| In 1957, Earl Nightingale, speaker, author
and co founder of the Nightingale-Conant Corporation, recorded his classic motivational
record "The Strangest Secret." "The Strangest Secret" sold over one
million copies and made history in the recording industry by being honored as the first
Gold Record for the spoken word. Nightingale, known as the "dean of personal
development," concluded that life's "strangest secret" is that we become
what we think about all day long.
Your belief system, like your computer, doesn't judge or
even question what you input; it merely accepts your thoughts as the truth, the whole
truth and nothing but the truth. Think thoughts of defeat or failure and you're bound to
feel discouraged. Continuous thoughts of worry, anxiety and fear are unhealthy and often
manifest in the body as stress, panic attacks and depression.
At the core of Earl's message, he reveals the incredible
power of positive self-talk, belief and expectation. What you vividly imagine and hold in
your subconscious mind begins to out picture as your reality. Your belief system not only
defines your reality, but it also shapes your character and determines your potential.
The Placebo Effect
The ability of the mind to cure a disease even when the
medicine is known to be worthless is known as the "placebo effect." This occurs
in medical trials where doctors give patients sugar pills, but tell them they will cure
their illness. Often it does, even though the pills contain nothing of medical benefit.
The only thing of value in these medical trials is the patient's own belief that the sugar
pills will cure them. It's the power of the patient's belief and expectation alone that
produces the improvement in his or her health.
I recently read a remarkable story about a group of cancer
patients who thought they were being treated with chemotherapy, but were actually given a
placebo. Before their treatment began, the patients were informed about the complications
associated with undergoing chemotherapy treatment, such as fatigue and loss of hair.
Amazingly, based on nothing more than their belief and expectation, nearly one third of
the patients who were given the placebo reported feeling fatigued and actually experienced
hair loss!
The Power of Affirmation and Positive Self-talk
If you had access to a powerful tool that would enhance our
self-esteem and allow you to reach your full potential would you use it?
A good way to create positive self-talk is through
affirmations. An affirmation is a positive statement that represents your desired
condition or outcome. Interesting enough, your subconscious mind doesn't know the
difference between a real experience and a vividly imagined "mental" experience.
When he was a struggling young comedian, late at night Jim
Carrey would drive into the hills overlooking Hollywood and yell at the top of his lungs
"I will earn ten million dollars a year by 1995." When 1995 finally arrived, Jim
was the star of the movie "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls", for which he was
paid twenty million dollars!
World-class athletes understand the value of affirmation
and recognize the impact of their mental preparation on their physical performance. They
use the power of positive affirmation to reduce anxiety and increase their expectation of
achievement. To be of maximum benefit an affirmation must be simple, encouraging and
stated in the present tense. By repeating an affirmation over and over again it becomes
embedded in the subconscious mind.
To be effective your affirmation must be stated aloud...
1. In a positive manner with the focus on what you want.
When you catch yourself saying or thinking something negative about yourself, counteract
the negative self-talk with a positive affirmation. Start your affirmation with words like
"I am..." or "I already have..."
Example: "I close sales with little or no
resistance."
"I take good care of my customers and they show their
appreciation by referring their friends to me."
2. In the present tense. Your subconscious mind works in
the present tense, so avoid words such as can, will, should or could.
Example: "I love doing my work and I am richly
rewarded creatively and financially."
3. With strong emotion and conviction.
4. Repeatedly. I suggest you read your affirmations each
morning upon awakening and again each night just before falling asleep. Close your eyes
and picture the end result. Feel the emotions associated with the affirmation.
Here are some of my favorite affirmations:
"Every day in every way I'm getting better and
better!"
"Everything comes to me easily and effortlessly!"
"I love and appreciate myself just as I am!"
"I love doing my work and I am richly rewarded
creatively and financially!"
"I now have enough time, energy, wisdom and money to
accomplish all my desires!"
"Infinite riches are now freely flowing into my
life!"
"I am relaxed and centered!"
"I feel happy and blissful!"
Do affirmations really work and can they be used to
propel a person to achieve greatness?
As a young boy growing up in Louisville, Kentucky,
12-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clay dreamed of someday becoming the heavyweight boxing
champion of the world. When working out in the gym, Clay would continuously affirm to all
within earshot that he was indeed the greatest boxer of all time! While many felt he was
brash and boastful, few people actually took this 89-pound youngster seriously. Mohammad
Ali used his affirmation to become the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world
and arguably one of the most popular and recognized sports figures of all times!
"Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Choose
your words, for they become actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits.
Study your habits, for they will become your character. Develop your character, for it
becomes your destiny." - Anonymous
You show me a salesperson with high self-esteem, a positive
attitude and a healthy work ethic and I'll be able to predict his or her success in
advance... I guarantee it.
© Copyright 2007 - John Boe |
