Succumbing to consumeritis Americanis, I bought in. Americans are obsessive about consuming. In my recent case, it was a new television. Oh, I rationalized it very well: ours was older, no longer state-of-the-art, and wasn’t a “smart” TV capable of internet streaming. I bought an LG.

I liked it the minute I powered it up because, as newer TVs do, the logo flashed on the screen as the onboard computers were booting. LG’s logo includes the text, “Life’s Good.” How could I dislike that? Now, every time I turn it on, I read and say aloud their slo- gan. Makes me laugh. And reminds me of the power of affirmation.

Word. The simple declaration, “Word,” has become a street-sense version of “true.” Words have power. Genesis tells us, “In the beginning was the Word.” Close. Actually, in the beginning was Thought. Thought doesn’t depend on words but words do depend on thought. Thought gives words power. Still, words are an important manifestation of thought. Words may be the purest and most powerful things in
the world of form because words are the first bridge from the world of thought into the physical.

We seldom pay attention to the power words wield. Our life’s lesson is to retrain our minds to remember who we really are, and by paying attention to our words we can use words to accomplish that.

We are sloppy with both thoughts and words, but of the two, the most obvious is the word. Often we hear someone say, “When I saw that, it made me sick.” We say things unconsciously, like “My head is killing me” or “I’m afraid that (fill in the blank).” And the words we say to others or to children? “Put on your jacket or you’ll catch your death of cold.” “Finish your homework or you’ll end up a bag lady.” Not exactly positive images.
Word’s Worth: “Say the word and you’ll be free...” Words can work for us. First is to eliminate the negative thoughts and ideas that we unconscious- ly promote due to sloppy speaking. Take a hint from Bing Crosby and the song from the 1945 movie Here Come the Waves: “You’ve got to accentuate the posi- tive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative and don’t mess with Mr. In-between.” So first and foremost, eliminate negative images, fear-based motivations, derogatory estimations of yourself or others and self-fulfilling, negative prophecies. Then you can move on to re-programming the subconscious mind with the positives. Why the subconscious mind? It’s the more powerful part of the mind. Accessing the subconscious is accomplished by a variety of techniques, including altered states of awareness like hypnosis or guided imagery. Authority figures access; emotionally tied input does also. A common method to access and influence the subconscious is using repetition.

Everyone uses repetition to train the subconscious. That’s how we learn to walk, drive, talk and perform everyday tasks reliant on the subconscious. We can use repetition along with the power of words to encourage positive change in our lives.

Actions speak louder than words. Repeating aloud is one way of using words positively. The verbal transmission into sonic waves is the energy equivalent of an individual version of the “Big Bang.” Once that energy wave is sent out, it will not disappear. It may dissipate, but energy does not become uncreated.

Action is another, more powerful way of affirmation: Write them out. Manifesting from thought to word to physical action is an even greater step. A lined sheet of paper or Spiral notebook works well as a medium, and the first step is determining the affirmation, identifying the phrase or sentence to write out. There are some guidelines.

An affirmation should be accurate and reflect the true goal. It’s easy to come up with an apparent goal, but is it really the actual one? An example is some- one thinking they want to affirm more money in their life. Well, is that really the goal or are they mistaking money as a means to accomplish a goal? What is the money for? Is it security, health, a new home? Get to the heart of desire. A better affirmation might be: “I am willing to accept the abundance of the universe into my life.” Remember, if you want money in order to acquire a new home, for example, money is not the only way that can happen. Be clear about what it is you really want before you start asking your subconscious to help manifest it. Desire the goal, not the means to it.
And an affirmation should never be a negative phrase like “I don’t want to be sick.” Use “I welcome health into my life,” instead.
Write now. Then start writing that determinate phrase again and again. How many times? The bible suggests “seven times seventy” is a goodly number. Significant things happen with repetition. Eventually the conscious, analytical mind gets bored and steps aside. That leaves a clear path to the subconscious, which is what we want. Use it. It’s cheaper than buying a new TV.

Be well.