What Are Affirmations?
The concept of affirmations is simple. But that does not make them easy!
Simply put, an affirmation is a statement that describes a particular goal in your life in a completed state. Particularity is key.
An affirmation is not a recitation of multiple goals. Although one can, and usually does, recite a series of separate affirmations that describe that same goal in different and mutually reinforcing ways.
Affirmations for Success
Positive affirmations are a powerful tool in creating a successful, meaningful, and fulfilling life. Using positive affirmations can have a powerful and positive impact on your life. But you need to do it the right way.
But let’s start with mistakes you should avoid.
Affirmation Mistakes to Avoid
Affirmations are a powerful tool. And, used properly, can definitely help you achieve what you desire in life. Many thousands of people practice affirmations daily and achieve great results.
But there are mistakes you can make that can get in the way of this. Here are three of them.
Giving Up Too Early
Once you have got started with your affirmation practice, it is essential that you maintain consistency. Repetition is key., And every time you repeat an affirmation, the effect builds on itself and builds within your mind.
It is a huge mistake to give up on the process too soon. You must allow time to make your daily repetitions set in and become part of your subconscious. Each repetition magnifies the effect of the previous recitation.
Using Different Affirmations Each Day
Affirmations are not something you multitask. You can’t shift your focus from one affirmation one day to a different one the next.
This is not to say that you can’t use multiple affirmations in one session but they must all zero in on the same area of your life. In this way they are mutually reinforcing.
For an affirmation to become effective, you should give it 30 days of faithful daily repetition and focus. Commit to this and you are well on the way to making it a permanent and effective part of your subconscious.
Lack of Focus
The mere repetition of an affirmation is not enough. You must make a conscious effort to focus on it and visualize it. Your repetition must be deliberate and mindful, not empty-minded.
This means that one must master one’s attention span. It is a simple fact that our minds tend to wander. So it takes determination and plenty of practice to focus deeply and consistently on our affirmations. But it is a sure path to success.
Taking Steps to Make Affirmations Work for You
Now that we know what to avoid, let’s focus on the positive things to do to make your affirmation journey successful.
Daily Affirmations
Affirmations are part of the journey towards manifesting your life’s desires, one desire at a time. And they must be made daily and even multiple times per day.
Think of your daily affirmations in the same way that you think (or should think!) of improving your physical health with daily exercises.
Think of affirmations as mental exercises for your mind and your perception and your way of thinking. It takes dedicated and consistent exercise to start creating positive change in your life. This is not a dark secret. Mankind has known this for a long time.
“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” – Marcus Aurelius
Visualization
Create mental mind’s eye images of how it will be when you have achieved the goal expressed by your positive affirmations. Visualize your life at that point.
If you create a visualization to accompany your affirmation, you will make it more real to your mind and much easier to internalize.
Visualization of the outcome also has the effect of adding motivation to your affirmations. And this makes it easier to stick to the routine. Try and conjure a visualization in the form of a vivid dream – a dream come true, if you will..
And see if you can involve other senses within your visualization. For example, is there something you can smell, touch or hear?
Positivity
Always use an affirmation in the positive. Avoid language that introduces a negative thought.
Do not say: “I no longer have migraine headaches.” This is a negation.
Instead say: “My head is pain-free.” This is an affirmation.
So, always turn a negative thought into a positive statement of affirmation.
Emote
An effective affirmation should play to your emotions and feelings. In a way, this is related to visualization, which is how you see yourself. But emoting goes to the center of how you feel in the manifestation of the goal you are affirming.
For example, instead of saying “My focus is on the new project that is coming up in a couple of months,” say, “I am really excited about that new project and it has my entire focus.”
Affirmation in the Present Tense
An affirmation should always be expressed in the present tense. This will help your subconscious believe that it is already true.
Affirmation Based in Reality
For an affirmation to gain trust and commitment in your subconscious mind, it must be credible, achievable, and specific. If you can’t consciously believe in what your affirmation is stating, then your subconscious will reject it and you are wasting your time.
Affirmation Based on Positive Change
For a positive affirmation to work it must be about promoting a positive change in your life. Identify things you wish to achieve but for which you need internal motivation. For example, you may wish you had more patience. Or you might want to become more productive. Or you wish you had more confidence in yourself.
But remember to turn these “wishes” into positive statements:
- “I am patient.”
- “I am a productive member of the team.”
- “I am a super confident person.”
Adding Audio, Video, and Subliminal Reinforcement
Music can generate feelings within us that can help with internalizing our affirmations. And so can images. Think about the music and images you might introduce into your affirmation routine.
And with this in mind, you might want to take a look at the audio-visual interactive affirmation coloring books that we are creating. This involves a physical coloring book containing written affirmations and a YouTube video created with subliminal affirmations to go along with it.
Here’s how it works: You color affirmations on a page and at the same time listen to relaxing music mixed with binaural beats and an isochronic tone based on the Schumann Resonance. This music overlays and disguises a subliminal message delivering positive affirmations.
See this post on subliminal affirmations.
Creating Your Own Affirmations
When creating your own affirmations, you need to frame them and write them down as positive statements of achievement. These are statements that you can believe in and repeat to yourself without having any doubt or second thoughts.
Here’s how to do it:
Identify Exactly What You Want
This requires some deep thought and reflection. It is an essential first step.You need to ensure that you are absolutely clear and confident about what it is you want in your life and to get out of your life. Take your time with this.
A good starting point is to ask yourself: “What is it that will bring me happiness in my life?” The answer will likely be a list of goals.
But at this point, make this a short list. You will work on one goal at a time. And these need to be specific goals not mere wishes.
You then decide on your most important goal.
Identify Needed Attributes
Attributes are the things you will need to BE (NOT the things that you need to DO) in order to reach that important goal. Write down every attribute you can think of related to that important goal. Then put them in what you feel should be their order of importance.
You then focus on the top three attributes around which to compose your affirmations..
Create Your Affirmations
The affirmations should be in a single sentence and certainly no more than two sentences. The affirmation will state the attribute in an empowering and positive way and to the effect that the attribute already exists in you.
You can create several affirmations in a rough draft and then pick and refine the ones that resonate best with you. Remember that you will be repeating them to yourself many times.
Present Tense
Write your affirmations in the present tense. Write them as if you are experiencing your expressed desire in the here and now, not at some future point in time. In this way, the affirmations are immediate and will make the strongest possible impression on your mind.
Be Sure to Make the Affirmation Positive
Avoid any negative statements and frame the affirmation in such a way that you have already achieved your desired goal. Focus on what you want, not on what you are trying to eliminate
For example, say: “I am alcohol-free,” rather than “I no longer drink alcohol.”
Schedule Your Affirmation Practice
Affirmations require daily practice. So create a recitation schedule. Affirmations do you no good if they just stay on a piece of paper.
Lighten Up
Don’t allow yourself to be intimidated or feel threatened by what you are doing with your affirmation. This can only introduce negative thinking, which is exactly what we want to eliminate.
The creation and recitation of affirmations should be uplifting, empowering, and exciting. You are setting out to make positive changes in your life. So make the experience fun and relaxing.
Affirmations are an “in the present moment” thing. And remember, Life is for Living.
