by John Boe
In 1957, Earl Nightingale, speaker, author and
cofounder of the Nightingale-Conant Corporation,
recorded his classic motivational record "The
Strangest Secret." "The Strangest Secret" sold
over one million copies and made history in the
recording industry by being honored as the first
Gold Record for the spoken word. Nightingale,
known as the “dean of personal development,”
concluded that life's “strangest secret” is that we
become what we think about all day long.
Your belief system, like your computer, doesn't
judge or even question what you input; it merely
accepts your thoughts as the truth, the whole truth
and nothing but the truth. Think thoughts of defeat
or failure and you're bound to feel discouraged.
Continuous thoughts of worry, anxiety and fear are
unhealthy and often manifest in the body as stress,
panic attacks and depression.
At the core of Earl's message, he reveals the incredible
power of positive self-talk, belief and expectation. What
you vividly imagine and hold in your subconscious mind
begins to out picture as your reality. Your belief system
not only defines your reality, but it also shapes your
character and determines your potential.
The placebo effect
The ability of the mind to cure a disease even when the
medicine is known to be worthless is known as the “placebo
effect.” This occurs in medical trials where doctors give
patients sugar pills, but tell them they will cure their illness.
Often it does, even though the pills contain nothing of
medical benefit. The only thing of value in these medical
trials is the patient's own belief that the sugar pills will cure
them. It's the power of the patient's belief and expectation
alone that produces the improvement in his or her health.
I recently read a remarkable story about a group of cancer
patients who thought they were being treated with chemotherapy,
but were actually given a placebo. Before their treatment began,
the patients were informed about the complications associated
with undergoing chemotherapy treatment, such as fatigue and
loss of hair. Amazingly, based on nothing more than their belief
and expectation, nearly one third of the patients who were given
the placebo reported feeling fatigued and actually experienced
hair loss!
The power of affirmation and positive self-talk
If you had access to a powerful tool that would enhance our self-
esteem and allow you to reach your full potential would you use it?
A good way to create positive self-talk is through affirmations. An
affirmation is a positive statement that represents your desired
condition or outcome. Interesting enough, your subconscious mind
doesn't know the difference between a real experience and a vividly
imagined “mental” experience.
When he was a struggling young comedian, late at night Jim Carrey
would drive into the hills overlooking Hollywood and yell at the top
of his lungs "I will earn ten million dollars a year by 1995." When
1995 finally arrived, Jim was the star of the movie "Ace Ventura:
When Nature Calls", for which he was paid twenty million dollars.
To be effective your affirmation must be stated aloud…
1. In a positive manner with the focus on what you want. When
you catch yourself saying or thinking something negative about
yourself, counteract the negative self-talk with a positive
affirmation.
Start your affirmation with words like “I am…” or
“I already have…”
Example: “I close sales with little or no
resistance.” “I take good care of my customers and they show
their appreciation by referring their friends to me.”
2. In the present tense. Your subconscious mind works in the
present tense, so avoid words such as can, will, should or could.
Example: “I love doing my work and I am richly rewarded
creatively and financially.”
3. With emotion and conviction.
4. Repeatedly. I suggest you read your affirmations each morning
upon awakening and again each night just before falling asleep.
Close your eyes and picture the end result. Feel the emotions
associated with the affirmation.
Here are some of my favorite affirmations:
* Every day in everyway I'm getting better and better!
* Everything comes to me easily and effortlessly!
* I love and appreciate myself just as I am!
* I love doing my work and I am richly rewarded creatively and
financially!
* I now have enough time, energy, wisdom and money to accomplish
all my desires!
* Infinite riches are now freely flowing into my life!
* I am relaxed and centered!
* I feel happy and blissful!
Do affirmations really work and can they be used to propel a person
to achieve greatness?
As a young boy growing up in Louisville,
Kentucky, 12-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clay dreamed of someday
becoming the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. When
working out in the gym, Clay would continuously affirm to all within
earshot that he was indeed the greatest boxer of all time! While
many felt he was brash and boastful, few people actually took this
89-pound youngster seriously. Mohammad Ali used his affirmation
to become the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the
world and arguably one of the most popular and recognized sports
figures of all times!
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Choose your words,
for they become actions. Understand your actions, for they become
habits. Study your habits, for they will become your character.
Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
- Anonymous
You show me a salesperson with high self-esteem, a positive
attitude and a healthy work ethic and I'll be able to predict his or
her success in advance… I guarantee it.
See Also:
The Truth About Affirmations
Affirmations are a way of tricking the subconscious into giving us what we want. This kind of mental trickery keeps many people stuck in the very states they are trying to escape. If it is true that what we resist persists, then affirmations can perpetuate the very things we are trying to eliminate.

© Copyright 2005 - John Boe International
John Boe presents a variety of sales training and motivational
programs for meetings and conventions. John brings over
twenty years of experience as an award-winning sales trainer
to the platform. To have John speak at your next event, visit
www.johnboe.com or call 877 725-3750.