Why Positive Affirmations May Not Be Working For You by Laurie J. Brenner

Are you one of those people with little post-it notes and sayings pasted around your mirror or on your bulletin board? Do you have any posted on your refrigerator so that every time you open the refrigerator door you find a positive affirmation staring you in the face? Are you saying the words and chanting the chants but are finding that positive affirmations are not working for you?

You are not alone.

But don't throw out the baby with the bath water. There is a very good reason why your positive affirmations are not working. And it may not have anything to do with something you even know about.

Everything is Energy
If you've been paying attention to quantum physics, metaphysics, or the law of attraction, you may already know that everything is energy. Even Einstein's theory of relativity proves this. We don't need a quantum physicist to tell us that E=MC2. Basically, physical matter is just compressed energy. And energy vibrates. And since everything is energy, everything vibrates at specific frequencies.

For instance, humans vibrate between 60-80 megahertz. Fresh fruits vibrate at around 80 megahertz (this is why they are so good for the body), raw green vegetables at about 65-72 megahertz, and fast food French Fries at less than 1 megahertz (this is why they are so bad for the body).

The point of this demonstration is that everything is energy and everything vibrates. In fact, you are energy at the core of your being. And trapped there you may find some energy patterns being repeated over and over, as they emanate from your subconscious programming.

You Are Like An Iceberg
Just like an iceberg with 80% below the surface, human beings primarily operate from their subconscious programming. This programming came about during your childhood and most of these energy patterns formed before you were eight. These energy patterns are not necessarily good or bad, they are just there as a result of the emotional conditioning you received at the hands of your caretakers. Whatever belief patterns your caretakers had, you either adopted their patterns or rejected their patterns. In either case, your patterns are a direct result of what you learned from your caretakers.

And some of these patterns may not now be serving you. So no matter how many positive affirmations you state, your deeply conditioned energy, emotional, and behavior patterns may be working against you.

In order for your positive affirmations to work - you need to remove these old and outdated energy patterns and take back the life with which you've empowered them. Imagine yourself free from these restrictions of childhood - then when you state an affirmation - it is empowered with the energy from your heart center. When that happens, watch out because what you are imaging for your life will be there before you can think about it for very long!

I've been on my spiritual path for well over 30 years and I've been able to manifest a lot of things from my soul mate to my dream car and then my dream house. But money was something I'd always had trouble with before I learned to work with energy at its source.

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You Choose: Laugh or Cry by Marnie Green

Some days are filled with one challenge after another. Today was one of those days. What made it so challenging? Here are a few of the highlights.

I woke up late with a four mile run ahead of me. I’m training for another half-marathon and if I don’t get the requisite miles in I’m going to be sorry. Today’s run seemed like the longest four miles ever. I suffered a sore back, aching shins, and the constant thought that this should be easier. Knowing that the big race is fast approaching, the voice in my head was really whining. I got through it and followed it with a short walk with Mia, the poodle. She was happy.

Today is also a travel day. I packed my bag and dressed for the trip eastward. Knowing it would be much colder in Washington, DC than in Phoenix and learning from my flip flop mistake of last week (Salt Lake City and sandals don’t mix in the winter), I decided to wear closed toe, “sensible” shoes. Having few options in my closet, I pull out my trusty brown clogs and put on my warm socks. Rushing through the airport to catch my flight I couldn’t figure out why these shoes felt so “funny.” They were making my back hurt even more and they just seemed “wrong.” As soon as I got to the gate I realized the problem. My trusty clogs, which I thought were made of wood, were actually made of foam which had begun to disintegrate. The bottoms of my shoes were falling off right there in the terminal. The only alternative I could consider was to put on my black patent leather pumps which were in my suitcase. Of course, this was not a viable option as the pumps did not go with my outfit. I tried taping the bottoms with tape I stole from the gate agent, but I continued to “shed” my soles throughout the long trip. I felt like crying.

Phoenix to Washington, DC is a four and a half hour flight and first class upgrades weren’t available. Believe me, I tried. So, I packed my laptop and trade journals and headed to the next best seat: 10D, on the aisle in the exit row. When I arrived at my assigned seat I met my seatmate. Joe is a 450+ pound traveler who usually flies first class because of his size. Today he’s been re-routed and the airline didn’t have his usual seat available. On this full flight they had just one seat to offer him—the one next to me. As I settled in to my seat with Joe nuzzled up close, I realized that I was “one cheek to the aisle.” Without armrests, tray tables, or ability to see through my seatmate to the window, I was in this for the long haul. Again, I felt like crying.

It’s on days like these when I hear my mother’s sage advice. When I was in high school and all teenage-like and hormonal, I’d occasionally come home from school and cry about something someone said to me or something that didn’t go my way. Mom would console me for a short time and then she’d say, “Now, stop your crying. A week from now you won’t remember what you were crying about.” And, you know what? She was right. I don’t remember any of the causes of those tearful times. I won’t remember this day either.

It’s days like this that remind me: we choose how we react, in every situation. We choose to be upset. We choose to be negative. We choose to be “easy to get along with” (as the flight attendants described me today!). And, my Mom was right. You usually don’t remember the details for too long.

I ended up having a great flight. I hung out with the great flight attendants in the galley. I got this article written, and I now have a good excuse to get a new pair of shoes. I even got a voucher from US Airways “for my trouble.” I’ve chosen to be unhappy as a response to situations in the past and it’s not a good thing. Today, I chose to just laugh about it. What a better choice.

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