Goals and Affirmations: The RAS Key

Affirmations are positive statements that can help you to challenge and overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts. 

When you repeat them often, and believe in them, you can start to make positive changes. 

Self-affirmation may also help to mitigate the effects of stress.

According to SelfHelpForLife.com...  there are 8 steps to using the Reticular Activation System to one's advantage, the least of which is using positive affirmations...

1. Use SMART Goals That are Written Down

A smart goal is one that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound. I recommend that you follow my step by step process for setting goals. 

2. Ask Questions to Make the Goal More Vivid

• “how will I know when I have achieved it?” 
• “what will I see, hear, or feel?” and “where, when, and with whom do I want it?” 
• “what will achieving this goal do for me?” 
• “what’s the benefit?“. 
• “what am I already doing to move towards this goal?” 
• “what qualities, skills and emotional states do I need to reach my goal?“

3. Keep the Goal or Problem to Solve at the Top of Your Mind

Think about your goal many times a day! 

4. Take Consistent Action
Consistent action is important in achieving any goal. 

5. Train your Reticular Activating System
Think positive and start eliminating the negative

6. Create Positive Affirmations
Positive affirmations force the reticular activating system to kick in automatically.
Speak your affirmations out loud.
Create affirmations that are very specific to your goals.
Feel the positive emotions that you want to experience as well.

7. Use Visualization

Your reticular activating system cannot distinguish between real events and synthetic or imagined reality. Anything that you can vividly imagine will seem real to your reticular activating system and it will act on it.

8. Repetition
Repeat...  repeat...  repeat...