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Affirmations are important and you need to be using them. Why? They work. Well, that is if you do them right. Let’s take a step back for a minute. Why do affirmations work? Simply put, your brain is a computer, but it’s not exactly a fancy computer, at least by today’s standards. It’s more like a really great computer by 1985 standards. What do I mean by that? Well, according to scientists the brain can process 2,000 pieces of information at any given time.

That sounds like a lot until you realize that your brain is being BOMBARDED with 2 BILLION pieces of information at any given time. Your brain simply can’t handle them all. Your subconscious mind holds the operating system for your mind. As we’ve said, it simply can’t handle them all so it uses the operating system made up of your previously held thoughts, beliefs, experiences etc to process them. That’s why you find yourself in patterns, doing the same thing over and over again, because your mind processes them based on it’s own internal operating system.

But what if you want to change that software program? That’s where affirmations come in. The questions you ask determine answers you get so if you don’t get the answers you want you need to ask different questions. In terms of affirmations, what you want to do is overwrite old patterns in your subconscious, and if you want to change, and if it’s extreme enough you need to do affirmations to rewrite or upgrade the software program that is your brain.

How often should you do affirmations? Well, they must be done enough to over ride old programming, however many times that takes. You don’t necessarily need to do them in a one for one ratio, just enough to see results and reprogram yourself. Some things to keep in mind: #1 it must be said in your words. It can’t be said in anyone else’s words or voice. My affirmations won’t work for you, for example.

# 2 The feeling behind it is critical. Just saying it won’t work. Focus on what would it feel like if the affirmation really worked and your program had really changed. Be as incredibly specific as possible. Really take the time and effort to get into that feeling, and then you’ll find that affirmations really, really work. Some people use recordings to reprogram themselves, but remember, you can’t just say it into a recorder and then listen to it back and expect results. You really need to perform the affirmation. You need to remember that your voice must have emotion behind it. When you record yourself, focus on how it feels when you’ve really made that change, what would your life really be life if and when you made this switch? What would this new programming feel like? How, exactly would your life be different? Really get specific, the more specific, the better.

The subject of affirmations is an incredibly broad topic, one worthy of considerable study. If one was interested, they might find themselves reading and studying all the can on affirmations, hypnosis and Neuro linguistic programming (NLP). However you choose to proceed, I highly recommend affirmations to you as a means of self growth and personal change. They really do work and are highly effective, though they may take a bit of practice, but what doesn’t? Invest in the time and invest in yourself. I guarantee you will find that it is well worth the effort.

How should you get started? Make a list of things you would like to improve, brainstorm. Put everything on paper. Then pick one. Practice the art of crafting an affirmation until you have one that you think will work. Then test that theory. Be patient and be prepared to be surprised. This is a very powerful form of change, but often a very subtle one. You may find yourself just magically exhibiting the new behavior you want. That sounds good, doesn’t it?

Today’s question, affirmations, what are you experiences with them? Have they worked, have they not, why or why not? Leave us a comment, tell us about your experiences, and please don’t forget to check out all of the other great today is that day articles we have here on the site and share them! Tell all your friends about us! Thanks for getting the word out.

The Twitter CONCEPT, however, might be about to turn into something that people can actually put to some good use, and I am working with Gary Evans from Positivity Space on a project that just might turn into something very, very cool.

In essence, we are considering building an interface that would allow people who were on the road to success to be able to stay in touch with each other as a means of keeping each other accountable, reminding each other about critical success processes, and just generally partnering up for success.

The “new” part of this idea comes in when this entire process is accomplished over short messages, rather than emails, telephone calls, message boards, etc. It will be more like quick wake up calls or reminders, and less like philosophical debates about personal growth and development.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that!

Anyway, I put a write up about what Gary and I are considering over at Personal Development Partners, and we are inviting everyone and anyone who is interested in sharing their thoughts to join in the conversation and let yourself be heard.

If you are a PDP member then you can just click the link to head over there and join the discussion. Non-members can also read the post, and they can either sign up at the site for free in order to participate and share their thoughts, or, just drop your ideas into the comment box below this post.

When Gary first approached me about this, my first thought was I’M SO BUSY!! However, Gary is a great guy with great ideas, and I realized something in that moment of considering how busy I was:

I am ALWAYS busy, and it often causes me to forget to do things that I SHOULD be doing to create the life that I want to be living. The site that Gary and I are proposing would lessen or even eliminate that obstacle.

Definitely worth checking out:

Can you Twitter yourself to Happiness?

Does your level of happiness stay constant regardless of whether you are headed into a hectic work-week or if you are loading up the car for a very much anticipated vacation?

Do you remain cheerful, upbeat, and positive regardless of what is going on at any given point in your life?

Most people – if answering honestly – would have to say “no” to at least some of those questions. Very few people are able to truly stay in touch with a high level of happiness as they travel down the often bumpy road of life. As much as that point of view can be understood, it still begs the question: What blueprint are you creating for the rest of your life?

• When a very young child does not get their way, and they throw a temper tantrum, do we simply concede and then give that child what they want so that they will stop crying?
• When a spoiled teenager gets into trouble at school or with their friends, do we continue to give them special treatment, thus adding fuel to that fire?
• When a troublesome employee or co-worker makes waves at work, do we bow to their will so that they will stop causing trouble?

The answer to each of those questions is, of course, No. Why, then, do we allow our lives to follow the same self-destructive pattern that we do not encourage in others?

By allowing our level of happiness to be dictated by the circumstances that are going on in our life at any given time, all we are doing is sending ourself the message that our happiness depends on the circumstances!

Sure, it would seem easier to be happy when you just won a million dollars than when you can’t even afford to pay your rent. However, by conceding that fact, you are saying that a certain level of financial abundance is needed in order for you to be happy.

In another example, most people would agree that whenever they are involved in a successful relationship that their relationship status is part of their level of happiness.

Again, that makes sense. However, by saying that your happiness is due – even in part – to your relationship status means that you are also saying that you will always need to be involved in a successful relationship in order to be completely happy.

What about your career status? Does your job or chosen career bring you great joy and satisfaction? If so, then good for you, and keep doing whatever you are doing!

However, what would happen if it all went away? What if your job was eliminated, your company went out of business, or you became physically incapable of doing the work anymore? If you need your career status in order to be happy, then what will happen when you retire? A lot of retirees suffer from depression for this very reason.

In each of these examples, the point is not to say that your finances, your relationships, your career, or the other circumstances of your life should not be valued. They absolutely should, and they should help you to experience a wonderful life!

You should take pride in and experience happiness as a result of everything in the world that brings you joy or a feeling of satisfaction.

However, true happiness is completely internal, and is something that you should be able to experience regardless of your outer circumstances.

You are a magnificent human being who is incredibly adaptive to the myriad of different circumstances that life will throw at you. Don’t sell yourself short by only being happy if your life goes a certain way.

Instead, use your power to find great happiness in life – regardless of what is going on around you.

Use these 5 basic guidelines as an outline that will help to safeguard you from negativity, and will also help you to identify negative people so that you can remove yourself from their sphere of influence.

Once you have internalized not practicing the following unsuccessful habits, you will suddenly start noticing people in your life who consistently practice them on an almost daily basis.

1. No Gossiping

It doesn’t matter how justified you think you are in talking about other people’s perceived shortcomings, doing so will never serve to bring about positive results.

When people do things that you don’t agree with or that you don’t understand, all that demonstrates is that they do not see life in the same way that you see it. It doesn’t it make them a bad person, it just means that their understanding of any given situation is different than yours.

Granted, in many circumstances it may seem painfully obvious that someone could have handled a situation in a more positive manner. However, even if that is the case, rehashing the details with other people will only perpetuate the negativity.

In addition, many people thrive on discourse and chaos, so by participating in negative discussions about others, all you are doing is indirectly giving people permission to continue adding fuel to that fire. When you are seen as a “negative fuel source,” you will invariably find that people will continue stopping by to get a fill-up!

2. No Whining or Complaining

Let me ask you this: Does whining or complaining about any given situation actually do anyone any good whatsoever?

I’m not talking about constructive criticism, learning from our mistakes, or recognizing pitfalls so that we can avoid them in the future. No, I’m talking about when a situation is already clearly less than desirable, yet you continue to talk about how undesirable it is!

When the office thermostat is broken and it is cold as a deep-freeze in your building, will anything be gained by continuing to repeat the obvious? If your spouse or significant other is being (in your opinion) unreasonable, are you going to gain anything by constantly spouting off about how upset you are about the situation?

Complaining accomplishes absolutely nothing other than drawing attention to an already less than favorable set of circumstances. If something is worth complaining about, then it is also worth taking action on. Stop whining, and start taking action, because if you don’t, all of the whiners and complainers will crowd around you in order to get their negativity fix.

3. No Co-Dependency

All of us have friends, family members, or co-workers who bring real-world negative issues to us, and ask for our input. Sometimes they are looking for advice, while other times they just want to “vent”.

In either case, however, pumping up their already negative point of view by agreeing how terrible any given situation is will only serve to cement in their minds how terrible that situation is! In addition, you will be sending them the clear signal that you are willing to be a sounding board for their complaints in the future.

Rather than rallying the forces of negativity in order to combat someone’s issues, instead just provide for them a calming, reassuring voice of reason when their lives are in turmoil. Don’t turn your back on them, but don’t fuel their point of view that they are the “victim” either.

Instead, listen with a compassionate ear while keeping your own feelings in check. You will do them much more of a service by helping them to find a positive spin on their situation rather than becoming a participant in their negativity.

4. No Cross Contamination

It is impossible to swim in a river full of muddy water, yet still be able to get out of that river without a speck of dirt on you. The only way to avoid that dirt – or that negativity – is to refuse to take a dip into that river in the first place.

From an emotional standpoint, it is not possible for you to participate in negativity, and then go back into your positive bubble without dragging some of that negativity in with you.

Most people would say that it is not possible for them to completely avoid negativity, and I would tend to agree. However, just because you are physically present in a situation does not mean that you need to actually participate on an emotional level.

You can be involved in a discussion or in the resolution of a negative situation without allowing your own emotional set point to drop down to a less-than positive level. When life throws negativity at you, stay in the game, but practice equanimity in order to handle the situation without allowing the negative vibrations to affect you on an individual level.

5. No Being “Holier than Thou”

After finding all of these great ways to recognize and avoid negativity, it becomes very easy to think that you are somehow “different” than everyone else. You start to feel “enlightened” and you recognize how a large number of the people in your life are on planes, trains, and automobiles that are all headed in the wrong direction.

Here’s a clue: get a grip on yourself! You are no better, nor any worse than any of those people. Those people are neither better, nor any worse than you.

The only difference between the “enlightened” you and the people who practice negativity is that you see things from a different point of view than they do. It is not appropriate for you to try to force your way of thinking onto those people, and in most cases it is also quite impossible.

By running around life with an attitude that you are somehow better than other people, all you will do is serve to alienate most of the people around you. Then, before you know it, other “holier than thou” individuals will start to flock to your side. Then all you will have accomplished is serving to divide your circle of influence into people who live on the “right” or the “wrong” side of the tracks – from your point of view.

Conclusion: By following guidelines similar to the methods that you just read, and by  practicing the fine art of being positive, you will begin to enjoy your life and consciously create it to be whatever it is that you want it to be.

That’s the prize.

However, be advised that these success habits are just that – habits. Only practicing them when it is convenient for you to do so will only bring about positive results in small doses. Consistency is key.

Also, be prepared to burn some bridges in the process. Right now in your life there are probably people who will fade away completely when they realize that you will not be participating in their drama anymore.

The ladder of success is never crowded at the top!