Why Affirmations? - The Affirmation Spot for Sunday May 18, 2008

Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.
~ Albert Einstein

This quote is as true for own lives as it is for the world.One question I get all the time is, "Why do you believe in affirmations? Aren't they just wishful thinking?" People often conjure up images of Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live and think affirmations are ridiculous or only for people in some recovery program. The truth is that affirmations are an extremely powerful tool that anyone can use to regain control of a very important thing - their thinking.

And, as Einstein's quote points out, if we are to change our lives and our world we must change our thinking. Corporations, governments, religious institutions, even your friends spend a lot of money and time advertising to you to get you to modify your thoughts about them, their products, or their ideology because they know thoughts lead to behavior. They want to modify your behavior. They often do so successfully.

My Story with Affirmations

People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use. 
~Soren Kierkegaard

Affirmations are a way of countering this outside noise with thoughts you choose yourself. It's kind of your own advertising campaign for you.My experience with affirmations began shortly after I recovered from a very serious hospitalization when I was 25. My doctors told me I should have died. My electrolytes crashed and I was diagnosed with Addison's Disease. I was scared, depressed, unemployed, and forced to start all over again.

I began using affirmations as a way to improve my mental attitude, but quickly realized they could help me improve my skills, my confidence, or just about any area of my life I was committed to improve.I was not the sit in front of the mirror Stuart Smalley kind of person. So, I began recording affirmation tapes with affirmations about nearly every area of my life. I wrote and recorded affirmations about health, finances, spirituality, relationships, personal growth, confidence, career, and many more. I played the tapes at night when I went to bed.Soon I began to see my life move forward and change in positive ways. I found that the negative thoughts that had me depressed were being countered in my internal self-talk by the positive words from the affirmations. The more I listened to the affirmations the more they became embedded in my thought processes and became the standing answers to counter negativity.

Why I Share My Story

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.
~Voltaire

Affirmations, along with some other practices like meditation, made all the difference in my life. In many ways, they helped me go from down and out to a successful career, business, and family life.So you see, when I talk about affirmations and their power to change lives I'm not talking from theory, but from personal experience. Last year the time seemed right to begin sharing what I'd been doing all these years with others. That was the impetus for founding The Affirmation Spot. My goal is to create an easy, no hassle way to improve the lives of others.The site recently celebrated its one year anniversary and I am happy to say that people on four continents are now enjoying the benefits of their own personal ad campaigns. They are taking back their thoughts, changing their lives, and restoring lost hope.As year two begins for the website, I'm encouraged that many people are starting to recognize the benefits of quick, easy audio affirmations that can be played anywhere. I'm proud of the journey I've been on and look forward to contributing to the journeys of many other people.

The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises.
~ Leo Buscaglia

My passion is to let more and more people know they already have the resources needed to face life's challenges and come out ahead. 

Stay inspired!

Ray