Most of us dump shame on ourselves at one time or another. Shame is different from guilt. Shame is usually deposited on us by someone else, or can be an exaggerated form of guilt. Guilt signals us when we've violated some reasonable standard or value, so that we learn the lesson and don't do it again. Such as accidentally stepping onto someone's foot, feeling upset that it happened, apologizing or making amends, and moving on with our lives. However, guilt morphs into shame when we do something we regret, and then the emotion grows to infect every aspect of our lives. Shame permeates our whole beingness and isn't just about what we've done, but about who we are.

The more we wallow in guilt, and transform it into shame, the more powerless and worthless we feel. When that happens, we tend to act in self-destructive ways to try to numb the pain of how bad we feel, as well as verify the low opinion of ourselves. A smoker will smoke more, someone with an eating disorder will spiral into more of the problem, a couch potato will avoid getting any exercise, a rage-aholic will lash out at those close to them, a workaholic will spend less time at home, and even those with no major addiction problems will do more of what made them feel ashamed in the first place. It's a vicious cycle.

As with everything else, "Energy flows where attention goes." If our full attention is on how bad we are because of the awful thing we did, and we focus on that to the exclusion of anything good we've done, our subconscious has no other choice than to continue to recreate the negativity. It's only doing what it perceives we want. The Universe doesn't want us to suffer like that. It's all our doing.

It's not easy to stop the cycle. We've been trained to be very critical of ourselves. Our culture tends to shame those that don't meet its measure of perfection. I've even heard spiritual people say, about someone going through a challenge, "I wonder what was in their consciousness to bring that into their experience?" It's just another form of judging a person for not meeting some impossibly high standard.

We're here to learn lessons, to become skilled at love, power and manifestation. If we were perfect, we wouldn't be here. This life is a process of training. A child doesn't walk the first time they stand up. They fall, and try again. After learning to balance, they then take a step and tumble down. They're learning how to use their muscles. Eventually, through trial and error, they are able to walk, run and skip.

As we learn, we practice our new abilities each day. Sometimes we backslide to learn another aspect of the lesson. A child doesn't shame themselves for not being able to walk as soon as they emerge into this world. They learn from their mistakes and get on with the process. We need to be more like children when we don't succeed immediately, because the more we slip-up, the more we get to experience new facets of our lesson.

Answer: There are a couple of things that happen with the mind and affirmations. First, you have to have the consciousness of what you're affirming. That's actually what the affirmation is for. To build your consciousness. By affirming that you "always win the lottery," you're setting up a situation that the subconscious couldn't possibly fulfill. No one "always" does anything.

The other problem is that you're telling the Universe how your wealth has to come to you. By doing so, you're actually limiting the Universe. It's not up to you to figure out how your prosperity will manifest. I'm not saying not to work, or do what you know to do to improve your finances, because the Universe can only do for us what It can do through us. Remember that it all comes from the Universe through the channels you create.

I would suggest that you affirm an amount that you actually feel comfortable with. Many people have a glass ceiling they've created for how much they can accept. As the amount you affirm gets to be more believable, and you see some change, then increase it. What you're doing is building your consciousness to accept more. And don't limit where it has to come from. Your subconscious and the Universe know much more than you do about how it can happen. As long as you're doing things in the physical world to create channels, your subconscious and the Universe will direct more prosperity your way. It may not come through the channels you've worked on. The only thing that's important is that you've been moving in a direction to build your acceptance. Don't worry about how it's going to happen.

So, two things to do: Affirm an amount you want that you can believe in, and trust the Universe to bring it to you.

Originally written in 1908, this is a classic in metaphysical and mystical literature. Starting from the basic fact that we are all one with the Universe, the author then describes how the Infinite affects every aspect of our lives. The insights contained in this book uplift and transform the reader's view of their life. Using stories, examples, and straight talk about awakening to the knowledge of the "real being," the author writes that as we open ourselves to the Infinite, we experience more health, peace and prosperity.

This was among the first books I read when I began my metaphysical journey, and helped to form the foundation of my spirituality. It deeply explores the meaning of life, and gives specific direction on how to more fully experience the goodness of the Infinite.