Anybody who thinks and really believes it will take 3 to 5 weeks to set or change a habit - will get exactly that.  If you really believe it must change this second - you’ll get that.  It all comes down to what your sub-conscous believes.

I completely agree Scott, from my experience in NWM we were always taught that if you do something for 21 straight days it becomes a habit.  I think they got that from a motivation speaker, forget his name though.  So I would sit and read my goals every morning for 21 straight days, even marked it off on my calender at work.  Wouldn’t you know it, it never became a habit. 

I guess what I am trying to say is that everyone is different and that it all does fall back on your belief system.  If I really believed it would take 21 days to become a habit, I wouldn’t have been testing the theory by marking it off on my calender.  And for that matter to this day I still remind myself in my list of things to do each day to read my goal card. 

That is a completely different subject, because I do believe that if you say something as if it already happened repeatedly, it does come true.  As of today I am now just over 1/2 way to my goal weight.  Officially down 32 pounds, with 30 more to go.  A lot of it had to do with the fact that I am telling myself that I am already at my goal weight, so my body is just catching up.

I love this place.

All the best,
Stu

Stooooo - 03 March 2006 03:18 PM

That is a completely different subject, because I do believe that if you say something as if it already happened repeatedly, it does come true.  [snip] A lot of it had to do with the fact that I am telling myself that I am already at my goal weight, so my body is just catching up.

See, this is what I’ve always had a problem with in affirmations.  If I wanted to, say, get a loving boyfriend, and currently I’m single, an affirmation saying “I have a wonderful and caring boyfriend” wouldn’t work for me.  I know that I do not currently have a boyfriend.  I’d need to change it around to, “I am loveable, and open to the love of the world,” or something like that.  This is something that my mind can handle and accept as true.

If I wanted a great job (I’m currently a student), it would be foolish for me to have an affirmation saying, “I work for a great company and make a great salary.” I don’t.  I’m a student.  A better career afirmation for me would be, “I have a skill set that is valuable to employers, and a great employer wants to hire me right now.” This is something that is true now.  I don’t know who the “great employer” is, but I’m sure there’s one out there, right now, who would hire me if they heard about me.

Similarly with weight.  I couldn’t do an affirmation which says, “I am 115 pounds.” It doesn’t work.  The scale contradicts that.  A better affirmation for me would be, “Every day I am closer to attaining my optimum weight,” knowing that “optimum weight” means 115 lbs.  An even better one, for me, would be “I am becoming fitter and healthier every day.” THIS is something which my body can accept as true.

All this long and rambling post is just to say that I disagree with you about affirmations.  I’m happy the “say it as thought it already exist” method works for you, as it works for many people, but it doesn’t work for everyone.  For me, I need things that are ALREADY true, but that are still positive.

I love this place too.  (Why else would I have bugged Scott to let me be a moderator? )

Julie

All this long and rambling post is just to say that I disagree with you about affirmations.  I’m happy the “say it as thought it already exist” method works for you, as it works for many people, but it doesn’t work for everyone.  For me, I need things that are ALREADY true, but that are still positive.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with disagreeing, that is what this forum is all about.  Different people exchanging ideas.  What works for one does not work for another.  I do actually like how you changed around some of the affirmations.  Basically if either method of affirmations help someone then we did our job properly. 

Just curious how do you know a great employer wants to hire you???  Just kidding, most would be lucky to have you.

All the best,
Stu

Yes… our new moderator is off and running today. 

I read your post with interest.  I really liked that part at the end about “For Me, I need things that are ALREADY true”.  Wow - that must suck bigtime.

It’s so much fun to use your imagination to create a life of your dreams with no limitations.  It only has to be true to one person - you. 

By the way - congrats Stu on your success - you’re almost there dude.  See… wasn’t that easy?

Oh… where was I?

Without going into great detail about the power of the mind ...blah...blah...blah… affirmations in one way or another are the entire reason that MTM exist today. 

When I started I wasn’t doing it, had never done it and didn’t have clue how to do it.  Then I turned on my imagination and visualized what it would like the day I finally got to my destination.  The picture was fuzzy and I didn’t really believe it myself from time to time.  But I kept telling myself how it would be...someday.  Althought I think I must have missed that part about Julie. 

The funny thing about the universe we live in - all action follows thought.  As soon as we can imagine, even a little, the cogs of the wheel shift and we begin looking for ways to match up our imagination with reality.  Given enough time - we find our way.

The type of affirmation you use will depend on your “current” view of the world and by the “rule” that you “choose” by which you choose to live.

I like you Julie.  You make me think… and type… a lot.

By the way… who ask who to be a moderator?  I have the email to prove it? 

Stooooo - 03 March 2006 03:37 PM

Just curious how do you know a great employer wants to hire you???

Quick everybody - run for cover!

Julie, Stu,

Please accept my appreciation of your input and your contribution.  But please, try to understand my intention and not my terminology (English is a second language for me, as you can see by my sentence structure and spelling).  I was trying to tell you that I have inspired myself--not taken up a new habit (like smoking or chewing my finger nails).  I’ve begun something that I want to continue because I feel good about investing in myself after investing in others for so long (you’ve heard enough about that).  Please, don’t hear my words, listen to my intentions.  After all, this string is about my New Beginning.

I’m really excited about my health and feel really good about my diet.  It’s nice to have friends.

Oops, sorry Shai!  I think Stu and I got carried away on the topic, so that by this point it’s about something more general than your original post.  Whoops!

And I wouldn’t have guessed that English is your second language.  You’re fantastic!  I’m assuming that Hebrew is your first language (you’re from Israel, right?), and all I can say is your English is *way* better than my Hebrew has ever been (and that’s after 12 years in Jewish schools and a trip to Israel!). 

Congrats on inspiring yourself—in any language!

Stu, Scott, I’m going to take the “affirmations” part of this thread to a new one in the “Lift your spirit” section, so that we can stop bombarding poor Shai.  See you there!

Julie

Shai!

How’s your new beginning coming along? You have raised inspirational thoughts in all of us and I wanted to read more. Everything ok? Keep us updated