When Affirmations Don't Work

Affirmations are a powerful tool for creating the life you want for yourself, but what do you do when affirmations don't work?

The power of affirmations has been well documented.  Even the famous Scott Adams of the Dilbert Blog has extolled the virtues of affirmations.  Yesterday, I blogged about Debbie Rocker who urged her readers at Yahoo Health to use affirmations to change the mind for successfully accomplishing goals.

Before blogging on today's title, it is important for me to clarify for you that I am a believer in the power of affirmations. 

I like Scott's idea to write down an affirmation 15 times on a daily basis for six months, before concluding the affirmation doesn't work. 

Although I believe in the power of affirmations, affirmations don't always work.  Why don't affirmations always work?  When affirmations don't work, what should you do?

Affirmations are successful when repeated with sufficient frequency, passion, courage and purpose. Affirmations can be successful for any problem in life such as losing weight or achieving any dream.

Sometimes when people make affirmations successfully, affirmations are not enough for success.  Usually, changing thoughts is the secret for changing the quality of one's life and the perception of one's world.

However, it has been my experience with working with clients for over 30 years that changing consistently with affirmations is very difficult.  Even when a person is thinking that they are expressing and living their affirmations, their old thoughts crop up in their thoughts, speech, and behavior.  It is not unusual for people to deceive themselves by thinking they are living a life of new affirmation, when in reality the old self refuses to give up occupancy in their heads.

When affirmations fail, you can ask  family, friends and coaches for help.  They can point out when your old thoughts have crept back into your consciousness and kicked out the new thought.

Problems with implementing affirmations is to be expected and is not due to personal weakness or absence of determination. 

Rather, there may be an internal conflict with the unconscious and conscious mind.  Scott Adams pointed out that affirmations may actualize because they don't conflict with the unconscious mind.

Sometimes, successful affirmations would necessitate changes in our lifestyle that we don't want to do.  The choice to remain in the comfort zone can defeat affirmations.

Sometimes affirmations fail, because our minds as well as our thoughts need to change.  There are many possible ways that the mind can prevent affirmations from being successful. 

Just one brief example.  If a person has an unconscious, life motive to take care of others, this motive will negate any affirmation for self-improvement.  A conscious affirmation for self-improvement does not fit with the unconscious motive to take care of others rather than oneself.

As I wrote yesterday, "Changing the mind, is often, times more than changing thoughts"!

When affirmations fail and attempts at behavior change have failed, it is time to seek the help of a coach or apply a mental fitness program.  Both a coach or mental fitness program can give you strategies to prepare your mind and condition your mind for success.

Remember, You Live within the Environment Created by Your Choices!

Dr. Hal

Life and Mental Fitness Coach

Your situation is not hopeless.  You can learn to change your mind to change your world.  Don't give up on your affirmations!  Rather than giving up your dreams and settling for a life you don't want, make your commitment now to begin life coaching and mental fitness training.

I want to tell you more about affirmations as pictured by Scott Adams so read my blog on Saturday, April 7th entitled "Scott Adams On Affirmations".

Comments

[Aaron M. Potts]

Hal,

I am a big believer in the power of affirmations as well as visualization, and I just wanted to give you a big thumbs up for this great post!

It most definitely boils down to our inner thoughts, and if those thoughts cause affirmations to become nothing more than reminders of what we DON'T have, then it defeats the purpose.

Thanks for sharing this!