Affirmations and positive thinking

Remember the late 80's and 90's where you had all these business guys trying to promote those positive self belief classes ("you can do anything!"😉. A part of a lot of those courses were affirmations.
At the same time, with hippies and other assorted semi-spirtual folk around the place, they seemed to be doing a lot of "affirmations" as a part of their spiritual practice. There was a glut of books on the subject.

I think you can affirm until you are blue in the face but unless you really know what you are doing (ie,why you might think affirmation would work at all in the first place), you will never get any positive (spirtual) results?

Ideas?

I doubt it's the answer you are looking for, but I have (also?) noticed the correlation between salesmanship "affirmations" and what many Christians say is effective in their prayer practices, i.e. visualation, continued prayer daily, etc.

Originally posted by karoly aczel
Remember the late 80's and 90's where you had all these business guys trying to promote those positive self belief classes ("you can do anything!"😉. A part of a lot of those courses were affirmations.
At the same time, with hippies and other assorted semi-spirtual folk around the place, they seemed to be doing a lot of "affirmations" as a part of their ...[text shortened]... at all in the first place), you will never get any positive (spirtual) results?

Ideas?

"I think you can affirm until you are blue in the face but unless you really know what you are doing (ie,why you might think affirmation would work at all in the first place), you will never get any positive (spirtual) results?"

Actually, unless all ones' positive thinking and affirmations are predicated on absolute truth one is destined to oblivion.

Originally posted by sumydid
I doubt it's the answer you are looking for, but I have (also?) noticed the correlation between salesmanship "affirmations" and what many Christians say is effective in their prayer practices, i.e. visualation, continued prayer daily, etc.

Yes, that's the sort of thing. Was it the same over there? ie. did it have a surge in popularity for awhile and then start dying off? (As all things that dont work die off)

I do think there is some good in some of these practices, but only with other practices as well,(and some real knowledge of the workings of your conciousness) . In and of themselves they are useless.

Originally posted by josephw
[b]"I think you can affirm until you are blue in the face but unless you really know what you are doing (ie,why you might think affirmation would work at all in the first place), you will never get any positive (spirtual) results?"

Actually, unless all ones' positive thinking and affirmations are predicated on absolute truth one is destined to oblivion.[/b]

Talk about putting pressure on the kiddies ...

I agree, affirmations should be predicated on absolute truth. However I dont think you will goto oblivion if you fail.

It is more the process of training one's mind that should give an insight into the brain/conciousness rather than thinking that affirming stuff repeatedly is going to bear any fruit. (That includes chanting Hare Krsna the wrong way or repeatedly praying to JC in the wrong way).
Remember the Process ... 🙂

Originally posted by josephw
[b]"I think you can affirm until you are blue in the face but unless you really know what you are doing (ie,why you might think affirmation would work at all in the first place), you will never get any positive (spirtual) results?"

Actually, unless all ones' positive thinking and affirmations are predicated on absolute truth one is destined to oblivion.[/b]

And you know the absolute truth, right? You know it as verifiable fact? Or do you only have faith that you know the absolute truth, even though you are far from it?

Originally posted by tomtom232
And you know the absolute truth, right? You know it as verifiable fact? Or do you only have faith that you know the absolute truth, even though you are far from it?

I know it, and that's an absolute fact.

Do you know I don't? Here's a nugget of truth for you.

2 Corinthians 10:5 - Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

If one's thinking isn't in obedience of Christ, one's thoughts are born of the imagination and are against the knowledge of God's Truth.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Originally posted by josephw
I know it, and that's an absolute fact.

Do you know I don't? Here's a nugget of truth for you.

2 Corinthians 10:5 - [b]Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

If one's thinking isn't in obedience of Christ, one's thoug ...[text shortened]... nd are against the knowledge of God's Truth.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.[/b]

Yes but Christ is God and God is everywhere and in everything at all times, inlcuding imaginations, so therefore everything is born of God.