I Can Do It! -- Intro Part I

[Guest guest]

" I Can Do It! -- How to Use Affirmations to Change Your Life " Written by

Louise L. Hay

" Introduction -- Part I "

" Today is a new day. Today is a day for you to begin creating a joyous,

fulfilling life. Today is the day to begin to release all your limitations.

Today is the day for you to learn the secrets of life. You CAN change your life

for the better. You already have the tools within you to do so. These tools are

your thoughts and your beliefs. In this book, I will teach you how to use these

tools to improve the quality of your life. "

" For those of you who aren't familiar with the benefits of positive

affirmations, I'd like to explain a little about them. An affirmations is really

anything you say or think. A lot of what we normally say and think is quite

negative and doesn't create good experiences for us. We have to retrain our

thinking and speaking into positive patterns if we want to change our lives. "

" An affirmation opens the door. It's a beginning point on the path to change.

In essence, you're saying to your subconcious mind: " I AM TAKING RESPONSIBILITY.

I AM AWARE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING I CAN DO TO CHANGE. "

" When I talk about DOING AFFIRMATIONS, I mean consciously choosing words that

will either help ELIMINATE something from your life or help CREATE something new

in your life. "

" Every thought you think and every word you speak is an affirmation. All of

our self-talk, our internal dialogue, is a stream of affirmations. You're using

affirmations every moment whether you know it or not. You're affirming and

creating your life experiences with every word and thought. "

" Your beliefs are merely habitual thinking patterns that you learned as a

child. Many of them work very well for you. Other beliefs may be limiting your

ability to create the very things you say you want. What you want and what you

believe you deserve may be very different. You need to pay attention to your

thoughts so that you can begin to eliminate the ones creating experiences you do

NOT want in your life. "

" Please realize that every complaint is an affirmation of something you think

you don't want in your life. Every time you get angry, you're affirming that you

want more anger in your life. Every time you feel like a victim, you're

affirming that you want to CONTINUE to feel like a victim. If you feel that Life

isn't giving you what you want in your world, then it's certain that you will

never have the goodies that Life gives to others -- that is, until you change

the way you think and talk. "

" You're not a bad person for thinking the way you do. You've just never

learned HOW to think and talk. People throughout the world are just now

beginning to learn that our thoughts create our experiences. Your parents

probably didn't know this, so they couldn't possibly teach it to you. They

taught you how to look at life in the way THEIR parents taught them. So nobody

is wrong. However, it's time for all of us to wake up and begin to consciously

create our lives in a way that pleases and supports us. 'YOU can do it. I can do

it. We ALL can do it -- we just need to learn how.' So let's get to it. "

" Throughout this book, I'll talk about affirmations in general, and then I'll

get to specific areas of life and show you how to make positive changes in your

health, your finances, your love life, and so on. This is a small book, because

once you learn how to use affirmations, then you can apply the principles in all

situations. "

" Some people say that " affirmations don't work " (which is an affirmation in

itself), when what they mean is that they don't know how to use them correctly.

They may say, " MY PROSPERITY IS GROWING, " but then think, 'OH, THIS IS STUPID. I

KNOW IT WON'T WORK.' Which affirmation do you think will win out? The

negative one, of course, because it's part of a long-standing, habitual way of

looking at life. Sometimes people will say their affirmations once a day and

complain the rest of the time. It will take a long time for affirmations to work

if they're done that way. The complaining affirmations will always win, because

there are more of them and they're usually said with great feeling. "

" However, SAYING affirmations is only part of the process. What you do the

rest of the day and night is even more important. The secret to having your

affirmations work quickly and consistently is to prepare an atmosphere for them

to grow in. Affirmations are like seeds planted in soil. Poor soil, poor growth.

Rich soil, abundant growth. The more you choose to think thoughts that make you

feel good, the quicker the affirmations work. "

" So think happy thoughts, it's that simple. And it IS doable. The way you

choose to think, right now, is just that -- a choice. You may not realize it

because you've thought this way for so long, but it really is a choice. Now

....today...this moment...you can choose to change your thinking. Your life won't

turn around overnight, but if you're consistent and make the choice on a daily

basis to think thoughts that make you feel good, you'll definitely make positive

changes in every area of your life. "

" (I learned this secret from Esther Hicks/Abraham. Esther Hicks is a

motivational speaker who dialogues with a group of spiritual teachers who call

themselves Abraham. If you haven't experienced the teacher Abraham, call (830)

755-2299, or log on to:

www.abraham-hicks.com for information. I consider Abraham to be one

of the best teachers on the planet today.) "

" I wake up each morning with blessings and gratitude for the wonderful life I

lead, and I make the choice to think happy thoughts no matter what others are

doing. No, I don't do this 100 percent of the time, but I am up to about 75 or

80 percent right now, and it's made a big difference in how much I enjoy life

and how much good just seems to flow into my everyday world. "

" The only moment you ever live in is THIS moment. It's the only time you have

any control over. " Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift,

which is why we call it the PRESENT. " My yoga teacher, Maureen MacGinnis,

repeats this in every class she teaches. If you don't choose to feel good in

this moment, then how can you create future moments that are abundant and fun? "

" How do you feel right now? Do you feel good? Do you feel bad? What are your

current emotions? What is your gut feeling? Would you like to feel better? Then

reach for a better feeling or thought. If you feel bad in any way -- sad,

grumpy, bitter, resentful, angry, fearful, guilty, depressed, jealous, critical,

and so on ---- then you've temporarily lost your connection to the flow of good

experiences that the Universe has waiting for you. Don't waste your thoughts on

blame. No person, place, or thing has any control over your feelings because

they don't think in your mind. "

" This is also why you really have no control over others -- you see, you can't

control their thoughts. No one can control another unless that person gives

permission. So you want to be aware of this powerful mind you have. You can take

control over your own thinking. It's the only thing you'll ever have total

control of. What you choose to think thoughts of joy and appreciation, and you

can, too. "

" What kinds of thoughts make YOU feel good? Thoughts of love, appreciation,

gratitude, joyful childhood experiences? Thoughts in which you rejoice that

you're alive and bless your body with love? Do you truly enjoy this present

moment and get excited about tomorrow? Thinking these kinds of thoughts is an

act of loving yourself, and loving yourself creates miracles in your life. "

Copyright 2004 by Louise L. Hay

Published by Hay House Inc.

This excellent book/CD is called: " I CAN DO IT -- How to Use Affirmations to

Change Your Life " and is written by Louise L. Hay.

** I highly recommend this book to all 'affirmations to de-stress' yahoogroup

members! I believe that all of Louise Hay products are life-changing and

miraculous. However, this particular book/CD combination is absolutely one of

the very best out there, because it will walk you through the steps of how to

use affirmations and how to make them work!!

To quote this book's inside flap cover, " By the end of this book, you'll be

able to say " I Can Do It " with confidence, knowing that you're on your way to

the wonderful, joy-filled life you deserve. "

And so it is!

Love, Peace, & Hugs

PJ, owner/moderator of Affirmations to De-Stress Yahoogroup

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AffirmationstoDe-Stress

A positive thinking, positive affirmations support group, that discusses ways to

cope with the stresses of daily life. Come aboard! PJ and Gang