Use Affirmations An affirmation is a trigger tool—a statement of belief, written and repeated as if the goal were already an accomplished fact. Affirmations have the power to effect that outcome. Many prominent behavioral scientists have documented, in several landmark studies, the effectiveness of autogenics.

We can now state to the most cynical, conservative, pragmatists that self-talk, affirmations, visualization, and autogenic programming work! Prior to the release of Dr. Bandura's studies at Stanford and those of Dr. Charles Garfield at the Performance Sciences Institute at Berkeley, California, as well as the pioneering human potential research of Lou Tice at the Pacific Institute, we would lose some of our audience when we got into affirmations and autogenic commands.

Now, only those who have been living in a closet could doubt the effectiveness of visualization and daily affirmations. Today, we know that one of the best defenses against depression or any other form of mental anguish is the daily process of drafting and repeating positive statements about yourself. Write a few down on a slip of paper and keep them in your wallet or day-timer, or on your bathroom mirror for daily recitation. Here are a few affirmations that seem to work for everyone, but we encourage you to write some of your own, related specifically to your wants and needs. Read them silently every morning when you wake up and every night before the lights go out.

After reading each one, visualize the written statement as if it is transpiring right now. Read the words, picture them happening, and feel the emotions that go with the vision. As the affirmations are gradually assimilated into your daily life, creativity, positive decision making, and goal setting become free-flowing events. "I am powerful, knowing that I alone am accountable for the results of my decisions and actions."

"I enjoy every facet of life, because I easily and enthusiastically create fun, joy, and adventure." "I feel supported, working with a team of positive people who share my values."

"People listen to me when I talk because I have something of value to say."

"I clearly communicate my business vision to others in such a way that they are inspired to join me and become a part of it."

"Because of my high self-esteem, I feel enormous satisfaction reaching my goals."

"I value myself as a person, and know that I am worth at least $50,000 a month and more."

"I am proud to be building an MLM dynasty as I recruit dozens of excited people who rapidly duplicate my success."

What you'll notice about this exercise is this: As you visualize the new, you gradually begin to shed the old, believing with every fiber of your being that what you visualize is happening to you at that very moment. That is when change begins to occur. Change is often two steps forward and one step back. When you do well, say to yourself, "That's like me." When you make a mistake, say, "That's not like me. I'll do better next time." We have used each of these affirmations repeatedly and have shared them with many other people who have seen dramatic results by repeating them regularly.