Originating from an eastern philosophy dating centuries ago, creative visualization has gradually emerged as a life-changing practice used by many to boost self-esteem, self-acceptance and overall outlook in life.

Creative visualization helps you achieve great things.

What is creative visualization? Simply said, it’s a form of imagery that makes use of positive thinking to enable a person to believe and affirm that life is indeed “positive”.  It stems from the belief that the mind has the power to transform any concentrated thought you focus on into reality.

It urges us to look into our child-like selves once more and imagine the great things we can accomplish, the greater version of ourselves through the magic of our imagination. Here’s how…

First, think of a focus. Something attainable and quite within reach like losing weight or getting a promotion. As you practice, you can venture on goals that are more difficult later on.

Find a little “sanctuary” of your own, any place that can give you the peace and quiet you will need in order to concentrate. Make certain there will be no distractions as you perform this exercise. When you’re ready, assume a position of comfort; some people find lying or sitting as most conducive, but you can explore which position would grant you more comfort and focus.

Breathe deeply and relax. Empty your mind and concentrate on your focus. Count slowly from 10-1.

Now, imagine the thing you want most to happen (your chosen focus), in exactly the way you would like it to occur. Think of as much detail as you can, gradually making the image as vivid in your thoughts as if it were really happening right there and then.

Afterwards, you must affirm the image you visualized in your mind. An affirmation can be said silently or aloud, whichever is stronger in impact to you. It is a statement of profound belief that what you imagined can truly become a reality. Make certain you avoid negative affirmations. Instead of saying “ I am not ugly and worthless” state that you are beautifully made and worthy of all the limitless opportunities this world has to offer.

The best time to do this would be late in the evening, before you go to bed, or upon waking up after a good night’s rest. At these times, your mind would be calm and relaxed. By improving your deepest attitudes towards life and towards yourself, you enhance your self-image, strengthen and improve relationships, and more importantly, you contribute to your physical wellness and mental health.

Some people talk of imagination as something far-fetched and fantasized. Creative visualization talks of imagination as a thought away from reality.

Our thoughts can be a weapon of destruction or our most loyal ally. Remember, they are but energies stored within, and when unleashed into positive forces, we change the balance of the energy surrounding us. By doing so, it naturally brings about changes in our surroundings in accordance with what we imagined.

Image credit: flickr

 Just what is the Law of Attraction, and how can it work to help you be happier and more successful? The basic rule of the Law of Attraction is that like attracts like. When you’re in a healthy, successful mindset, you’ll be healthier and more successful. Positive thinking is a powerful tool as long as you use it correctly. So how do you do it?

Get the law of attraction working for you

Here are some ways you can use the Law of Attraction to make your life more fulfilling and achieve your goals:

1.    Visualize what you desire.
You need to have a clear idea of what you want out of life, not just a general or vague picture. By envisioning every detail of your desire, you’ll eventually receive it!

    Know exactly what your goal is and outline the path for getting there.
    Then track your progress. You’ll be surprised at how much of a difference this makes!

2.    Allow yourself to succeed.
You may think this sounds silly. After all, you’re not the one holding yourself back – or are you? Many of us keep ourselves from the success we hope for, whether it’s because we feel like we don’t deserve it or we’re just not paying attention.

    Take a look at your life and ask yourself if you have behavior patterns or attitudes that keep you from taking advantage of opportunities that can help you succeed. Recognizing and being aware of these self-sabotaging attitudes is a big step toward change.
    Do you consistently do something that sets you back every time you’re on the verge of achieving a goal? Forming a mindset that will allow you to be a success can make a huge difference.

3.    Have focus.
Without the ability to focus your energy and thoughts on your goal, the chances of failure and distraction go up.

So if you find yourself pursuing multiple goals but never get near any of them, it’s time to focus. The Law of Attraction tells us that in order to achieve, we have to be in a clear, focused mindset, with a strong picture of a single goal.

    Once you’ve focused on a single goal and achieved it, you can turn your focus to your next goal. This way, one by one, you are realizing success.

It’s easy to have many desires at once. For your best results, work on one or two things at a time and give them your full attention.

4.    Be willing to receive the bounty the universe offers you.
The world is constantly giving you chances to make things better. If you maintain the right mindset, stay focused, and know what you want and how to get there, you’ll reap the benefits of those opportunities.

    Every day there are opportunities that could lift you out of the rut and put you on the road to a better tomorrow. You just have to be willing to take advantage of them.

The Law of Attraction principles have helped many people change their lives for the better. Keeping a positive mindset and taking action to accomplish your goals will help you achieve the life you’ve always dreamed of.

Affirmations (positive statements that you say out loud on a regular basis) are powerful tools you can use to help you live the life you’ve always dreamed of. The goal is to re-program your subconscious mind so you can remove any negative thoughts that prevent you from living your dreams. Affirmations work by overwriting negative thoughts, which are stored in your subconscious, with positive ones.

The Benefits of Affirmations
We all have mental recordings repeating again and again in our mind. Most of them come from childhood and have been directing our actions for years. Unfortunately, many of these old recordings are constantly feeding our mind negative information.

The negative scripts (that we carry around in our subconscious mind) don’t always come from direct statements from people, but they tend to be general theories we’ve come to believe about our situation or ourselves.

If our parents always cautioned us about strangers, for example, we may have the mindset that sees the world as a dangerous place. If we came from a family without much money, we may have limiting beliefs about our finances that prevent us from attaining or keeping wealth.

The good news is you can override these destructive messages using the power of affirmations and subliminals. Affirmations can reinforce good behaviors and change ones that need changing. To make those changes, you need to create affirmations you can identify with so they can help you improve.

Positive affirmations can overcome negative subconscious programming

How to create effective affirmations:
1. An affirmation must be in the present tense.Your subconscious doesn’t have the ability to accept a promise of future behavior. “I will eat healthy foods” doesn’t give your subconscious a timeline or deadline to perform your promise to yourself. Instead, state your affirmation as though it’s a behavior you already exhibit. “I always make healthy food choices” is a present tense statement your subconscious can accept as a fact.

2. For affirmations to work properly, they must be stated in the first person.
In other words, don’t create an affirmation saying, “You must eat healthy foods.” In order for your affirmation to matter to your subconscious, it must be personal and use the word “I.”

“I will choose healthy foods every time I eat” is a personal statement your subconscious can apply to your own behavior.

3. An affirmation must be stated in a positive manner.
“I must stop eating junk food” sends your mind a distorted message; it interprets the same as “I eat junk food.” This type of statement will lead you in the opposite direction of your goal! Instead, “I choose fresh, healthy snacks when I am hungry” is a positive statement telling your mind the exact desired behavior.

How To Use Affirmations
Begin using affirmations by choosing a few short, clear statements about the things you’d like to see happen in your life.

Try some of these:
*I enjoy exercising every day.
*I love eating nutritious fresh foods in healthy portions.
*When I am free from the desire to smoke, I breathe clean, fresh air.
*I have everything I need to be content and happy today.

You can write your affirmations on note cards and keep them with you in your purse or wallet. Whenever you have a few moments to spare, take them out and read them aloud.

State the affirmations in a clear, firm voice with a smile on your face as you say them. This will help you become more aware of the positive vibrations of the affirmations, allowing them easier access to your subconscious mind.

Using affirmations on a daily basis is a terrific way to boost the positives in your life. Start using this powerful tool today to bring the changes you most desire into your world.

Image credit:  Mark Blevis

It’s often said, “We cannot change what we will not see.” Self-awareness is the process of acknowledging not only our strengths, but our weaknesses as well. Becoming self-aware entails listening to your body and feelings and taking action based on what you hear.

If you’re in tune with your body, you’ll know when to say no to that extra piece of cake or say no to staying up late. You’ll become more in tune with your body the more often you respect it. Self-awareness is a process. The more we do it, the better we become at it.

Self-awareness is one of the keys to spiritual development.

How do you become self-aware?

These tips will help you in your journey to self-awareness:

1.    Reflect on who you are and who you’d like to become.
While it’s important to notice your faults and weaknesses, it’s equally important to acknowledge your strengths. 

The better you understand yourself, the better you’re able to accept yourself as you are or change the things you’d like to be different. Self-awareness requires you to be honest with yourself and have the courage to change the things you can.

A full recognition of yourself gives you the opportunity to become the self-fulfilled person you’re destined to be.

Looking deep within your soul, you’ll find the many character traits that make you unique. Begin by acknowledging the positive things. This will strengthen and encourage you to face the less favorable character traits without abandoning your new venture.

On the other hand, when evaluating your strengths, don’t let your ego get the best of you. If you magnify either your strengths or your weaknesses, you can’t possibly get a realistic picture of yourself.

Until you examine the truth of who you are, you cannot move into the person you can become.

2.    Pay attention to your likes and dislikes.
Far too often, people make life-changing choices without acknowledging deeply rooted personal preferences.  Before you embark on goals for your future, have a full awareness of the things you especially enjoy and those you prefer not to have in your life.

3.    Face your inner self.
During your self-awareness process, think about your motivations, dreams, fears and stressors. Think about why you feel the way you do, then begin to work toward overcoming these inner battles.

4.    Ask your loved ones’ opinions.
Talk to people who know you best and really listen to what they see as your dominant character traits and motivations. Ask them to be completely honest with you and be prepared to hear their opinions.

You may not be your own best judge of character. Accept the way your loved ones see you as part of this process. Consider their opinions along with your own analysis in order to see the full picture of who you are.

Self-awareness is a necessary part of self-esteem and change. If you want to grow as an individual, begin with a complete and honest picture of who you are now. This total awareness will start your journey to becoming the best you can be.

Image credit: whatmegsaid

Is your daily routine so busy and full of activities that it’s causing you stress and agitation? We’ve all heard of the health risks associated with too much stress, but how can you reduce that stress and find peace in your life?

Prayer and meditation have many health benefits

To achieve a sense of peace, you can turn to the gift of prayer and meditation.

There are many benefits to meditation and prayer:

1.    Stress reduction.

Both meditation and prayer are wonderful for reducing stress. You’ll find that it helps you learn how to get away from the worries of life to a more peaceful state of mind.

Just 15 minutes a day can make a huge difference by bringing peace and relaxation to your body and mind. A few minutes each day isn’t much, considering that the positive effects will last hours.

2.    Improved health.

Many studies have proven that prayer and meditation foster vibrant health. Usually these health benefits, such as lower blood pressure and decreased risk of heart disease, occur because of the lowered stress levels.

Physical problems are often a symptom of turmoil on the inside and prayer and meditation can help to overcome that turmoil.

3.    Better control over your thoughts.

Having negative thoughts from time to time is part of being human. Many people who are stressed don’t believe they’re able to control what they think. The stress mounts, tempers flair, and before long arguments ensue.

However, by bringing prayer and meditation into your life, it’s possible to control your thoughts and stop negative thinking as soon as it happens. This helps keep your mind at peace.

4.    Happiness.

Both peace of mind and happiness are true benefits of meditation and prayer. Everyone is seeking happiness in their lives, and when you’re able to find peace of mind through prayer and meditation, you’re also welcoming happiness into your life.

By spending some time in personal reflection, you’ll gain a greater wisdom of your mission in this life, and you’ll be better able to appreciate all that you’ve been given, both good and bad. Meditation and prayer help banish those negative thoughts that threaten your peace of mind.

5.    Better concentration.

As you pray and meditate, you welcome peace and tranquility into your mind, which then affects how you live your life. When you alleviate the stresses in your life, you’re better able to concentrate on the things that are important, such as family or work.

Continued prayer and meditation will help you expand your focus to multiple areas of your life.

Although prayer and meditation can provide peace in your life, it can be hard to make the time at first, but it’s easier than you think. Simply find a quiet place in your home and allow yourself to relax and feel at peace for 10-15 minutes. You deserve those 15 minutes of peace each day!

While there are plenty of positive benefits of prayer and meditation, it may take practice and perseverance to achieve them. Over time you’ll begin to experience this wonderful gift in your own life and you’ll be thankful that you did!

Photo credit: Christine-TM’s