Positive affirmation is one of the tools you can use for personal growth.

Repeatedly verbalizing positive affirmation helps influence your thinking and therefore affect your state of mind and thus your attitude and behaviors.

Positive affirmation is powerful when you include...

• Personal statements or declarations.

When you repeat over and over your personal statements, they become internalized. Using the word "I" is personal.

Write your personal statements with confidence on a card. See your declarations repeatedly so that your mind will absorb and take it as a command.

• Positive words.

Positive words create positive emotions. The words you use influence the way you think, feel and behave. Use positive words to keep you optimistic and upbeat.

Using positive words that you affirm to yourself especially when you are grieving or fearful help you release them and experience positive emotions.

• Written and spoken in the present tense.

Avoid making statements that are constructed in the future. A sentence like "I allow myself to do what is best for me" is in the present tense. You are not deluding yourself but letting your mind becomes aware that it is within your reach.

• Involve your visual sense.

The ability to visualize the person you want to become makes affirmation more effective. Your mental pictures act as double reinforcement to your statements.

Imagination and affirmations stimulate your mind and if practiced daily will have a profound and positive effect on you.

• Emotions.

The statements that you repeat to yourself added with emotions will affect your physiology and therefore your state of mind.

When you verbalize your statement, feel the emotions that it attached to it. When you say, "I am grateful for being alive and having a sound and healthy mind and body", really attach your grateful feeling to it. You will instantly feel good about yourself.

Using Positive affirmations alone will not bring about change and progress. It is one of the tools or mental techniques to change your old negative patterns of thoughts, habits and behaviors.

You still need to have goals, imagine achieving them and take actions. Having goals and continually visualizing and affirming achieving them help you correct your course when you are distracted from your objectives.

Start today...

• To write your positive affirmations on a card and place it where you will see it regularly.

• Cut and paste pictures and create a collage that will stimulate your mind.

• Interrupt your old patterns of thoughts and visualize and affirm positive thoughts and talks.

• Write your solemn declaration each morning and night in your journal to remind your subconscious of the person that you are becoming.

• Subscribe to Jim Rohn's one year success plan to learn how to change your life.

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