(ThyBlackMan.com) This New Year, a lot of people will set goals for love, health and wealth. Many, unfortunately, will not see their goals come to fruition. Why? Because of ‘negative affirmations’.
A negative affirmation is a mental acceptance of one’s self-imposed limitation. A negative affirmation is an attitude and these attitudes are ingrained in us; they become part of our habitual thinking. It essentially says, ‘I lack the means to achieve what I really want in life’.
A lot of people dream of better days but lack the mental belief to see their goals become a reality.
Negative affirmations are grounded in fear; they become the house you live in.
For most people, negative affirmations form the ‘operating system’ of their lives. Unlike the hardware that comes with any computer, negative affirmations are the ‘software’ – it’s the beliefs, attitudes and thoughts that we subconsciously add to our mainframe
everyday of our lives. Our ability, will power and vision are inextricably shaped by negative affirmations. Here are three such negative affirmations (among many) we must stay away from if we are to walk into our destiny.
I Can’t: Ability
We are hardwired for success. ‘I can’t’ is a negative affirmation because it changes the direction of success suddenly. What we are capable of is no longer possible. We all remember the children’s story about the train that kept repeating “I think I can. I think I can.”
It’s no different for us as adults; what we keep repeating to ourselves has an enormous impact on our brains. ‘I can’t’ places an automatic (and automated) limitation on who you are and what you can accomplish. What you are essentially saying is ‘I don’t believe in my ability’.
Remember the words of Walt Disney, If you can dream it, you can do it.
I Won’t: Will Power
This phrase makes the list because it’s a motivation-inhibitor and dream-crusher; its constant use robs one of one’s desires. This person habitually says ‘I will never get that promotion’, ‘I will never find a spouse’, I will never get out of debt’.
It’s one thing to lose one’s faith in their ability, but to be totally devoid of one’s will to succeed is an even greater tragedy.
Consider the words of George A. Sheehan, We may think there is willpower involved, but more likely, change is due to ‘want power’.
I’m too…: Vision
A person is defeated by ‘I can’t’, held down by ‘I won’t’ and, finally, demoralized by ‘I’m too..fat, skinny, old etc. ‘I’m too’ is the ultimate negative affirmation because it disconnects one from his or her ability to see themselves in a different manner than which they find themselves.
If, as Jonathan Swift suggests, vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others, then surely what is possible for us must become visible to ourselves at first.
Our ability, will power and vision are inextricably shaped by negative affirmations. What we must remember is that all of the above mentioned negative affirmations work as a tandem. Each day, we are faced with situations and challenges that offer us a way forward, backward or to remain just where we are. Our ability to distinguish what we say versus what we do is the key to our success.
What you say becomes the house you live in!
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.
In October 2015, Eric released Life’s A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) – http://www.infinitestrategiescoaching.com.
