The Power of Thought

Photo Credit: Dustin Scarpitti

"I can't do that." "I'm no good at it." "I'm going to fail."

These are common phrases I hear people saying from day to day. I must admit, I am guilty of doubting myself sometimes, as well. But how do these thoughts and statements affect us from day to day?


Firstly, these statements to oneself are called self talk or self affirmations, and they can be both positive and negative. We often repeat these statements throughout the day and about different things we encounter. This repetition to oneself causes the subconscious mind to be impressed upon. Then, in turn, the subconscious mind works to make those thoughts and statements a reality. If we feed our minds with negative self affirmations, we will then see those affirmations becoming reality. On the other hand, we can directly influence our thoughts, habits, and behaviors by repeating positive self affirmations.

Instead of approaching a situation from a perspective in which you feel daunted by a task, think of yourself successfully completing that task or getting through that situation. When you tell yourself you can't do something, you not only bring about that idea into fruition, but you also affect your degree of motivation and your faith in yourself. 

To make a change in the way you think and go about living life, you have to begin by believing you can make a change in your own life. Create your own self affirmations. Do you want to pass a class? Don't say, "I will pass this class." That puts your goal in the future. You exist in the present. Tell yourself, "I am passing this class." You have to repeat this to yourself and, most importantly, you must believe that it is true. Do you want to be more motivated in life? Say to yourself repeatedly, "I am motivated." Don't focus on affirmations that depict what you don't have. The way you structure your thought is equally important. You don't want to say, "I am not failing." You want to say, "I am passing this class." Don't use negatives such as "not" or words that have negative connotations. Also, be specific in structuring your affirmations and avoid ambiguity. 

Now, if you repeat your positive affirmations to yourself for a certain amount of time everyday, you will begin to see changes happening in your life. It won't always be immediate. It could take from a few days to a few weeks or more to see the effects of your affirmations. This could depend on the type of person you are, what your affirmation is, and how strongly you believe in your affirmation. And the important thing to remember is to think positively all throughout the day. If you're positive for ten minutes while repeating your self affirmation, but you tell yourself that you can't do things the rest of the time, then the power of your thought, your subconscious, won't manifest itself in your daily life. 

Your conscious and subconscious mind are very powerful and if you know how to communicate and think in positive ways, you can affect anything you may want to change in your life. This is the basic belief of the Law of Attraction. Find an affirmation you want to see manifested, and repeat that to yourself throughout the course of each day. Be passionate about the change you want to see and you may very well see that happen in your life!