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Affirmations & You

Have you ever tried to use positive affirmations and struggled to feel like they worked? You’re not alone! Positive affirmations can be hard to use, especially if we’re not clear on what exactly they are, how to use them correctly, or what their benefits are.

Below are some great resources on the power of affirmations and how they can help you create a new mindset.

It’s mind power. The late Louise Hay, author, speaker and a founder of the self-help movement, wrote on her website, www.LouiseHay.com, that affirmations are any and all thoughts you hold. These thoughts create our experiences, our world and how we view ourselves. She stated that affirmations open the door to change, allowing us to consciously take control of our own path, and that words will help us navigate the path from where we are to where we want to be.

It’s self-affirming. Telling ourselves positive affirmations can further validate our self-identity and protect us during times when our self-concept comes under threat. Catherine Moore, psychologist and MBA, states in this article on PositivePsychology.com that positive affirmations allow us to see ourselves in various roles and different aspects of ourselves as positive, thus allowing us to be flexible with how and as whom we view ourselves.

It’s not magic. Even though it can be nice to envision positive affirmations as a mysterious and magical force that can immediately make us feel better, that’s not quite true. According to Ronald Alexander, PhD, executive eirector of the OpenMind Training Institute in Santa Monica, a prominent reason that positive affirmations don’t work for many people is because an opposite, recurring negative thought is already so ingrained in our minds, even unconsciously, that those negative thoughts are much stronger than the affirmation. In this Huffpost article, Alexander lists five steps to make affirmations more effective.

It can be simple. Looking for simple affirmations? Try out these straightforward, yet powerful, affirmations from the late Tibetan Buddhist nun Ani Trime in this article on Lion’s Roar. These were developed to help people tread on the path to a freer, clearer mind.

Published on Jan 23 09 : 00 am

We’re accepting applications and nominations for the 2025-2026 Compassion in Action Fellows Program.

The Compassion in Action Fellows program is a year-long inner & outer change program that supports next-generation leaders in learning meditation practice, building community, and promoting social change. 💟

Inspired by the path of the bodhisattva, awakened beings filled with compassion and committed to ending suffering and benefiting all life. Fellows embark upon a journey that includes personal development, community building, shared learning, and collaborative action as they transform their lives, campus, and society. 🌍

Next-generation leaders ages 18-27 in the United States and Canada who have a meditation practice and commitment to creating inner and outer change are encouraged to apply! If you know an aspiring leader interested in positively impacting the world, consider nominating them for this opportunity.

Reset & Renew

We invite you to join us for a precious opportunity to learn and immerse in foundational meditation practices in the presence of a supportive community and the beauty of the Namchak Retreat Ranch.

Over this in-person weekend retreat, you’ll learn foundational Buddhist meditation practices while enjoying the support and warmth of a like-minded community. Whether new to meditation or looking to refresh your practice, this retreat offers tools to cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and resilience in your daily life. The retreat will be in-person at the Namchak Retreat Ranch: Bodhi House, in Hot Springs, Montana from Friday, April 11 – Sunday, April 13, 2025