Affirmation Challenge Day 1 [New Beginning]: “Today is a brand new day. My past does not define me. My future is mine to create.”

Re-published from http://personalexcellence.co/blog/affirmation-day-1-new-beginning/

This is Day 1 of the 15-Day Affirmation Challenge where hundreds of participants around the world gather to practice positive affirmations for 15 days in July 2014. The challenge is now over, but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all Affirmation Challenge tasks and posts.

Dearest everyone, welcome to Day 1 of our 15-Day Affirmation Challenge, where we’ll be practising positive affirmations for 15 days! Are you ready? Because I sure am! 

Blog About Your Journey!

If you have a blog and you’ve signed up, consider blogging about your affirmation journey!! Not only is it a great way to add accountability to yourself, it’s also a great place to document your revelations throughout this challenge. I recommend the following process:

1. Do each day’s task and blog about your results on your blog. Remember to post a link to that day’s task on PE so that others can reference to the task too, if they don’t already know about PE.
2. Copy/paste your results (or a summary of your results) in the comments section of that day’s blog post on PE
3. Paste the link for your blog post entry for that day *below* your copy/pasted results, then post the comment on PE

By doing so, the readers on PE will be able to read your task results directly in the comments section, and easily click over your blog to read more if they are interested.

Don’t post a general link to your blog as participants will continue to read the comments even several months after the challenge; by then they will only be able to see the latest entry on your blog (as opposed to your results for the challenge task).

Before We Start…

For the next 15 days, you’ll find that the affirmation blog posts will be titled as: Day X, [XXX]: [Affirmation for that day]. [XXX] stands for the theme of that day’s affirmation. Since there are 15 days, I’ve personally created 15 affirmations covering 15 themes of personal growth. This will create a more targeted growth experience for you, rather than throwing you with 15 random affirmations which may have little (if any) meaning to you!

While this challenge is an affirmation challenge, your task for each day isn’t just to practise that day’s affirmation. Rather, there’ll be specified tasks that come along with that day’s affirmation, such as self-reflection questions and action-step planning — your task is topractise the affirmation and do the specified tasks.

Know that just saying affirmations alone is no different from hopping around with a wooden staff in a circle and singing Kumbaya (i.e. self-delusion). While chanting an affirmation over and over may give you a boost in confidence, it merely creates a feel-good factor which will no sooner end when the challenge is over.

Singing Kumbaya. And no, this is NOT what we’re doing in this challenge.

We are here to create real change in our lives, and this requires being ready to take the steps to make change happen. You’ve already done that first step if you have signed up for the challenge!

With that said, let us now kick off our 15-day affirmation journey! Today’s affirmation is about….

Day 1: [New Beginning]

Today’s affirmation: “”Today is a brand new day. My past does not define me. My future is mine to create.”

How many of us often define ourselves or our future based on our past?

Consider the following statements:

I’m a good-for-nothing — I’ve not accomplished much in my life, so I’m not going to accomplish much in my future too.

I’ve not had great relationships in the past, so I’m likely to continue to attract bad men/women into my life. I’m doomed not to meet someone I will love and who will truly love me too.

I was never a straight-A student, so I’m simply not cut out for success, whether in my studies or other things in the future.

I’ve not faced much success in [XXX] goal, so I shouldn’t pursue [XXX] any further since I’m probably going to continue failing in it.

My dad/mom/teacher once scolded me for being lazy/lousy/slow/stupid/incompetent/idiotic/a disgrace of the family/[insert negative adjective], so I’m indeed lazy/lousy/slow/stupid/incompetent/idiotic/a disgrace of the family/[insert negative adjective].

My brother/sister/friend has always been better/faster/stronger than me when we were young, so they will continue to be better/faster/stronger than me in the future.

My relationship with [XXX] has been declining, so it’ll likely continue to decline and I shouldn’t put any effort in it.

While it is important that we learn from the past to create a better future, the extent to which our past limits us is when we use it as a determinant or predictor of the future. For example, just because we made a mistake in the past doesn’t mean we’ll continue to make the same mistake or another mistake in the future. Just because we are unable to achieve success in X goal in the past doesn’t mean we’ll continue to face limited success in it to the future.

You see, the danger here is that given that our thoughts directly impact our actions which directly impact our results, by thinking within the confines of our past results, we’ll continue to act in a way that attract those results, hence attracting said results in real life. We’ll then box ourselves into the archetype of “I’m not one who is able to attract love” (if you’re currently facing a blockage in this area” or “I’m not cut out for entrepreneurship” (if you’ve been meaning to set up your own business but hasn’t been able to), hence… being our own self-fulfilling prophecy.

So how do we break out of this vicious cycle? Well, by first changing our thoughts. But beyond changing our thoughts, we need to also identify the action steps to take to make things different. Because while having positive thoughts is important, we need to follow them up with the right, positive actions to make a real change in our life.

Hence, today your task is to do exactly that — change your thoughts and identify action steps in an area where you’ve been limiting yourself or that you feel limited in. Let’s get started! 

Your Task Today

1. What are ONE area of your life where you’ve been limiting yourself or that you feel limited in? It can be anything, from studies, to work projects, to romantic relationships, to health, to friendships, to familial relationships. (You are welcome to identify more than an area if you like!)
   • For example, say you have an interest to start your business but you are holding yourself back from doing so. Perhaps you tried to set up a business before and failed. So, you give up on entrepreneurship altogether and decide to settle for a simple day job. Or, perhaps you have never set up any businesses before, so you (for some warped reason) conclude that you will fail in entrepreneurship and decide not to try at all!
2. What is the belief statement you’ve been harboring in this area? And is it serving/helping you to accomplish your goal? Continuing from the example above,
   • “Since I’ve tried and failed to set up a business, I’m not cut out for entrepreneurship. I’m better off sticking to a day job.” or “Since I’ve never tried setting up a business, I’m not cut out for entrepreneurship. I’m better off sticking to what I know.”
   • Clearly, either of these statements do NOT serve you in your entrepreneurship goal, because they are self-limiting failures (i.e. assumption of continual failure just because of one failure / lack of experience, and hence prematurely giving up on the goal)!
3. Change this belief(s). Given that the belief from #2 is limiting, what empowering belief(s) can you change it to? Continuing from above,
   • “I may have tried and failed in setting up a business before, but so have many successful entrepreneurs today! All of us make mistakes, and it’s the mistakes that make us stronger and wiser. I shall learn from my past failure so I’ll be more successful in my next endeavor!” or
   • “I’ve never tried setting up a business before, but everyone starts from somewhere. I’m going to learn by reading books and consulting people who have set up businesses before, so that I can get the right knowledge and skills to succeed in any endeavor!
4. Identify your action step(s) to make the change! What is ONE action (or more if you desire) that you’re going to make to make this new belief come true? Commit this action to a deadline, and get working on it!
5. Say your new belief out loud, along with today’s affirmation:
   

   “Today is a brand new day.
   My past does not define me.
   My future is mine to create.”

   (If you think it’s silly to say them out loud, you can say them silently in your heart.)

I encourage you to write down your new belief(s) and today’s affirmation so that you can always see them and commit them to your heart. Repeat them every day to yourself, for as many times and as long as needed, until they become part of your default thinking.

Affirmation Wallpaper: [New Beginning]

To further help you in this challenge, I’ve specially created wallpapers based on the daily affirmations. Each wallpaper will be shared in that day’s task, and is available in the most common computer resolutions of 1920×1080, 1600×900, and 1366×768. If your monitor is a different size, simply pick the size that’s closest to your resolution and resize it in your favorite graphic editor.

Today’s affirmation wallpaper, for download:

Download (right click and save): [1920×1080] | [1600×900] | [1366×768]

Share Your Results!

Share your results, check out other participants’ responses, and interact with each other in the comments section! Remember, this challenge is a community effort: by openly engaging in the discussion, not only will you help others, you’ll also help yourself.

If you think today’s affirmation has benefited you, do share it with your friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, G+, or e-mail.

Once you’re done, proceed to Day 2 here: Affirmation Challenge, Day 2 [Self-Love]

Images: Flower, Kumbaya, Mountain and Sun

Freeing Yourself to Receive Abundance of Money

Re-published from mindreality

Images chosen by me

One of the secrets of manifesting wealth is the acceptance of energy in the form of money for the energy that you put out. If you have resistance towards the idea of having to pay for something or towards others asking for payment, then you are limiting yourself from receiving money for anything that you do, since you think you should be providing it for free. This is a reason why many people remain poor financially when they could gain a lot monetarily for what they have to offer. They’re limiting themselves.

The truth is everything is available for free. No one actually owns anything because it is all part of the universe. Ownership is an idea where people agree what belongs to who and what rights do they have regarding it. Ownership of anything is all based on agreement between consciousness. When there is conflict of consciousness, people fight and take from each other by force against the will. When there is harmony of consciousness, people willingly agree in sharing or exchanging ownership of things.

The purpose of business is in the organization and promotion of things. When we buy a bottle of water, we are not paying for the bottle or the water because nature supplies the water and what the bottle is made up of. We are paying for the work done in obtaining the raw materials, putting them together, marketing it and handling it to us. All these takes work and therefore those that do all the work for us so that we can experience such things without doing any of the work, receive money in exchange.

Money is only an idea to represent how much value you have provided for others. That is why ill gotten gains do not last because the universe is always reflecting what you do. When you take money without providing real value, money will be taken from you without giving you real value. When you provide lots of value for others, you are meant to receive lots of money so that you can use it to receive value from others that is yours to rightfully experience. Then you are better able to provide even more value.

Enjoy your Life

Life is Measured

Be in the present

We all either think about the past or worry about the future, however all that we want to have or wish only lies in the present moment. Life is all about being in the present. Present means this moment that changes lives for the best in the near future. Nothing is more amazing & fruitful then being in the present moment because that has the power to either shape your next moment, day, year & life, so if you are in the present moment every other thing falls in place.

You are an abundant being, a wonderful person, nothing else comes close to it. When you want to make the most of your life, go ahead & enjoy your life to the fullest without any hassle this moment & let the universe transpire itself in the best possible way to you.

Stay Happy

No matter whatever the problem in your life, always smile & stay happy, because being Happy can bring all the happiness to you & make you feel better, feel amazing & even wonderful.

It is a feeling that can help you become the best because nothing compares to it.

Quotes!

The Power of Positive Thinking

Republished from successconsciousness

Positive thinking is a mental and emotional attitude that focuses on the bright side of life and expects positive results.

A positive person anticipates happiness, health and success, and believes he or she can overcome any obstacle and difficulty.

Positive thinking is not accepted by everyone. Some, consider it as nonsense, and scoff at people who follow it, but there is a growing number of people, who accept positive thinking as a fact, and believe in its effectiveness.

It seems that this subject is gaining popularity, as evidenced by the many books, lectures and courses about it.

To use it in your life, you need more than just to be aware of its existence. You need to adopt the attitude of positive thinking in everything you do.

How Positive Thinking Works

The following story illustrates how this power works:

Allan applied for a new job, but he didn't believe he will get it, since his self-esteem was low, and he considered himself as a failure and unworthy of success.

He had a negative attitude toward himself, and therefore, believed that the other applicants were better and more qualified than him.

Allan's mind was occupied with negative thoughts and fears concerning the job, for the whole week preceding the job interview. He actually, anticipated failure.

On the day of the interview, he got up late, and to his horror he discovered that the shirt he planned to wear was dirty, and the other one needed ironing. As it was already too late, he went out wearing a wrinkled shirt and without eating breakfast.

During the interview, he was tense, negative, hungry and worried about his shirt. All this,distracted his mind and made it difficult for him to focus on the interview. His overall behavior made a bad impression, and consequently, he materialized his fear and did not get the job.

Jim applied for the same job too, but approached the matter in a different way. He was sure that he was going to get the job. During the week preceding the interview, he often visualized himself making a good impression and getting the job.

In the evening before the interview, he prepared the clothes he was going to wear, and went to sleep a little earlier. On day of the interview, he woke up earlier than usual, and had ample time to eat breakfast, and then to arrive to the interview before the scheduled time.

Jim made a good impression and got the job.

What do we learn from these two stories? Was there any magic used? No, everything happened in a natural way.

Positive Thinking Is a Way of Life

With a positive attitude we experience pleasant and happy feelings. This brings brightness to the eyes, more energy, and happiness. Our whole being broadcasts good will, happiness and success. Even our health is affected in a beneficial way. We walk tall, our voice is more powerful, and our body language shows the way we feel.

Positive and negative thinking are contagious.

We affect, and are affected by the people we meet, in one way or another. This happens instinctively and on a subconscious level, through words, thoughts and feelings, and through body language.

Is it any wonder that we want to be around positive people, and prefer to avoid negative ones?

People are more disposed to help us, if we are positive, and they dislike and avoid anyone broadcasting negativity.

Negative thoughts, words and attitude, create negative and unhappy feelings, moods and behavior. When the mind is negative, poisons are released into the blood, which cause more unhappiness and negativity. This is the way to failure, frustration and disappointment.

Positive Thinking Practical Instructions

In order to turn the mind toward the positive, some inner work is required, since attitude and thoughts do not change overnight.

1. Read about this subject, think about its benefits, and persuade yourself to try it. The power of your thoughts is a mighty power that is always shaping your life. This shaping is usually done subconsciously, but it is possible to make the process a conscious one. Even if the idea seems strange, give it a try. You have nothing to lose, but only to gain.
2. Ignore what other people say or think about you, if they discover that you are changing the way you think.
3. Use your imagination to visualize only favorable and beneficial situations.
4. Use positive words in your inner dialogues, or when talking with others.
5. Smile a little more, as this helps to think positively.
6. Once a negative thought enters your mind, you have to be aware of it, and endeavor to replace it with a constructive one. If the negative thought returns, replace it again with a positive one. It is as if there are two pictures in front of you, and you have to choose to look at one of them, and disregard the other. Persistence will eventually teach your mind to think positively, and to ignore negative thoughts.
7. In case you experience inner resistance and difficulties when replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, do not give up, but keep looking only at the beneficial, good and happy thoughts in your mind.
8. It doesn't matter what your circumstances are at the present moment. Think positively, expect only favorable results and situations, and circumstances will change accordingly. If you persevere, you will transform the way your mind thinks. It might take some time for the changes to take place, but eventually they will.
9. Another useful technique is the repetition of affirmations. This technique is similar to creative visualization, and can be used together with it.

The other articles at this website, about the power of concentration, willpower, self-discipline and peace of mind, also contribute to the development of a positive mind, and are recommended for reading and practicing.