I really appreciate the observations and interpretations I am reading here. I, too, have repeatedly experienced the negative aspects of setting myself up with very specific goals and definitions and pushing myself to 'do my affirmations' to bring them to pass. It feels like pushing and I put a lot of effort and work into finding ways to make it come to pass in the way I have specifically designed it to happen. As I think about it, here are a few of things that feel good for me and have come from a combination of mentors.
One is to form and write out a dream that relates mostly to the way my ideal feels (rather than how it manifests). Example: A few years ago I created a very specific picture of my ideal for a house, found a picture to put on a 'vision board', chose a location for it and described how it would be if it were 'perfectly manifested.' I put it up there and saw it whenever I looked up at the board. I even did some research in the area I had chosen for the property I might acquire for the purpose. I told various people a bit about that goal.
But, not seeing it as an immediate 'have to', the picture became a reminder of how I felt my dream life would feel.
When I was doing ES, the 'next step' picture that appeared on my 'movie screen' was a picture of that house. But when I asked what it meant, the answer was not that my next step was to go about acquiring the physical location - it was that my next step should be to relax and enjoy the peaceful approach to living that was represented by the whole dream. My current affirmation is more like: "I live in a modest home with sufficient resources to relax and enjoy using time as the spirit guides."
And do you know what? My current circumstances allow me to enjoy time doing many of the things I love to do - as long as I relax and don't push myself into 'working' on things that I 'should' be doing. [Effortless vs. Effortful living!]
Another is additions to the specific affirmation idea that leaves the way open for Heavenly Father (or 'the universe') to do it His own way are 'in the best way for the benefit of all' and 'this, or even better.' Example: I put on my vision board an account summary that showed $0.00 balances on all my credit/liability accounts. I also determined that I would accomplish this by bringing in $50,000.00 from each of two different enterprises I was working on within a year's time. - But I had (and still have, I'm afraid) some lack of faith that I could really pull it off, and I kept the above two statements ['in the best way for the benefit of all' and 'this, or even better.'] in the background. Well, the property investment I had counted on providing half of the income became a losing proposition for me, but got a young family into a good home for a price they could afford. And the entrepreneurial counseling work and programmed teaching that I hoped would provide the other half of the income have yet to get off the ground. But another idea for interim income through personally provided services provided me with enough income to keep paying on my obligations - and a partial distribution from my aunt's estate combined with that to make just over $50,000.00 by the end of the calendar year. And the final distribution from the same estate was $64,000.00 - received almost exactly one year from the time of the initial goal setting. These amounts allowed me to put $0.00 balances on every account (except my home debt, payments for which I have made other arrangements).
A third thing that has recently been very positive is the idea of 'afformations'; but I find that they are more useful to me if I substitute the phrase "What am I doing so that.." in place of the word 'Why.' So my card says on it, "What am I doing so that I am quickly reaching my goal of loving to be a healthy and beautiful 135 lbs?" [It will take a loss of 50 lbs. to get there.] I can't tell you about full success with this yet, because I have just started with it. I can tell you that I have been noticing a sense of being really full and not wanting to eat any more after very little intake - and an exploratory feeling about what I need/want to be doing with dietary and exercise factors in my life.
I definitely believe that treating oneself with goal statements that work gently within the limits of one's own faith rather than 'in your face' types of 'pushing' disciplines are more effective and enduring ways of moving towards effortless success. However, 'different strokes for different folks' is one of my guiding principles. Above all, I support you in choosing and using the styles that work for you.
May you create joy in your journey today.
Margaret Ida
