"For those of you who aren't familiar with affirmations and have never worked with them, I'd like to explain a little about what they are and how they work. Very simply, an affirmation is anything you say or think. A lot of what we normally say and think is quite negative and doesn't create good experiences for us. We have to retrain our thinking and speaking into positive patterns if we want to heal our lives.

"An affirmation opens the door. It's a beginning point on the path to change. In essence, you're saying to your subconscious mind: 'I am taking responsibility. I am aware that there is something I can do to change.' When I talk about doing affirmations, I mean consciously choosing words that will either help eliminate something from your life or help create something new in your life.

"Every thought you think and every word you speak is an affirmation. All of our self-talk, our internal dialogue, is a stream of affirmations. You're using affirmations every moment whether you know it or not. You're affirming and creating your life experiences with every word and thought.

"Your beliefs are merely habitual thinking patterns that you learned as a child. Many of them work very well for you. Other beliefs may be limiting your ability to create the very things you say you want. What you want and what you believe you deserve may be very different. You need to pay attention to your thoughts so that you can begin to eliminate the ones creating experiences you do not want in your life.

"Please realize that every complaint is an affirmation of something you think you don't want in your life. Every time you get angry, you're affirming that you want more anger in your life. Every time you feel like a victim, you're affirming that you want to continue to feel like a victim. If you feel that Life isn't giving you what you want, then it's certain that you will never have the goodies that Life gives to others — that is, until you change the way you think and talk.

"You're not a bad person for thinking the way you do. You've just never learned how to think and talk. People throughout the world are just now beginning to learn that our thoughts create our experiences. Your parents probably didn't know this, so they couldn't possibly teach it to you. They taught you how to look at life in the way that their parents taught them. So nobody is wrong. However, it's time for all of us to wake up and begin to consciously create our lives in a way that pleases and supports us. You can do it. I can do it. We all can do it — we just need to learn how. So let's get to it. . . .

"Some people say that 'affirmations don't work' (which is an affirmation in itself), when what they mean is that they don't know how to use them correctly. They may say, 'My prosperity is growing,' but then think, Oh, this is stupid, I know it won't work. Which affirmation do you think will win out? The negative one, of course, because it's part of a long-standing, habitual way of looking at life. Sometimes people will say their affirmations once a day and complain the rest of the time. It will take a long time for affirmations to work if they're done that way. The complaining affirmations will always win, because there are more of them, and they're usually said with great feeling.

"However, saying affirmations is only part of the process. What you do the rest of the day and night is even more important. The secrets to having your affirmations work quickly and consistently is to prepare an atmosphere for them to grow in. Affirmations are like seeds planted in soil. Poor soil, poor growth. Rich soil, abundant growth. The more you choose to think thoughts that make you feel good, the quicker the affirmations work.

"So think happy thoughts, it's that simple. And it is doable. The way you choose to think, right now, is just that — a choice. You may not realize it because you've thought this way for so long, but it really is a choice.

"Now . . . today . . . this moment . . . you can choose to change your thinking. Your life won't turn around overnight, but if you're consistent and make the choice on a daily basis to think thoughts that make you feel good, you'll definitely make positive changes in every area of your life."