20230422 : positive affirmations...

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"EVERYDAY IN EVERY WAY I AM GETTING BETTER AND BETTER"

those words are on a cardboard board in front of me in my room.

 It's actually not even cardboard.
It Was made using a stiff paper shopping bag with white paper stapled to it and the handle was used for hanging to the TV stand in the hospital in front of me. It was made by my good friend and my wife as a positive reinforcement to me very early in the hospital. After I came home, it has been hanging in front of me in the room ever since. 
Except for 3-4 months inbetween when I have spent back at hospitals it is the first thing I see in the morning and last thing I see at night.

I am quite surprised at its condition after 4+ years now . It has survived well inspite of the abuse it has been through across all weathers.

I am a skeptic with such things. It takes a lot for my mind to give up its skeptical position and accept such things. Any such matters.

So, when they put it up - I was like what difference can it possibly make. These were the days I was a complete vegetable - so I couldn't register my protest and displeasure. It was also the days of positive music, encouraging videos, readings etc. Everything I was against and I couldn't protest so it was just another thing.

Very quickly, I turned indifferent to such things. Anybody can do anything as long as I didn't have to do anything - which is one of the main reasons I used to be very irked when someone told me to say some sloka/ mantra some number of times everyday etc., I was expected to do something. 

The board in front of me being very passive in comparison was fine by me.

I haven't said it or read it actively/ consciously, but being bang opposite, I can't avoid seeing it as well and read it several times everyday. It's not like I missed it when I was back at the hospital, but I have caught myself saying it sometimes in various instances when I am not in front of it.

Which makes me think , where is it coming from? I don't consciously read it or think of it, yet my subconscious thinks about it time to time.

I think our minds have two parts - the concious part - with conscious thoughts we can create and the subconscious part which creates thoughts automatically - based on what it has gathered repeatedly or from many ways. It is not possible for us to create or generate these subconscious thoughts but they are a lot more powerful than conscious ones. 

I feel the subconscious thoughts are powerful in 2 ways.

1. They influence our concious actions without us realising they are doing so and in effect, running most of our lives (I don't think it is new, there must be tons of stuff on this)

2. I think we generally know that there is a co-relation between our mind and state of body. I don't think the conscious mind has any influence on the body. The body only listens to what our subconscious mind tells it. 

It is generally known that chronic diseases of the body are due to the state of the mind. It is probably because of what the subconscious mind is telling it to become.

In my opinion, it is probably the difference between "I think" and "I believe" which we use without realising while speaking.

Which brings me to thinking about positive affirmations. What value do they have if I keep saying something in my conscious mind but believe different deeply.

Many times - we are told to think positive thoughts to help ailments get better. Do they help at all when we might believe the opposite deep inside.

I think we can rarely generate positive beliefs by merely thinking about it. It has to be rammed in through creating other positive circumstances which over time seeps down from conscious to subconscious mind - there might be no use otherwise.

So, do I believe in the words "Everyday in every way I am getting better and better"?

I don't consciously, but maybe that is what I believe deep inside. Hopefully, that seed will steer the body further.

Thinking of "seed" - I think this is what the movie "Inception" was all about. To find a way to one's subconscious mind and sowing a "seed" of thought without them realising it.

So, it goes without saying - if positive affirmations take this route, negative affirmations are no different. We may have many positive thoughts about ourselves, but are they what we believe? Is that what we have rammed in as well.

What is really driving the state of our bodies , our actions and ultimately our lives... 



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