Some 20 years ago I had the opportunity to purchase the house I’d been renting. I’d been house-hungry for the 20 years before that and I leapt at the chance, even though I was terrified at such a big step and such a BIG debt. But years earlier, at a psychology seminar, I had learned about affirmations. The trick is to make only positive statements, i.e,, “I am brave!” and NOT “I’m not afraid”. That’s because the part of the brain that you’re trying to reprogram does not “hear” the qualifiers—thus, “I’m not afraid” is heard as “I’m afraid”. So, every time I felt the fear response building (heart rate up, queasy stomach) I’d say (out loud if I was alone) “I am brave, I am strong, I will do this”. And, even though part of me was saying that was a lot of b.s., it worked—the fear faded, my confidence grew … and I bought my house. It’s a proven technique that has served me well through the years, most recently my scary hip replacement surgery.
Some 20 years ago I had the opportunity to purchase the house I’d been renting. I’d been house-hungry for the 20 years before that and I leapt at the chance, even though I was terrified at such a big step and such a BIG debt. But years earlier, at a psychology seminar, I had learned about affirmations. The trick is to make only positive statements, i.e,, “I am brave!” and NOT “I’m not afraid”. That’s because the part of the brain that you’re trying to reprogram does not “hear” the qualifiers—thus, “I’m not afraid” is heard as “I’m afraid”. So, every time I felt the fear response building (heart rate up, queasy stomach) I’d say (out loud if I was alone) “I am brave, I am strong, I will do this”. And, even though part of me was saying that was a lot of b.s., it worked—the fear faded, my confidence grew … and I bought my house. It’s a proven technique that has served me well through the years, most recently my scary hip replacement surgery.