A new religion it's not. And it's a powerful mind conditioning technique that kids you not. How so? Are you keen to hurdle a phobia? Raring to get over the fear of driving a car into crowded areas? Anxious to get over fear or shyness towards a certain person? Desperate to... achieve all of these? Read on for more.

Look! Up there in the podium!

Why is he so successful? No, it's his hair!

No, it's just hype and glam! No, it must be hypnotism!

Well, no. It's positive self affirmation???

Subliminal therapy is not new. It's practically all around us-in the TV, in the billboards, at the height of an intense basketball game. Its signs are very varied, from the continuous onslaught of a particular brand, to the nice words you repeat to yourself, or the idealized image of a winning form you play in your mind during a game. Some people get by with calling it just plain positive thinking. But those who know that most of the time, the human mind misses 80% of its actual potential AND can terribly attain much much more, have a name for what they need-positive affirmation.

First of all, some bit of science. Childhood is a stage of our lives that shows how effective this specific field of affirmation can be. Children's minds commonly operate at the subconscious level, quite comfortable with routinary, automatic things. Now, the subconscious mind accepts commands without questioning them. So a child easily grasps languages or learns to use gadgets, sometimes faster than adults. Naturally, affirmation takes time to work well among adults. :-)

Most especially those who drive themselves to be superpeople (OR ELSE!), ought to read these!

It's not:

Using hopeful statements. "I've been through countless loopholes like this. We can make it!"

Forgiving yourself. "I made a mistake but that doesn't make me a bad person."

Avoiding 'should' and 'must' statements. If you find that your thoughts are full of these words, you may be setting unreasonable demands on yourself - or others. Removing these words from your self-talk can give you and others more realistic expectations.

Focusing on the positive. Think about the good parts of your life. Ask yourself, "What other things have gone well recently?" "What personal skills do I have that have helped me cope with challenging situations in the past?"

Relabelling upsetting thoughts. "Which of my strengths can help me respond in a constructive way?" "What can I think and do to make this less stressful?"

Encouraging yourself. "I did feel nervous during my presentation. But my colleagues said it was good, so that means I got my message across."

Aiming for healthy self-esteem. Healthy self-esteem lies in the middle of the two extremes. It means having a balanced, accurate view of yourself. For instance, you may have a positive opinion of yourself, and at the same time knowing full well that you got some limits.

With healthy self-esteem you are fully aware of who and what you are, and what responsibilities and duties you have. You like and respect yourself despite your faults, but also don't inflate your strengths. You recognize your basic worth as an individual yet don't compare yourself to others.

Some bit of fun over here...

Check this out:

So, how did reading this go for you? What?!? you still can't drive a car into crowded areas? And... say that again? No license?

Kidding aside. Just remember. Positive thinking is not...

"I've never done it before."

"It's too complicated."

"I don't have the resources."

"There's not enough time."

"There's no way it will work."

"Nobody has ever tried doing it that way."

"No one thinks I'm worth talking to."

"I'm not going to get any better at this."

Positive thinking is ...

" I'll tell those interested how it went."

"Let's see it this way."

"Mouths aren't good at searching, so let's get to work!"

"Some of the things I do may not be priorities after all."

"Let me try."

"Let's consult first; otherwise, let's just wait for corrections."

"Maybe I'm the only to notice it's so quiet here."

"I'll give it another try."