What is an affirmation…

An Affirmation is a statement that you repeat to yourself in order change the way you think, feel,  act or behave.

If you are on a journey of self-discovery and believe in self-improvement, self-development or want to be a better person, better at your job, better parent, partner, wife or husband, then affirmations can most certainly help you achieve your goals, easily, simply and quickly.

Talking of goals. Affirmations and goals are related but not the same, because… an affirmation is a way of reaching a goal. They are the vehicles that allow you to change the way you think, feel, act or behave and in so doing open the door to the change.

Why is change such an important word in the world of self-development or self-improvement? This question might seem obvious, but these little details are not always obvious. If you keep doing the same thing the same thing will keep happening.

There are times when doing the same thing can be useful. Having good habits as opposed to not such good habits has to be a plus. For example, if you oversleep every morning and getting out the door on time causes you stress then getting up earlier has to be a better habit for you than getting up late.

Not everyone is interested in self-improvement but if you are one of the minority who are interested then Affirmations can be a great tool, a tool that is fast easy and inexpensive to use.

Fear is like a brick wall…

Fear can stop you achieving what it you would like to achieve. It really gets in the way of change, progress and movement. Fear keeps us stuck as if there were a brick wall built in our path.

I am not sharing this because I have read it somewhere, all the things I have not done but wanted to do, have been driven solely by fear. You can the big black fear monster holding onto your shirt tails.

And, you might be reading this because you want to change something or even everything in your life. Or you might want to do something but not taking the risk or letting go of something that is holding you back.

If your environment is holding you back,

Then you must leave it behind.

Teresa Wallach

Why is it, that change is such a challenge for some people, and yet there are others who relish change… What are the ones who relish change thinking, feeling and behaving that is different from the ones who find change such a challenge?

There might be times when you love change. There might be times when you hate change. There might be times when you are ready to change and do not. There might be times when you do not want to change and still choose to do so.

One thing in life is certain and that is change. Only you might not know it… The seasons change, the weather changes, the day changes from night to day to night again, the moons cycles change from day to day, the stars and planets change their position in the sky, people change, and yet it can sometimes feel so hard to change our habits, your routine, your environment, your friends, your bank account, your internet service provider, your phone provider and list goes on and on.

Maybe there is security in knowing certain things are not going to change on a daily basis. Not knowing what is going to happen can create fear and all kinds of anxiety. The fear of starving, the fear of freezing, the fear of poverty, the fear of having no money, the fear of not being able to provide for one’s family, the fear of illness. The fear of not having any friends, the fear of moving to somewhere that is unfamiliar, the fear of being too fat, the fear of being too thin, the fear that your new provider will not give you a good service and cause problems, the fear of not being good enough. You might believe, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know.

The people who embrace change are usually life’s survivors and thrivers. Fear takes us out of the moment because we are fearful of the unknown, a fear of something that has not yet happened.

When I was about twelve years old, my mentor and also my Father, a man who I loved and adored for his wisdom and ability to survive without compromising his integrity. One night we were having one of our after dinner chats about something that happened that I do not remember. What I do remember was his comment, he said, son, eighty percent of what we worry about will not happen so deal with the other twenty percent if an when it happens and in the meantime live your life as best you can. My mother later said when were alone, “Well David, you always come up smelling of Roses, so there is no need to worry anyway, just continue to stay positive. Always.” Both these pearls of wisdom embedded a positive belief in me, and gave me confidence.

So, what are the benefits of change? I believe that through change we grow faster, we get more done with our life. It is the University of Life. Why else would we be here on planet earth if it were not to learn? There must be a reason and only you can come to that answer.

For myself, I believe being human is like being at school or university, only from the day you are born to the day you die. If you keep doing the same things then the same things will keep happening. Change is the fastest way to grow, to expand and to learn and experience the wonderful myriad of things to do and places to go.

Another little pearl my father gave me when we were sat around the table after dinner on another dark winters evening. I had just turned fourteen and pondering on what to do when I left school which was soon approaching for me. His answer was to do as many things as possible, learn as many trades as you can, learn them well and you will never starve. When you are on your death bed you will be asking yourself. What did I do with my life? All you need is to have a good story to tell.” He continued, “David, if die now I know I have had an amazing life and I have no real regrets. So son, remember, the world is your Oyster. Take your balls in one hand, your heart in the other and jump…”

As Susan Jeffers wrote in her ground breaking book, “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” Be aware of your fears, noticing what you are fearful of and seeing them as an opportunity to grow.