Our minds are designed to protect us. Our minds are designed to think of every possible danger for self preservation. This is why our pain receptors alert us when something is wrong in order to keep us safe.
However, this is also why our brains are programmed to self sabotage our goals.
While there are other factors at play, like schooling, the government, and endless external issues I could go on to mention, I don’t want this article to get political.
Isn’t it better to rather show you something you can do about it, if you choose to.
The Power of Thought
For every negative thought you release into the universe, it is three times more powerful than a positive one.
The quotation ‘I think therefore I am’(René Descartes’s philosophy) has never been truer. Now while Descartes philosophy was based on his own physical existence, the statement he made still represents the fact that what you think you are.
If you constantly think negatively more negative things will happen to you. It is for you to break the cycle and while negative situations are going to happen in life, how you react to them will make all the difference to you, your cortisol levels and your general well being.
Now what does this have to do with affirmations and vision boards?
Well, it’s about changing your mindset. Like I previously stated, we are designed to think negatively for protection, it’s an evolutionary instinct. But, with relatively little need for actual physical protection in the 21st century, this has morphed into protection of our emotional state rather than from physical pain or death.
When we come up with an idea we might well start out positive and think about different ways it may be implemented for about five minutes. Then our protection kicks in the ‘what ifs’ What if it doesn’t work? What if people laugh at me? What if my boss, my family, or whomever shoots me down?
This is all protection of our emotions, but to add to that, you are then putting those negative energies out into the world, so that negative vibration is what you will receive back.
Affirmations: Transforming Your Mindset
Repeating daily affirmations is a great habit to start to change the protective (negative) mindset for every protective thought. Think ‘I cancel that thought’ and replace it with a positive one.
What if it doesn’t work?It will work.What if my boss, my family, or whomever shoots me down?I will be respected.What if people laugh at me?People will admire me.Can I?I can!Will I?I Will!
The possibilities are endless, ‘ I am successful’, ‘I am worth listening to’, make a mental or a physical list and use whatever you need at that moment.
The great thing about affirmations is you tailor them to you and your needs, because only you know what it is that you are thinking at that moment.
Vision Boards: Visualizing Your Goals
As for vision boards, a vision board is a physical result of your aspirations, that focuses your mind for your long term goals. It is what you want to achieve in life and the great thing about it is it helps you to focus your priorities.
You can have many different boards, one for each area of your life, the core pillars such as:
- You
- Family
- Relationships
- Work
You can have these all individually and once achieved, move onto the next one. Or, you can have an overall board of what you want to achieve in all areas at once.
Remember, you have complete freedom to create the perfect environment in which you feel you have obtained your peace. and only you know what that looks like.
Most people, if they’re honest with themselves, will look to having a lot of financial wealth as a main or big goal as it then affords you to live out other dreams. The perfect house, car, job, financial stability for the family all take money to achieve, and while these are all great goals to have, I would suggest the focus be more on how you are going to get there rather than the end result.
What is it that you can provide to the world that no one else can?
Is there a product you can invent that solves an issue?
Is that a problem that you can solve?
Here is where the affirmations come back in.
Integrating Affirmations and Vision Boards
With affirmation you ask for opportunities that help you and help others, rather than you attempting to conjure wealth from nothing, because the likelihood is that the wealth will come with the opportunity.
So to create your goals, visualize what it is that you want but, affirm how to create how you’re going to get it.
Let’s take the example of a house, one of the biggest things that most people want. Now visualizing the house is great on a vision board you can add a picture of the type of house that you are looking for, but for the affirmation side write down everything you want it to have to be your home:
- The location, rural, urban etc.
- The construction, presumably long lasting, with great foundations
- The views that you look out at every day
- Reliable utilities
- Nearby amenities
Use these ideas as a starting point, but also ask yourself some questions, what do you want from this house? Is it an investment or somewhere for you to live in? How do you want to live in it? (think home office, family areas, relaxation space etc.) Think about:
- How many bedrooms do you want?
- What’s the perfect size kitchen?
- Does it have a laundry room?
- Does it have a fireplace?
You can put as many points as you want and need. You may find that once you have written everything down, the picture you envisioned is quite different from the details you have written, and that’s absolutely fine. This is all part of the process.
Maintaining a Positive Mindset
Once you have written every detail of the house you want, affirm these items everyday. If a protective thought creeps in again, remember the mantra “I cancel that thought” then re-affirm the home you want. Over time you will start to notice that you feel more positive in general but it focuses your mind on a goal.
This home you want is not going to instantly appear, if that was the case we would all be millionaires. However, you may start to notice positive opportunities arising for you to explore.
You could connect with an old friend with an idea you haven’t yet thought of. A job opportunity might arise that isn’t what you’re currently doing but that you would be brilliant at.
This is how everything in the universe works, it’s simply the flow and vibration of energy. Think and affirm what it is you want and then let the universe find a way to create it for you.
The main thing is to remain positive.
I’m not saying you’re not going to have bad days and negative situations or thoughts will never happen, you are human after all. But, if you can change your mindset to a more positive one, you will feel happier, and you will find you are able to handle these negative situations in a more constructive manner, and therefore be able to solve or negate the problem altogether.
However, if you are having a bad day or learn information that brings you feelings of sadness I would advise not to ignore them. Avoidance can do more harm in the long term. Instead, feel them, acknowledge them, then cast them aside. Then, affirm whatever it is you need to, to get your mindset back to being positive.
Further Reading
If you wish to learn more on this subject I highly recommend the youtube videos of Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret She has great insights in how to deal with negative thoughts and has inspiring quotes from many great philosophers and teachers.
I would also recommend Jim Kwik’s Limitless It’s an amazing book on how your mind works and how to change your thinking.