Power Words

Power Words Affirmation - To assert positively Positive affirmations have been considered the panacea within the self improvement industry for a long time. Most of the self improvement guru's teach it. However, if affirmations were as effective as they are made out to be, then why are we all not wealthy? Popular? Harmonious? Creative? Why? Because our conscious mind interacts and interprets information we are receiving, and filters "unrealistic" messages (messages that contradict our more deeply held views) from the subconscious mind. That's its job! How many of us have repeated over and over again, as we've been taught, sometimes for months and even years on end, the simple sentence, "I am wealthy"? All right, I see a lot of hands. Were you wealthy at the time? If not, your subconscious mind was filtering that message as a lie. It says, "Yeah right, you don't have two dimes to rub together pal, get a clue." That message, the lie, is the one the subconscious mind accepts as the truth. That message is the reality the subconscious mind works on. No amount of present tense affirming that "A" is not "A" will ever change "A" to not "A". If you are affirming you're 6' 4" tall when you're 5' 10" tall, this tells your mind that you are crazy, or a liar, or even both! Yes, there is a reason you may have been feeling foolish and futile with your affirmations! The problem lies in using the words "I am". When you use "I am" and you are not, you are opening up yourself for attack from the subconscious mind. Let's get rid of the notion of affirmations and replace it with a concept first introduced in 1929 in John MacDonald's book, "The Message of a Master." And that is the concept of: Power Words

Let's look again at the word wealthy. When using positive affirmations we would say to ourselves, "I am wealthy."

Change the word wealthy into wealth and we now have a Power Word. Now we say to ourselves, "wealth."

In quiet contemplation we think about the concept of wealth and what it means to us. What kind of lifestyle changes would we have if we had wealth. Where would we live, what would we drive, what cause would we donate part of our wealth to.

By just thinking about the concept of wealth you're instructing your conscious mind to tell your subconscious mind to personalize what the word means to you. You create in your subsconscious your reality of the word. You leave no doubt as to what the word encompasses without having to try to fool your subconscious mind into believing you already have it.

I remember when I was first introduced to Power Words. At the time I was running for political office as a Libertarian and a debate against my republican and democrat opponent was on the horizon. For about a week before the event I spent my quiet time just thinking about the Power Word, freedom.

When it came time for the debate I was on fire. Never before had I been able to convey my beliefs, based on freedom, as eloquently and passionately as I did that evening.

As many of you know, I'm also a baseball umpire. After having the success with the Power Word, freedom, I decided to use the Power Word concept in my umpiring. I decided on the word "confidence."

I thought about what it would be like to work a game confidently. I thought about getting into the proper position to make the right call. I thought about knowing all the rule interpretations and what it would be like explaining a rule to a coach. The Power Word concept worked again!

The 2001 baseball season was my best season ever (although there are some people out there who would disagree). As the season progressed I became more confident in my game and I am now considered in the top echelon of umpiring at the youth level.

I experienced these successes not by lying to my conscious mind by telling it something that isn't true, but instead by laying the groundwork in the subconscious through conceptual thinking and creating the atmosphere by which the successes were attainable.

Using affirmations in conjunction with the words, "I am" can be self-sabotaging and lead to frustration, confusion and self-doubt. Unfortunately, this is the concept that many of us have been taught. And even more unfortunately, the use of this concept is what is holding back many of us on our personal development journey, and even leading some into abandoning the journey all together.

Practice the concept of Power Words. Here's what I do. I choose a new Power Wordd each week, and during my quiet time I contemplate what the word means to me. Below is a list of some of the Power Words I consider important to my personal development. You can use the same list or modify it. As long as you get rid of positive affirmations and replace it with POWER WORDS!

Power Up With Power Words

Things do not change; we change.
-Henry David Thoreau

Peace	Poise	Harmony
Honesty	Charity	Freedom
Guidance	Wisdom	Kindness
Inspiration	Intelligence	Memory
Grace	Confidence	Abundance
Health	Strength	Energy
Vitality	Power	Serenity
Love	Creativity	Life
Success	Happiness	Resourcefulness
Persistence	Purpose	Achievement