While I wholeheartedly swear by the Law of Attraction, it’s perfectly fine if you think it’s a little too woo woo. You don’t have to be a believer, in order for positive affirmations to work for you. All you really need to know, is that if you’re “human,” you likely have limiting beliefs that are holding you back, and using positive affirmations can help you get out of your own way.
What are Affirmations?
Simply put, affirmations are statements that you declare to be true. Whether you realize it or not, you’re likely already practicing affirmations every day; albeit something to the effect of: I am a loser. I am broke. I am incompetent. I am ugly. I am sick. Those should probably be called defamations instead, given their negative nature.
The bad news is you’ve probably been making these silent declarations for years and now have the life to prove it. The great news is that you know firsthand that they work, and obviously repetition is key. So, now you just have to practice using your powers for good; hence positive affirmations.
The Benefits of Positive Affirmations
The power of affirmations knows no limit. When created and used correctly, they can help you to heal your body, achieve weight loss, boost your self confidence, attract abundance, increase your magnetism, launch or grow your business…YOU name it!
What You Should Affirm
I treat positive affirmations like a things-to-think list. Similar to a things-to-do-list, which details what you intend to accomplish, positive affirmations are a reminder of, you guessed it, what to think, to reach specific goals. Repeated enough, affirmations will become beliefs. And once believed, they create your reality.
How to Create Affirmations That Work
So what have you decided on as your new truth? If you don’t already know, stop reading for a moment and make a list of your goals. Who or what you’ve made up your mind to be, should serve as the foundation for your affirmations. But this is also just the beginning.
See, some people mistakenly think that the words I AM, followed by their desire, equals an effective affirmation. They then proceed to repeat this statement to themselves for days, weeks, even months on end, and are surprised when there’s no significant change.
Now don’t get me wrong, I AM statements can be incredibly powerful. Unfortunately, the ones that tend to “work” quickly, are usually negative, and easier for you to accept, so they get through to your subconscious mind, which controls more than 90% of your actions and responses. In other words, your life is essentially the result of subconscious programming.
Letting positive affirmations in can often be challenging. You’re likely resistant to your desired belief, due to so-called reality staring you in the face. Affirming “I am rich” probably won’t work, when one look around your home or at your bank statement tells a completely different story. It sets off your BS meter and is quickly rejected.
So how do you actually create a believable, and therefore effective, positive affirmation?
Step 1.
You need to uncover your current story about the subject you intend to change, i.e. finances, health, love, relationships, etc. Don’t try to tackle multiple areas of your life at a time though. Pick one and make a list of your limiting beliefs about it.
Let’s use money as an example, since that’s an issue many people struggle with. Your limiting beliefs might include the following:
Money is hard to come by.
Be sure to also examine your fear-based blocks to your desires. See, sometimes we claim we want things, but deep down we’re afraid of what might happen if we get them. Getting rich, for example, could result in losing friends, or being bombarded with nonstop requests. So in an effort to “protect” ourselves, we end up sabotaging ourselves instead.
Some of your fear-based beliefs could be that:
Money brings out the worst in people.
Money is the root of all evil.
Spend as much time as you need to get them all out. This exercise is designed to help you get to the bottom of what’s holding you back at a subconscious or energetic level. By the way, this will ideally be the last time you dwell on these thoughts that don’t serve you.
Step 2.
Jot down what you’d like to think instead. Make sure to choose words that resonate with you and use simple conversational language. These affirmations should be short, stated in the present tense and MUST express a positive statement. So, adding the word not into your previous statements, and now reciting I am not poor or I am not broke, will not fly.
Step 3.
Most importantly, pay attention to how the words make you feel and revise them if needed. For example, if you create an affirmation and your gut reaction is, “That’s a lie,” then that’s not the affirmation for you.
Remember you don’t get what you think. You get what you believe.
In other words, the Universe doesn’t respond to your words. It responds to your vibration or energy.
So how are you going to convince yourself, embody and emanate that you are a money magnet, when money isn’t quite sticking to you yet?
I suggest softening your affirmations, and opting for language that will bypass your BS Meter, and go straight into your subconscious mind undetected. Use sentence stems like:
I allow myself to __________
I give myself permission to __________
I am worthy of __________
I deserve __________
I’m excited that __________
I am getting comfortable with __________
Chances are, you’ll be a lot more comfortable declaring what you deserve, or giving yourself permission to be, do, or have a particular thing, as opposed to claiming it’s already in your existence.
Also, be sure to tweak the language so it FEELS right to you. You might have hang ups about the words wealthy or rich, for example. Perhaps they make you uneasy, but prosperous or abundant might sit just fine with you. And last, but certainly not least, use words that convey and evoke positive emotion.
When to Use Affirmations
While it’s typically taught that affirmations are best done first thing in the morning and last thing before going to sleep, what about the other twenty-three and a half hours in the day when you can easily return to focusing on your current circumstances and berating yourself? Although I do believe that “every little bit helps”, I personally find it particularly effective to imprint these thoughts on your subconscious throughout the day, until this way of thinking comes naturally or becomes habitual.
How to Use Affirmations
I created a formula, to make sure I stay on the right track with my affirmations. Chant it with me:
Write them. See them. Say them. Be them.
Write them. See them. Say them. Be them.
Because once you’ve created your life-changing affirmations, this is how you put them to work.
Write Your Affirmations
First thing every morning, choose an affirmation you can refer to like a mantra, meditating on it as you move throughout your day. Then spend a few minutes writing it repeatedly in your journal. Not only is there power in putting pen to paper in general, but writing your affirmations, is a way of ensuring you maintain your focus.
See Your Affirmations
Back in the day, during a time when I was feeling stuck and uncharacteristically negative, I decided that until I was able to consistently have wonderful, positive thoughts about myself and my circumstances on my own, I would have to remind myself of who I am and what to think. Drastic times called for drastic measures. I created inspirational affirmation cards and wall art that reflected my desired belief system and hung them all over the house. I mean EVERYWHERE.
No matter what direction I looked, I read (often aloud) a positive thought. Anytime I was even remotely tempted to relapse into negativity, there they were, reminders of the truth. On the couch, watching TV, I deserve to be prosperous. Sitting on the toilet, I was reminded that I can and I will. Inside my closet, I am enough. I couldn’t get an orange out of the fridge without knowing that The Universe is on my side. I even posted a set across from my bed, that would be the first thing I saw when I woke up. This was my way of essentially keeping my eyes on the prize.
Similarly, you can carry your affirmation cards in your wallet, pin them to your vision board or use them as a bookmark, in your journal or planner. Keep them where they’ll be visible to help you to stay focused until your desires come to fruition.
Say Your Affirmations
Affirmations are moot without emotion built into them and expressed behind them. Sure, they can work, when you say them to yourself in your head. But how many contradictory thoughts do you have floating around in there too? Think about how many times you share out loud with family members or friends, that you’re broke, feel awful or can’t do something. Well, you need to speak them out loud to yourself with the same conviction as if you were complaining and/or telling someone else.
Speak and accept them as though you’re just stating a fact. Repeat your chosen statements to yourself every time you look in the mirror. Much like the difference in how you feel between just humming a song and going full-on karaoke mode in the shower, results depend on the energy behind it.
Be Your Affirmations
Act as if it is already done. Like with all Law of Attraction techniques, it’s not what you’re doing, it’s who you’re being, so you have to actually integrate your affirmations for a mind shift. Stand a little taller, smile more, take stock of your environment and appearance and adjust accordingly. It’s all about the energy you’re surrounded by, as well as what you emanate, that will ultimately be reflected to you.
How to Supercharge Your Affirmations
Here’s a crucial step, I’ve found useful, to get the most out of using affirmations. Seek out existing success stories that support that your new narrative is possible. Many of us don’t believe we’re important or special enough to be generously blessed by the Universe. But once you find evidence of the grace that’s been bestowed upon and experienced by others, and that it’s far more common than you even realized, suddenly your desires won’t seem so far fetched.
Lastly, begin to move through your life taking note of how your intentions are already starting to show up in your new reality. If you’ve been affirming, for example “I AM ATTRACTING LIKE-MINDED NEW FRIENDS,” you might not have manifested a new BFF yet, but perhaps people are already being more receptive to you or smiling at you more frequently.
Excitedly continue to look for signs that your goal is in progress; indicators that you’re lining up with it. Acknowledge each occurrence, and write it down, ideally on the same sheet of paper that you wrote your affirmations, or even in a journal. Not only is this a way of being sure you’re present enough to recognize and be grateful for them, but it attracts more of the same. Keeping track of your wins helps strengthen your faith that your affirmations are working and build your confidence that more are on the way.
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