Afformations

A New Way to Banish Negative Talk

by Noah St. John

What is an afformation?

No, that’s not a typo. Noah St. John created a new dimension of positive thinking to describe the process of creating and asking empowering questions. Questions compel us to seek answers. By changing the negative questions we ask ourselves into positive ones, we empower ourselves!

Are you one of those people going through life asking yourself disempowering questions without realizing it? And then wondering why you’re not getting the results you dream of?

Let’s take a look at the disempowering questions you’re unconsciously asking yourself right now. Then we’ll learn how to consciously turn those disempowering questions into Afformations®, my term for questions which empower.

What are disempowering questions?

They’re questions that do precisely that: they disempower you and effectively take away your power to act, by focusing your mind on what you don’t have, what you can’t do, and who you are not. Disempowering questions take away your power to act. Of course, no one goes around asking these negative questions on purpose. But you may be unconsciously asking disempowering questions without even realizing it. That’s why I’d like you to try something right now.

I want you to say these common disempowering questions out loud, and see how you feel as a result. Ready?

• Why don’t I have enough money?
• Why am I so lonely?
• Why am I such a loser?
• Why am I so fat? Why am I so broke?
• Why do I never get the breaks that other people get? Why can’t I do anything right?

Each of us is carrying around what I call a Negative Reflection in our subconscious mind—that negative inner voice that tells us we can’t do anything right. The Negative Reflection always asks negative or disempowering questions like the ones listed above. The ultimate result of them is that you manifest what you focus on. In other words, when you ask yourself negative questions, you get negative results.

Create an Afformations Journal for yourself and write the five most disempowering questions that your Negative Reflection asks you on a regular basis. Yes, I mean right now. These disempowering questions may have come from someone in your past, or perhaps you made them up on your own. Either way, it’s vital that you know exactly what your own disempowering questions are so you can begin to turn them around. Are you ready to find a better way?

Empowering Questions—the Right Questions to Ask

Now that you’ve identified the disempowering questions you’ve been unconsciously asking, you’re probably asking another question right now: “Okay, if those are the disempowering questions I’ve been asking, what are empowering questions—and how can I start asking those instead?” Empowering questions are those that have precisely the opposite effect of their negative counterparts. While disempowering questions focus your mind on what you don’t have, can’t do, and are not—and therefore take away your power to act—empowering questions focus your mind what you have, what you can do, and who you are. Empowering questions unleash your ability to take action and express Who You Really Are.

The answers to empowering questions produce feelings of positive self-worth and ultimately lead to answers that tell the truth about Who You Really Are.

Let’s try something fun right now. I want you to change the five disempowering questions you just wrote into empowering questions. How do you do this? Simply reverse the negative question into a positive! For example, let’s say one of the disempowering questions you wrote was: How come I never get the breaks other people get? Your empowering question might be: Why am I so lucky? Or if one of the disempowering questions you wrote was: Why am I so fat? Your empowering question could be: Why is it so easy for me to lose weight? Got it? Grab your pen and change your five disempowering questions into empowering questions in your Afformations® Journal.

Are you ready to experience the Afformations difference? Go for it! Pretty cool, huh? Did you notice something shift in your mind? What does it feel like? Congratulations! You’ve just begun an amazing journey to your new abundant lifestyle.

This post has been reblogged from Hay House. To read the original blog, click here…

Additional Resources

If you enjoyed this article, you might also enjoy reading about appreciative inquiry and asking miracle questions.

7 Days of Self-Love

To make a change, one makes a change in the moment, one change at a time.

7 Days of Appreciation

You have probably heard of affirmations, mantras, incantations, spells…

 

Call it what you will, repeating a statement, and using it as a Central Focusing Thoughtwill change all areas of your life, for the better.

 

For 7 days, we will repeat as many times as you can, during your day, “I appreciate and listen to…”

 

Day 1-7: I appreciate and listen to my body.

 

Use whatever strategies you wish to remind yourself.

 

I appreciate and listen to:

1. my body
2. my dreams
3. my intuition
4. my heart’s call
5. my insights
6. my creative impulses
7. my passion

 

Your Deep Dream

What is your Deep Dream?

Your Deep Dream Spread

Step 1: My Deep Dream is………………………………………

Make yourself comfortable. Set your intention to relax and release. Repeat this phrase 3 times: “Relax and Release”

Focus your attention on the prompt: My deep dream is ………………………………………………………………………….

Write down your answer, quickly – this is called free association.

Step 2: My head tells me that in a perfect world I can ……………………………………………………………………………

Set your timer if you wish to 5 to 10 minutes. Just write down all the thoughts that come to mind, including hesitations, memories, self-talk. Take a moment to notice how you are feeling. Now re-read your answer and again write 3 words to describe how you are feeling.

Step 3: My heart tells me that the world is perfect for me to …………………………………………………………………………….

Now for step 3, focus your attention on your heart. Even think of a heart shaped and an uplifting color. Put your hand/hands on your heart and breathe in… hold… exhale. Repeat 2 more times, keeping your hand/s on your heart. Now read the prompt and complete the sentence. Elaborate if you wish and write down your answer.

Now notice how you are feeling.

This is step one, the very beginning of a series of activities/tasks and practices to help you focus on your big dream.

Resources:

There comes a time to shape and direct the force we have learned. I asked them, “What are your deep dreams? Write for five minutes.” Many of us don’t know, don’t recognize, avoid our deep dreams. When we write for five, ten minutes we are forced to put down wishes that float around in our mind and that we might not pay attention to. It is an opportunity to write down, without thinking, wishes at the periphery of our perceptions.

Reread them. Start to take your dreams and [practices] seriously. If you’re not sure, if you honestly don’t know what you want to do, start wishing for a direction, for your way to appear.

Excerpt from Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Integrated Living

The Ask and The Answer

Integrating Practice:

 

• The mind is curious and loves to ask questions. What question are you asking yourself and your higher intelligence today?
• Where do you turn to for the answer? Turn to your heart’s wisdom and intuition!
• Now bringing the two together for integrated living, take some some, inspired action to appreciate this connection.
• Now back to your heart, what do you feel has shifted in your experience as a result of your inspired action?

Creative Affirmations

Creative Affirmations

Affirmations are prescriptions for those creative aspects of yourself you want to appreciate and grow. Affirmations are also a form of self-appreciation and a way to be true to yourself. Affirmations are strong, positive statements of what you notice to be true – true in a linear and obvious way and true in essence. This means you can look within and look with a creative perspective and notice that what you want is present in some way or the other.

 

It fills my heart, my body, my mind, my consciousness, my very being, and radiates out from me in all directions and returns to me multiplied. ~Louise Hay

• I am willing to create.
• I am learning a more creative perspectiveI appreciate my creative talents
• I connect to my inner creative energy
• My essence is creative.
• Creativity is love and truth.
• My creative drive guides and supports me.
• My creativity flourishes and I flourish.
• I accept my uniqueness

 

Hello Change!

Welcome Changel

When I step into the perspective of change and creativity, I welcome change. I am an Angel of Change.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.