In Behavior Motivation – 5 Steps to Change Any Habit, you learned a 5-step system to change any habit and begin the process for finding motivation. Now you will learn how to add rocket power to behavior motivation and accomplishing anything you want.
Nothing can propel your efforts as much or guarantee the outcome of your efforts as well as the two concepts Affirmations and Visualization.
Affirmations
Affirmations are positive statements of fact as you intend them to be. If you really want to find motivation, create affirmations.
Because affirmations are “statements of fact”, affirmations must be written in the present tense. The subconscious can only operate in the present, never the future. Affirmations must be repeated over and over until they are internalized and become fact. Write affirmations down! Post them everywhere! Most importantly read your affirmations many, many times per day until they are internalized.
Some affirmation examples are:
- I am debt free.
- I operate on a cash only basis.
- If I can’t afford to pay for it in cash, I can’t afford it.
[Note - The last statement above borders on a negative statement. Be very cautious before using negative reinforcement.]
If you doubt the power of this process, ask yourself how many times you have successfully employed negative affirmations. When was the last time you heard or maybe even said, “This will never work”. Then when it didn’t work, you heard or said “See, I told you.” The point had become fact. Hate and prejudice are great examples of negative affirmation.
Why are elephants tied with a lightweight chain that they could easily break? It’s simple. As a baby, they had a very heavy chain on their foot from which they could not break loose. As they grew older, they did not forget. What were we taught as children with repeated exposure? What do we teach our children?
A barracuda in a water tank was separated from minnows by clear plastic. The barracuda initially kept crashing into the clear plastic. Scientists learned, however, that after repeated failures the clear plastic could be removed and the barracuda kept swimming in its own area. It had limitations implanted to the point of ignoring its basic nature. What limits do we put on ourselves or allow others to do for us?
How many times do you have to repeat an affirmation? Whatever it takes to get the job done. If it takes 10 billion times, what difference does it make if it’s important. And if it is not important enough, why are you considering it?
Visualization
Visualization is seeing the object of your desire with your mind’s eye. But visualizations is more than that. It is seeing its reality in your mind… feeling it, knowing it exists already. The more detailed and focused your visualization, the faster the transformation will occur.
What color is it? How does it feel to the touch or within yourself when you are in possession? Can you smell it, can you taste it, and can you hear it?
Proper visualization involves as many senses as possible… do it with fervor. Imagine every detail and possibility. The more the detail, the greater the focus, the more fervent you are, the more often you apply visualization…. These are what gives affirmation true power. These will determine how fast it will occur.
There is a second benefit to visualization. By detailed visualization you can often foresee a flaw to be corrected or a way to plan for a shortcoming that you may well have never seen until it was too late. This simple benefit can pay perhaps the biggest dividend of all.
Now act on it! And while at it check out I need Motivation and Nightingale Conant.