Open for Business
Do Affirmations Work?
Affirmations consist in using positive language and present
tense to express desired outcomes. There is a good deal of
anecdotal evidence that using affirmative, present tense
statements supports manifestation of external results. Yet
sometimes it just doesn't feel right, or it may feel right but not
(apparently) work. What's up with that?

When this topic came up in a recent Authentic Promotion
discussion, I was reminded of the labyrinth at Chartres
Cathedral, an archetypal image of transformation. As many
of you know, one of my practices is to pay attention when a
symbol pokes its nose into my business, so I spent a few
minutes musing on the possible relationship of the labyrinth to
the use of affirmations. (You can see an image of the labyrinth
at http://www.labyrinthonline.com/chartres.html. I am not
endorsing this site, just offering it as a visual adjunct to
this article.)

Here's what showed up for me as I contemplate what the
labyrinth might tell us about how intention is transformed
into results.

I began by imagining that we enter the labyrinth with a goal or
intention in mind, and that how we state and embody the
intention is going to affect at least the beginning of our journey
of transformation. In other words, how we start does make
a difference.

I then imagined walking the labyrinth, and it occurred to me
that the twists and turns, the straight and crooked segments of
the path, will have an effect on our original intention. What is it
like to hold this intention and affirm our goals as the labyrinth
asks us to double back, appearing to lose ground? What is it
like to find ourselves rather surprisingly in a different quadrant
of the circle? Do we still see things the way we did in
the beginning?

Walking a labyrinth, like any transformational experience,
means being willing to be changed as we move toward our goal.
Sometimes that means the goal itself will change. Here's where
a simplistic approach to affirmation will break down, because
what we are affirming may be no longer relevant.

Who we are and what we want as we emerge from the labyrinth
can be profoundly different than who we were and what we
planned at the start. This is why it is important to be careful how
we understand the relationship between intention and result.
Yes there is a relationship. But to imagine that the relationship
is one of cause and effect is an oversimplification and a form of
magical thinking.

What does this mean for the use of affirmations? First, trust
yourself. If stating your goals in the present tense feels
powerful and meaningful, then by all means do it. Second,
observe yourself. Pay attention to what moves in you when you
use affirmations so that you can respond to the process of
transformation and collaborate with the ways you are being
called to show up and co-create outcomes.

Sometimes it will feel just right to declare an as-yet-unmanifest
outcome as a clear affirmation. Sometimes it will feel
uncomfortable, yet useful because it challenges you to step out
of your comfort zone. Sometimes it may feel simply wrong.

Whatever your experience, be curious. What is it about this
desired-for thing that feels unreal when you claim it out loud in
present tense? Does this point at some inner or outer work you
need to do to narrow the gap between how things are and how
you want them to be? If an out-loud, present tense declaration
feels powerful and true, how come? What are you knowing,
being, or sensing that gives rise to this feeling of certainty?
What is the body disposition, mood, and set of beliefs that
correlate with this experience? Does this feel sustainable? Is
there inner or outer work that wants to be done from this place?

This is the approach to affirmation that works for me. You might
call it part of my personal operating system. I trust each of you
to have an operating system that makes you resourceful and
productive as you move from desire to dream to reality. This
week, take some time to notice how you operate when you're
at your best and see if you can notice how to get out of the way of
your own best practices.

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Small Print
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