effect. Stage one is to stop reinforcing the old belief at every opportunity. Stage two is to replace the old belief with an empowering belief sentence, known as an "affirmation". For example, "I am a fantastic cook". These types of statements are called positive affirmations (statements that we believe to be true) and will feed your subconscious brain with thoughts that will help you succeed.

It is important to remember that this statement may not be true, yet the main aim at this stage is to cancel out the self-limiting belief. The final stage is to put yourself in a good place, where you can see and feel your new belief. For example, imagine your family are complimenting you on a fantastic meal you have just made. It is essential that this three-stage process be repeated as often as necessary, whenever the self-limiting belief becomes dominant.

The positive statement must be personal (I) in the present (AM) and include the action (GREAT COOK).

This three stage process can be adapted to any situation and can effectively help you to destroy the negative beliefs that hold you back in the workplace or within relationships. By repeating a positive affirmation over and over again, you will improve your levels of confidence; and this will help you to succeed.

Julia McVey is an outstanding coach, mentor and trainer with 15 years corporate experience of delivering quality in blue chip organsiations. http://www.u-cancoachingservices.com