What is behind all this?

Affirmations are closely connected with the philosophy of 'positive thinking'. There are many critics who are of the opinion that thinking you are successful does not do any good if you are not. That's right. Simply seeing everything through rose-colored glasses does indeed not do any good and in the long run only frustrates you. That's why I prefer the concept of 'constructive thinking' instead of 'positive thinking'. Most people's thinking is very frequently destructive and does not help them in any way.

The goal is to replace destructive thoughts with better and more constructive thinking, which gradually also has a positive influence on the emotional state. We have to be aware that the thinking governs the emotions, and not the other way around. Philosophers of all ages have researched this subject. Thousands of books have been written about it. You can find some of them in the link list.

In the following, I would like to give some tips on how to best use affirmations:

How do you learn?

By practicing, and practicing and practicing, and every time you realize that you're doing something wrong, you stop, concentrate, and try to do it again correctly. Frequent repetitions have the goal of internalizing the correct execution. Learning how to think constructively works the same way. First you have to recognize destructive thoughts. Only then can you stop and replace them with better thoughts.

Imagine a musician who does not notice that he plays the wrong notes. He cannot improve his playing because he has no way of making corrections. There is no way around becoming aware of your thoughts. Awareness is the magic word. In order to learn how to recognize destructive thoughts, you have to spend a lot of time on this subject and really get into it, through meditation groups, books, spiritual teachers etc. The more frequently you consciously study your way of thinking, the faster you notice when destructive thoughts sneak in (and they do very often). It is critical not to identify with those thoughts and emotions, but rather to observe them, without evaluating them.

Be aware, however, that it is not possible to change your way of thinking from one day to the next. Most spiritual teachers have been dealing with this subject for years. Apart from all success, there will also be times of standstill, when you slip back into your old way of thinking. Give yourself time and stay true to your goal. It is worthwhile. Magic Affirmations is a tool to help you. The more frequently and intensively you deal with your way of thinking, the greater your progress will be.

You instead of I, positive and true

Affirmations are frequently worded in the first person, for example 'I am calm and composed'. In my experience, however, written affirmations displayed on the screen work better, if they are worded in the second person, e.g. 'You can allow yourself to be calm and composed'. It feels as if your computer talks to you, as a virtual mentor. After all, you got most of your negative beliefs from other people, and they, too, addressed you in the second person.

The problem with 'I am calm and composed' is also that it may not correspond to the truth, because at that moment you do not feel calm and composed at all, but rather restless and stressed out. Affirmations have to be positive and true. Only then do they work. If they do not correspond to the truth, they unconsciously elicit internal resistance.

From an objective point of view, the affirmation 'You can allow yourself the luxury at any time to be calm and composed' is absolutely true. That means that our subconscious mind has to tell itself again and again 'Yes, this is actually true'. The more you sense the truth behind the affirmations, the more your subconscious mind is willing to accept them.

General positive and true facts e.g. 'Happiness means releasing negative thoughts' work just as well as personal affirmations. Or you can look for quotations by famous wise people on the Internet. Many of them know exactly where happiness is to be found.

Quotations and affirmations are available en masse on the Internet or in books; just look for them. Of course, affirmations that are tailor-made exactly for you work best. In order to find these you have to spend a lot of time with yourself, or compile suitable affirmations together with psychologists or counselors. If you notice a negative thought, ask yourself how the positively phrased truth to this thought would sound. Then you are already very close to your perfect affirmation.

Grouping affirmations

You can group the texts entered. If you are, for example, a salesperson and want to sell more, build a group of affirmations on this subject and let this group run for a while. You can also support affirmations with a picture. If you want to optimize your sales closing, use the goal you want to reach as a background picture that symbolizes your success. This is an extra motivation.

If your list consists of a lot of affirmations, it makes sense to organize them alphabetically (within individual groups), so that you find the entries more quickly.