I remember hearing an instructor tell a group that I was a part of that if you tell yourself something often enough, sooner or later you will believe it whether it be true or not.
In his book, The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale, described how positive thinking is a mental and emotional attitude that focuses on the bright side of life and expects positive results. A positive person anticipates happiness, health and success, and believes he or she can overcome any obstacle and difficulty. Positive affirmation is described similarly. Basically, positive affirmations are what most people mean when they repeat positive phrases to yourself which describe how you want to be. The theory is that when you first start saying your positive affirmations, they may not be true and you know they are not true, but with repetition they sink into your subconscious mind, then you start to believe them, and eventually they become your reality, they become a self fulfilling prophecy and actually become true. Over time, they overwrite any limiting or negative beliefs you may have about yourself or about not being able to do something, and replace them with positive thoughts and beliefs which instill confidence, belief, positivity, ambition and much more.
A cute example shown in an article in respect to positive affirmation, a house cat was looking in a mirror and his reflection was a lion. Norman Vincent Peale gave an example that I remember still from, probably 20 or 30 years ago, when I read his book: A young man wanted so badly to be a good basketball player and he was instructed to dream and think about playing the game. He was to try to see himself shooting a basket, over and over again. Watching in his mind the projectile of the ball going through the air and then through the hoop. He dreamt about it, daydreamed about it and while on the court practicing he would try to envision the ball doing what his thoughts were. Eventually he became a very good shooter and he attributed it to the concept of positive thinking.
There were many examples given in Peale’s book. Another was of a shy person wanting to be more outgoing, he was to see himself coming up to people with a smile on his face, and introducing himself over and over. That image can’t help but provide the con- fidence it takes to actually do it.
As a new member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a shy 20 year old, I was asked to give a two and a half minute talk during the opening exercises of mutual. Mutual was a young people’s organization that met every Tuesday evening. I had never been asked to speak in front of people before and the very thought of it scared me to death. I was given a topic and because I had read several books on church doctrine by then, I knew where to get some information to prepare my talk. When the time came I had spruced myself up and though scared to the core I got up with shaking hands and sweaty forehead and gave my talk. When it was over, I was a very relieved young man. Since then, over sixty years of active service in the church, I have served on Stake High Councils for over 14 years and probably given a hundred plus talks. And yes, I have practiced Vincent Peale’s method of positive affirmation. I have seen myself in thought and dream, with confidence standing at the pulpit and giving my talks to an alert audience. It hasn’t always worked, but usually it has. I have affirmed positive behavior through mental concentration. It does work, especially if you are a novice or a young person with very little experience.