The following article is offered for free use in your ezine, print publication or on your web site, so long as the author resource box at the end is included. Notification of publication would be appreciated. Author: Dr. Ulla Sebastian E-mail: mailto:publish@visioform.com Copyright: © 2004 by Ulla Sebastian Web Address: http://www.visioform.com Word Count: 794 Category: Motivational Selfmanagement

It is not by accident who resides on the sunny side and who on the shadow side of the street. You find the key to success in what you think all day.

If your thoughts focus on abundance, love and integrity in your actions, this inner state manifests as success in the outer world. If you feel bogged down with worries, failures or fear of the future, you draw misfortune and failure towards you.

Transactional analysis tells us that winner or failure scripts are a combination of imprints, conditions and learned behaviour. The good news is: They are not a destiny but you can change them. Thanks to Abraham Maslow and other pioneers in the field of transpersonal and quantum psychology we got some good ideas of what distinguishes successful people from those who feel like being the victims of the circumstances.

Successful people influence and shape reality according to their own needs instead of letting the 'facts' of life determine their fate.

Successful people are creators, not victims of the circumstances. Their attitudes, thoughts and actions are open for the New and flexible enough to respond to the unexpected.

Successful people do not have problems but challenges that need to be resolved. Those challenges activate and inspire all their talents and resources while the concept of problems leads to worrying and being bogged down by the forces of life.

In order to access and use your full potential you need physical and inner strength. Many people know what is good for them but they do not have the self-discipline to let go of bad habits and to establish good habits.

Successful people work a lot, not out of duty or greed but because they feel inspired by their own vision and mission in life.

Successful people distinguish themselves in central aspects from those with a failure script. They take 100% responsibility for their lives, focus their attention on the positive, let go of what does not serve them any longer and invite others to participate in their success. They know that it is the power and purity of their thoughts, values and attitudes that create their personal individual success, abundance and joy.

You can shift your perspective from being a victim to being a creator. You can move from the shadow to the sunny side of the street.

To get there you need to shift your resonance with 'failure' scripts to resonate with success scripts.

How to do this? Unique tools to counter those negative thoughts are positive affirmations. If you get up in the morning thinking ‘Another rotten day’, your day will turn out quite differently, than when you get up thinking: „Another exciting day for wonderful experiences! “You meet the reality outside that you first create in your mind.

Positive affirmations directly affect your conscious and subconscious mind.

To use them effectively, follow three basic guidelines.

1. Base your affirmations on clear, rational assessments of facts and not on a dream world. If you are struggling with getting your basic needs met, an affirmation stating: „I effortlessly meet my basic needs“ will be much more effective than a statement: „I am a millionaire“ although people who made it to that stage usually make good use of positive affirmations.

2. State your affirmations in the present tense so that your mind knows that what you want to achieve is already happening. Present tense means: ‘I have now’ instead of ‘I would like to have’ in some distant future

3. Use positive words in your affirmations. An affirmation saying: „I am happy and content“ will be effective while an affirmation saying: ‘I will not suffer anymore’ will have the opposite effect. The mind registers the word ‘suffer’ and neglects the ‘not anymore’. It will do its best to create situations of suffering.

A very effective way to come up with positive affirmations that are spot on for you is to catch your negative thoughts and create their opposites.

If you think ‘I will never make it’, the opposite could be ‘It’s easy for me to achieve my goals’ or ‘I see mistakes as a great opportunity to find out what works for me’.

If you think ‘It's never enough’, the opposites could be

* Money is an unlimited reservoir of energy * I always have enough and will always have enough * I always have something to give

* I give from my heart, and I know that it will return to me

For the next three days, watch your thoughts. When you catch a negative one, write it down.

After three days, you will have noticed some favourites. You want to change those first.

If you would like some help for your practice, check out the free courses and distance courses on my website.