“I am surrounded by abundance.”
My financial adviser — a mechanical engineer who later became an accountant and is now a financial planner — kept a straight face. After all, I was in his office to pull down from my retirement fund. Abundance? Clearly, to him, I was fooling myself.
But all he said was, “Sounds New Age-y to me.” At least he didn’t roll his eyes. 
“Yeah,” was my reply. “But you know what? It works.”
Little did I know. On my way back to my office, I got a phone call from a California training company that wanted me to deliver three presentations the following week. And no sooner was I back at my computer when the phone rang — a woman I’d talked to three months ago was ready to move forward with her business planning.
The odd thing about that? I had her last email up on my screen and was just about to follow up with a “Hey, how’s it going with you?” missive when the call came in. And to top it off, earlier in the day I accidentally bumped a publication from her parent company, dumping it directly in my path.
Talk about woo-woo stuff.
Hard-nosed number-crunchers like my adviser would say things are starting to come together for me because I’ve worked my fanny off for the last two years. (He actually said I was “competent,” which is his highest compliment ever.) I know that’s a big part of it. And another part is watching my self-talk, making sure I’m positive, surrounding myself with positive people and just not giving up.
But in my heart, I believe it was the day several weeks ago when I publicly stated my intention, my affirmation — “I am surrounded by abundance” — that everything picked up steam.
Have you stated your intention? Have you affirmed what you want? Do you believe it in your heart?
Here are some tips that may help you get there.
Banish negative self-talk
Let’s start off with your self-talk. Listen to that voice in your head. Do you hear “won’t,”
“can’t,” “never,” “bad,” “stupid,” “crazy,” “dumb,” “don’t,” “not,” “idiotic,” “ridiculous,” “illogical” and others?
Then ask yourself: “Whose voices am I hearing?” Chances are excellent that they’ll be someone from your childhood. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say that these people were well-intentioned, trying to keep you safe. But you’re an adult now. You have to choice to believe or not believe, accept or not accept, the judgments and prohibitions that other people have put in your head.
Examine your assumptions. Are they true? Are they working for you? Once you’re sensitized to your negative self-talk, get rid of it. Try this trick: Put a rubber band around your wrist, and every time you hear yourself putting yourself down, snap the band. At the very least, it will change your focus. At best, the inflamed skin will be a stark reminder of how often you beat yourself up.
The value of affirmations
Then start working on ways to convert that negative self-talk into positive. Make sure your affirmations are in the present tense. Saying “I will be prosperous” is putting off your prosperity into an indefinite future, always out of reach. It reminds me of the sign on an old tavern outside Key West: “Free beer tomorrow.” It just is never going to happen.
Focus on what you want. “I find joy in everything I do. I am happy and healthy. I complete my assignments on time. My job is perfect. I love working with all my clients.” You get the drift. Say it enough times and soon enough you’ll believe it.
Are your skeptical? Don’t be. You are living proof that repeatedly hearing negative things about yourself makes them come true — in your own head and manifesting in your life. Why not change the negative thoughts into positive ones and reap those benefits?
Focus on how you will feel…when you find joy everywhere, you’re happy and healthy, your assignments are done, you have the perfect job and great clients. Tapping into the feeling is key, because you’ll need to go to that well to remind yourself of why you’re making the effort to begin with.
State your intentions
My intention is to be surrounded by abundance. I printed it out and posted above my computer. I have a copy on the coffee table in the living room. It’s the image on my computer desktop.
But that’s just the beginning. You need to tell the world, too. This took me out of my comfort zone. Yes, I wondered how people would look at me, what they would think, how they would react. And I do get a few startled looks, quickly followed a massive outpouring of support.
That’s the kind of energy I want around me. Because it works for me. And it can work for you, too.
What is your favorite affirmation?