India, Aug. 17 -- CBSE has recently made it compulsory for affiliated schools to introduce positive affirmations in the morning assembly. The mandate reminded me of this effective psychology-based intervention, all the more successful when done in front of a mirror. I clearly remember my parents, teachers and friends boosting me, "Say 'I can do it'!" on certain occasions. When repeated with conviction, it would actually make me believe in it, thus taking the results to a positive direction - whatever the activity in question. For the purpose of highlighting their meaning, positive affirmations are short, specific and positive statements, constructed in present tense, that help in countering negativity. If done correctly, they contribute to one's self-esteem. It won't be an overstatement to say that positive affirmations are a way of using the law of attraction and manifesting our desires-because when I am giving a message to myself strongly enough, I will knowingly/unknowingly make it come to pass, or, create that in reality for myself. Also, positive affirmations re-invigorate my trust cum quest for spirituality. A lot of times, I have come across a speaker/guru/leader directly or indirectly saying that we erroneously separate the realms of science and spirituality. These two, actually, are highly intertwined and dependent on each other. Our minds are like fertile grounds, and if not then we need to make them so by elevating faith in the divine. This goes for whatever personality one has-from critical to accepting, from realistic to dreamy, from detached to loving, from a giver to a receiver, so on and so forth. Once we plant a thought in such a (read fertile) mind, and nurture it, it is bound to fruit the way seeds sprout and grow. The principle applies to hypnosis, too - another highly effective technique used by psychologists. Meditation, desirably becoming more common, is another such practice where science and spirituality amalgamate. However, these methods have to be backed by adequate action, and perseverance. It would greatly help to add discipline to the concoction. I am towards a heavier body-build and have always wanted to be slimmer. When I had successfully shed kilos, it was actually through a combination of many of the above cited modi-operandi. I would repeat to myself with sheer faith, 'Day by day I becoming lighter', I wouldn't force the pace of my soul / body, I would exercise, eat small portions, and by way of grit I would counter the cravings for fried/junk foods. I was surprised when smaller sizes of clothes had started fitting me, and yet, I was not exactly surprised. Another example from my experiences - Being a person with a severe locomotor disability, physiotherapy has always been a significantly recommended inclusion in my daily routine. When I had started physiotherapy, I would sometimes feel that the expertise of my physiotherapist wasn't particularly wonderful. However, I stuck with the daily practice (and the physiotherapist for want of better suitable timings and budget concerns, etc). Slowly I actually witnessed improvements, markers of at least mild healing. The point I am making here is that appropriate and enough consistent-action signals our brain; and the brain, when it thinks with belief that something is regularly being undertaken for a particular target in sight, begins to rewire to create that for real. This is no short of a miracle. A dear friend once remarked that a miracle is not a singular event but a change of lifestyle, actions and series of choices. Also, as said by Bernard Berenson, a well-known American art historian, "Miracles happen to those who believe in them."...