Dear Friends,
Our DailyOM friend Edward Vilga is with us today to talk about his course Financial Affirmations to Start Your Day. If you are new to affirmations, they are an easy and effective way to help shift any limiting beliefs you may have. Let's find out more.
Madisyn Taylor: Hi, Edward. Thank you for joining me today. The first affirmation of the course, "I am willing to believe that abundance is really possible," is a very important way to start. Please talk to me about this affirmation.
Edward Vilga: I see this course as a powerful way of rewiring our brains, reprogramming old thinking that hasn't served us. The course begins with that particular affirmation because even though we deeply desire wealth and prosperity, we might simultaneously have constructed tremendous, even seemingly insurmountable, barriers to having it. In other words, deep down we don't think we can really have the abundance we're seeking.
I've worked with so many people who were really stuck because of this core issue. They often had a tremendous desire for wealth, yet the "yeah...but..." voices in their heads simply drowned out everything else. It's also definitely something I've struggled with in the past, and with hindsight, it's easy to see how it often held me back from the things I most wanted. It's all too easy to immediately argue with ourselves by drawing from the most negative examples in our own past, or simply by turning all of our attention to the current absence of what we want. As is often the case in life, it's often much easier to see the damaging effects of this kind of behavior in other people.
For example, it was beyond obvious to me how a friend of mine who wanted a boyfriend (and I mean she deeply, sincerely, even desperately wanted one) was blocking every romantic opportunity because of the energy she was putting out. She didn't really believe it was possible to have what she wanted--much less that it could be easy and arrive in an organic, stress-free, even joyful way--so she telegraphed a neediness out to the world that kept her miserably single. (Positive update: I'm quite pleased to report that she did a bunch of inner work and has been happily married now in one of the most harmonious relationships I've seen for almost a decade.)
Here's another way of looking at it: Just as I believe that any healthy physical workout should always begin with gentle stretching, I think we have to apply the same approach to our inner growth. Rather than jumping in and shouting out the new reality we want to create from the rooftops, I've found that it's far more effective to ease in, see how we're truly feeling on any given day, and then move forward with awareness and steady commitment to growth. The bottom line is, with affirmations or any other spiritual/mind-set-shifting practices, the first step really does have to be a willingness to be vulnerable and admit where we really are. We need to acknowledge any reluctance, fears, or hesitation in order to move through and past them with honesty and grace. Our miracle may be just around the corner...but first we have to make sure we're authentically ready to meet it!
MT: Do you practice affirmations in your own life?
EV: Yes, definitely. I use affirmations daily to fine-tune my beliefs, amplifying the ones that serve me and adjusting the ones that do not. In fact, I've been experimenting with affirmations for quite some time, and I feel I've learned a lot about what works best. Something I witnessed firsthand, and what I've applied to this course, is that whenever I tried practicing an affirmation with something I really wanted to be true but didn't really believe in my heart, at best I got mixed results almost always. This, I discovered, was simply using universal laws properly. For example, no matter how many times and no matter how much enthusiasm we put behind a statement like "I now have the power of flight and can defy gravity at will," no one I know has begun levitating.
What I've found was most effective for me--and what I've built this course on--was the idea that I had to actually believe in the truth of the statement. There had to be a nugget inside it I authentically trusted and could resonate with and amplify before the affirmation could be effective. I then always try to strengthen that belief through stories and examples and images that reinforce its core truth. Honestly, no matter where I start, after a committed practice session, I definitely feel like I'm soaring (metaphorically, that is--I still haven't found a way to use affirmations to levitate just yet!).
MT: How is this affirmation course set up?
EV: Every lesson begins with me sharing the day's affirmation, a succinct and powerful statement. This is followed by several short paragraphs I've written that expand on the ideas behind the affirmation, clarifying and amplifying aspects of how important each particular thought truly is. This gives the student a chance to really contemplate and absorb the universal truths behind the statements. With each lesson's affirmation, I then offer real-life examples and illustrations that prove how powerful shifting our thinking in this way can be. These anecdotes and images are particularly useful since they help ground and connect our mind-set shifts through identifiable success stories. Finally, there's an audio recording of the affirmation so that along with practicing it on your own, you can hear it spoken to you and then you can repeat it during the pauses. I've found there's often an increased effectiveness when you are listening to and focusing on someone else first offering the affirmation, then repeating it afterward to yourself so that it sinks into your consciousness on multiple levels.
MT: Tell me about what a journey through this course might feel like to a student.
EV: I created the course via my vision of an archetypal abundance journey. Although each person's narrative is different and will be colored by their unique life experiences, I created a structure that centers on universal themes. As we discussed in the first question, I begin the course with an affirmation about opening to the possibility of abundance as a way to soften the resistance that many of us feel. I then offer affirmations that release the past, followed by those that allow us to experience the abundance we have right now while clearing away negative thinking. It's worth noting here that I'm quite sure some people will have an absolute and easy acceptance of certain affirmations, while other affirmations will provoke conscious and unconscious resistance and even rebellion. Again, that's because even though we are all journeying toward a greater connection with our spirits, we are all traveling unique paths. Finally, I believe it's just as important to transform beliefs that are not helping us live our most abundant lives as it is to simultaneously reinforce and amplify those that are already serving us well. As long as we're alive, ideally we're always growing in abundant ways. That's why the course ends with an affirmation about expansion. Our abundance journey never ends but is an ongoing adventure, and I want to leave the student celebrating that truth.
MT: Do you feel that most people have a wounded mind-set about their finances, one that's often unknown to them?
EV: Absolutely. This can be true whether someone is a multimillionaire or struggling to make ends meet. In fact, I learned this lesson early on in my abundance journey. One of my first jobs after college was working for someone worth more than most people can imagine. She said that she wished she had enough money to have fresh flowers in her home every week. Even in New York City, you can still buy a bunch of tulips at the grocer for under $10, and this person lived in a penthouse suite worth millions. In other words, no matter what the balance is in your bank account, if your mindset is dominated by lack, you're going to convince yourself you're too poor to afford fresh flowers (or other things that bring you joy.) At 23, struggling to figure out my student loans and pay my phone bill, thanks to a more abundant mind-set I realized that on some level I was already far richer than someone who wasn't able to enjoy the vast wealth at their fingertips. Please note that I never want to blame or shame anyone around these issues. So much of what we learn about money comes from family, and often we inherit old stories, feelings, and beliefs about abundance that aren't really our own. In addition, society's attitudes toward wealth are such a mixed bag that our culture constantly reinforces and increases our confusion. No one should be faulted for whatever their limited beliefs are, but everyone should be lovingly encouraged to transform thoughts that hold them back. That's why practicing affirmations can be so powerful: Rather than simply repeating old thinking that's not working, we're deliberately choosing to take charge and embrace thoughts that serve us, leading to the richer lives we all want and deserve.
MT: What is the goal for students taking this course?
EV: Whenever I teach anything, whether it's consulting one-on-one or working with tens of thousands in a DailyOM course, my focus is that whatever I'm offering helps people lead happier, more aligned lives through empowering their spirits. Thus, the goal is not so much that students end up with larger amounts in their bank accounts--although I know that if applied with steadiness and passion, over time that absolutely will happen. Rather, the goal is that students' mind-sets begin shifting immediately in ways that make them happier, allowing them to see the abundance they already have, and thereby letting more in, as they embrace an ever-expansive view of their lives. In other words, the goal is that by changing your relationship to money through affirmations, you can allow more freedom, more ease, and, quite frankly, a whole lot more fun into your life. Those possibilities are tremendously exciting for me to share with students, and the rewards for embracing them are invaluable on both practical and spiritual levels.
Most of us have an endless stream of negative thoughts about money and abundance. Although we all want to enjoy more money and greater abundance in our lives, sometimes desperately, our negative thinking blocks the flow. Most often, we're stuck looking at the reality in front of us (or trying to ignore it), wondering how we got there, and not knowing how or what to change. The problem is, until we find a way to shift our mindset, we're destined to keep repeating the same patterns of lack in our lives. Changing your thinking is the absolute first step required for financial transformation and it's more powerful than any actions you can take. Without it, no lasting change is possible. With this powerful course from Edward Vilga, you'll practice affirmations that will deeply shift your thinking about money and abundance over the course of 14 days. Old thought patterns that don't serve you anymore will be revealed, explored, and discarded--allowing a new mindset to reframe and transform your thoughts and financial reality. Imagine what life would be like if you could effectively and joyfully transform your relationship with money, wealth, and abundance so that you can enjoy everything you have right now while creating an always-expanding, much richer future for yourself and those you love. Centered on the truth that we must first do the inner work in order to create real and lasting change in our lives, this course does exactly that.
Starting today, you will receive a new lesson every day for 2 weeks (total of 14 lessons). Each lesson is yours to keep and you'll be able to refer back to it whenever you want. And if you miss a lesson or are too busy to get to it that day, each lesson will conveniently remain in your account so you won't have to search for it when you're ready to get back to it.
We are offering this course with the option of selecting how much you want to pay. No matter how much you pay, you'll be getting the same course as everybody else. We simply trust that people are honest and will support the author of the course with whatever they can afford. And if you are not 100% satisfied, we will refund your money.
Thank you, Edward! It is always fun to talk with you. I forgot to mention that there are 14 financial affirmations in this course, and if you can't start your day with them you can practice them anytime during the day! Until next time.
Be well,
Madisyn Taylor
Cofounder, Editor-in-Chief
DailyOM
