Week
4

Believe It’s Possible

AFFIRMATIONS

for

Meditation and Reflection

I am releasing beliefs and negative statements that limit me and creating new, positive statements that tell me my ideal future is possible.

I choose to believe things are possible, even when I don’t know how they will happen.

I am working toward fulfilling my goals every day and I easily move past those times when my expectations are not met.

When anyone tells me I can’t do anything . . . I’m just not listening anymore.

—FLORENCE “FLO JO” GRIFFITH JOYNER
Considered the fastest woman of all time based on the
world records she set in track and field in 1988

Practically every psychology class in the world teaches a concept called expectancy theory: the idea that we respond to events in life based on what the brain expects to happen, which it’s learned from our prior life experience. In other words, people usually decide to behave in a certain way based on expected results.

Where we run into trouble, though, is when we let negative prior experiences and a lack of self-confidence control our decisions; when that happens, we act a certain way and get a negative outcome. But what if, instead, you intentionally held positive expectations in your mind? You could achieve exactly what you want much more easily.

Whenever a difficult situation or negative thought enters your mind, write it down. Write down what you are thinking, why it’s a problem, and what has caused it. Then, break these thoughts down into smaller parts and re-imagine them as positives. Now, put the pieces back together and create a new, positive statement that helps you believe what you want is possible.

I am releasing beliefs and negative statements that limit me and creating new, positive statements that tell me my ideal future is possible.

There are two roadblocks that hold us back from achieving our goals and making good decisions. The first one is fear of what we don’t know: What will it take to get me from here to there? How will I make ends meet in the meantime? Those questions will discourage you if you let them. But all those details will fall into place if you believe in your goals and believe in yourself.

The second roadblock is what you think you know that just isn’t true. Think about that. Could a lot of what you think you know actually be wrong? Relying too much on your own knowledge and experiences without questioning your assumptions is a slippery slope. You need to learn the real facts and use this information to become a possibility thinker.

Your mind is an amazing instrument—you can let it absorb bad or damaging information, or you can train it to produce positive thoughts (by using affirmations, for instance). You know that taking responsibility and being in control of your life is integral to achieving your goals, and you also know that you have the power to learn and un-learn thought patterns and responses at will. Only you can decide what you will accept and what you will block from your mind, so it’s up to you to avoid negative and incorrect data.

I choose to believe things are possible, even when I don’t know how they will happen.

Napoleon Hill, the author of Think and Grow Rich once said, “You can be anything you want to be, if only you believe with sufficient conviction and act according to your faith; for whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

That’s truly a profound statement.

You see, it’s all well and good to practice positive thinking and self-motivation, but without truly believing anything is possible, you won’t get very far. Let’s say you’ve been working toward a promotion for the last year or two, and you muster up the confidence to speak to the Vice President. You are confident in your ability and expect a positive outcome, only you don’t get one, and you become discouraged. Remember that, although you believed in yourself and expected a different outcome, you are no worse off than the day before. You haven’t really lost anything.

Being confident and expecting a positive outcome is not the same as instant gratification—if you’re expecting an unequivocal yes for every question you ask, you’re off target. What it is actually about is changing negative attitudes and thoughts and accepting the present. When you believe in yourself and believe anything is possible, opportunities will come from places and people you’d never expect, and the world will respond in astonishing ways.

I am working toward fulfilling my goals every day and I easily move past those times when my expectations are not met.