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By Remez Sasson

Do you sometimes hear yourself or other people say: "I have tried positive thinking, and I have repeated affirmations, I have meditated and yet nothing happened"?

The fact is that few people use self-improvement or positive thinking techniques correctly, and fewer still do so earnestly and whole-heartedly.

You may start enthusiastically making affirmations for a few days, waiting for miracles, yet nothing spectacular happens. This makes you lose your enthusiasm and any confidence you had, and you disappointedly stop affirming.

You may start visualizing something you want to accomplish or get, but when after a few days the object of your desire does not drop on your head from the sky, you lose your faith and stop visualizing.

Maybe you have begun to meditate, but after a week or two saw no bright lights, neither experienced any altered state of consciousness. This made you conclude that meditation is just a waste of time.

Self-improvement and positive thinking methods work and bring results, but only if they are used correctly. You cannot build a building, a bridge or an airplane, without the proper knowledge, training and preparation, and following instructions and rules. Self-improvement and positive thinking methods should be approached in the same manner. You need to know how to use these techniques.

It is not enough to say for a few moments, "I am achieving my goal, I am happy, I have money", and then revert to negative thinking and worrying. There is no magic in repeating a few words for a few moments.

How can you expect to accomplish anything by visualizing, and at the same time worrying and having doubts about your ability to get what you are visualizing?

How can you get any positive results if you sit for meditation, but instead of meditating you think about all kinds of irrelevant matters?

Success comes only if you fully and whole-heartedly desire what you are affirming or visualizing and concentrate on the task. In order to see results you have to show interest and earnestness and do your best. Your inner vision should be strong enough to propel you forward, no matter how negative your current situation is, and despite any failures you may experience.

If you think, visualize, affirm or meditate for a few minutes, and then for the rest of the day think negatively, you neutralize or destroy all your positive thoughts, mental images and affirmations.

Self improvement techniques and positive thinking work and bring results, if you are determined to succeed, follow the instructions correctly, persevere and do not let lack of faith, laziness and procrastination stand in your way. You need to give these methods time to work.

If you practice them as an unpleasant task, with no attention and concentration, how do you expect them to work? Be willing to devote time, energy and effort, where and when necessary. Success in self-improvement and positive thinking methods requires that you become involved, motivated and be willing to give them enough time to bring results.

Sometimes things happen in such a way that you could label them as miracles, but most of the time things happen in a more natural and gradual way. Inner changes will start to manifest, and will lead to outer change. Doors will open, people will help, circumstances and situations will change, and new constructive ideas will come up, all of which will bring the desired changes and improvements.