“Most persons are so absorbed in the contemplation of the outside world that they are wholly oblivious to what is passing on within themselves.” – Nikola Tesla
Whether you realize it or not, you’ve probably been using autosuggestion techniques your entire life. Maybe you’ve never even heard of the word autosuggestion, but this concept has been around for centuries. Have you ever told yourself to smile, concentrate or just breathe? Then you’ve already been doing it!
Affirmations may seem like a new age concept, but affirmations or autosuggestion are nothing new. They’ve been used throughout the centuries to benefit all aspects of life. Whether it’s success, happiness or meeting goals, affirmations can help to make your life rich with positivity and gratitude. And even beyond that, your mind is a powerful tool that can allow you to make immense changes in your life.
What is Autosuggestion?
Autosuggestion is a simple and easy mind programming tool. It includes mind power techniques that are easily accessible and can be done anywhere. It’s something you probably do naturally. The problem is that the majority of people use autosuggestion techniques subconsciously so they’re not even aware they are doing it.
That means you could be negatively impacting yourself as well. Do you have negative self-talk? Do you put yourself down? Do you feel like your goals are impossible to reach and you need to be more realistic? These subconscious thoughts program your mind.
“Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality.” Earl Nightingale
Autosuggestion is all about describing your own thoughts, feelings and beliefs in a way that influences your behavior and state of mind. In turn, this can have an impact on your life. As you can imagine, this can change your life both positively or negatively depending on how you harness the power of autosuggestion.
For example, someone might talk about feeling sick and tired and then find themselves feeling very low and unmotivated. The mind is powerful, even when used unconsciously. You can build yourself up to feel invincible and conquer your goals, or you can break yourself down day by day until everything seems pointless.
To make sure autosuggestion has a positive impact on your life, you can use positive affirmations. Affirmations are positively formed sentences that you want to ingrain in your brain. When you hear something enough, it has the power to influence your subconscious thoughts, behavior, and even make a large impact on your current and future life.
While autosuggestion can help you to achieve a more positive way of thinking, it won’t do all the work. You still need to grab every opportunity and possibility as it comes. It’s one half changing your thinking patterns and one half putting those thoughts and belief into action, even if it feels unnatural at first. By practicing autosuggestion regularly, you can realize your full potential in all areas of life.
Autosuggestions Throughout Time
Affirmations and autosuggestion aren’t new. The power that the mind can unlock has always been present throughout history. In 1937, Napoleon Hill wrote the book Think and Grow Rich and completely changed the personal success genre. More than 70 years after its first publication, many people still stand by his lessons. He studied over 500 self-made millionaires, think Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford, and created 13 principles that needed to be mastered in order to achieve success. One of these principles is autosuggestion.
“Your ability to use the principle of autosuggestion will depend, very largely, upon your capacity to concentrate upon a given desire until that desire becomes a burning obsession.” - Napoleon Hill
Autosuggestion is a technique that’s used to support your desire and faith as a foundation to greater success. Whether it’s in the form of affirmations or visualization, Hill’s technique for autosuggestion is pretty simple. He suggests that you repeat your mission statement or positive affirmation aloud every morning and evening while visualizing it.
“If you do not see great riches in your imagination, you will never see them in your bank balance.” - Napoleon Hill
Several studies have shown that the brain can’t differentiate between a real memory and a visualized one. This means that when you imagine something, you can experience it with real emotions and brain chemistry. Because of this, visualization could have the ability to help you overcome fears and build self-confidence so that you can take more empowered action towards what you want most in life.
Harness the Power of Autosuggestions with Positive Affirmations
Changing your thinking process can often create changes in every other aspect of your life. By focusing on positive affirmations you are choosing to think certain thoughts to create positive results in the future. During the 1800s, Andrew Carnegie was a steel magnate billionaire and mentor to a young Napoleon Hill. He was the richest man in America in 1901.
“People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.” – Andrew Carnegie
Carnegie defined success and showed how the repetition of positive habits, thoughts, and perseverance can help you to meet your goals. Many of his teachings and lessons are still used today in both personal and professional success journeys.
Create Powerful Positive Change
Evidence shows that by stripping positive thoughts down to simple affirmations and repeated phrases, it can help to rewire the brain. The more you repeat a particular thought, the stronger the emotion is that’s attached to it and the more powerful the message becomes. Research in the Indian Journal of Psychiatry looks into the effects of positive affirmations on the brain. They found that neurotransmitters are affected by affirmations and help to set positive pathways.
A very underrated aspect of affirmations is physical affirmations. Writing down your goals and having a vision/mood board help you to create the life you want. Knowing where you want to be is just as important as knowing what you want to come to you.
“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” - Buddha
Another study published in Social Cognitive and Effective Neuroscience investigated the effects of affirmations with an MRI scan. Researchers found that self-affirmations activated parts of the brain that were associated with self-related processing and reward. Participants who showed greater activity in these parts of the brain exhibited less sedentary behavior after the study than those who didn’t use positive self-affirmations.
Whether you have a goal you’re looking to hit or want to improve your outlook, positive affirmations can have a massive impact. They can also help to improve self-confidence and the ability to overcome obstacles. By reducing negative thoughts and focusing on the positive ones, you can influence your life and enhance your overall well being.
The more you repeat positive affirmations, the better. Here are some examples you could incorporate into your daily routine:
- I make the best from every situation
- I enjoy life to the fullest
- I live in the moment
- I stand up for my values, beliefs and morals
The Law of Attraction and Frequency of Thought
Autosuggestion techniques are all about unlocking the power of the mind and delving into your subconscious to be the best version of yourself. When repeating positive affirmations, you’re inviting opportunity into your life by changing your thought processes. The law of attraction or law of vibration is all about attracting similar energies.
“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” - Nikola Tesla
Do you ever find that when you’re feeling very happy and have achieved a new level of success that you want to surround yourself with positive people with drive and ambition? The same could be said that when you’re feeling down or negative, that you surround yourself with people on a similar level or frequency. There is some truth to the phrase; your vibe attracts your tribe.
It’s thought that your energy influences those around you and your thoughts are directly related to your energy and vibration. By understanding your vibration and tuning in with your frequency, you can take control of your life and attract things of a similar frequency. The universe conspires to bring you exactly what you want.
Your inner voice is strong and sometimes that negative self-talk can overpower your mind. The concept of autosuggestion is by no means new but there’s a reason it has been used for so long. Throughout time, exceptional individuals have used the power of affirmations to achieve success in different areas of life. By changing your negative autosuggestions into positive ones, it can help you reach your fullest potential.
