Affirmations Definition:
The fastest, easiest, most powerful method of self-improvement!
An affirmation is any statement you repeat to yourself in order to positively alter your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
People use affirmations for all kinds of things: making more money, healing a broken heart, overcoming laziness, losing weight, etc.
The applications are endless, which is why affirmations have been used for self-improvement for thousands of years.
Don’t believe me? See for yourself!
Just watch this 5 minute video designed to improve the quality of your current thoughts. Read the affirmations as they appear on the screen. When it’s over, assess how you feel.
If you’re human, you should feel slightly less anxious, more calm, and a bit more optimistic. And that’s after only 1 viewing!
Afffirmations for Success:
Why Do Affirmations Work?
Your brain is a powerful computer.
It records tons of data every single day of your life; much more than you are consciously aware of. Then it tries to use that data to guide your behavior.
If a bee stings you, your brain might start telling you to feel scared whenever you see another bee.
This newly acquired fear might protect you from getting stung, but it could also stop you from enjoying picnics, smelling flowers, camping in the woods, or going on nature walks.
It could stop you from enjoying your life.
Affirmations Definition:
The Unconscious Mind
Most of our behaviors are the result of how we feel about a situation, and how we feel is largely directed by the unconscious mind – not the conscious.
Let me explain the difference.
Have you ever seen a really scary movie – so scary that your heart raced, your palms became sweaty, and your muscles involuntarily contracted, causing you to nearly jump out of your seat?
What’s was going on there?
Your conscious mind knew you were perfectly safe, sitting in a comfortable chair, watching false images projected onto a screen.
You knew there weren’t any monsters in the room. You knew monsters don’t even exist.
Then why did you flinch?
You flinched because your unconscious mind is much less discerning. It accepts all data without judgment, then forces you to behave accordingly.
It can’t tell what’s true and what’s false. It assumes whatever information you’re feeding it is real.
Show it a scary movie, and the unconscious mind will trigger your sympathetic nervous system every time, preparing you for “fight or flight.” It believes the monsters are real, and it’s trying desperately to save your life.
Interesting, right?
Now that we know how the unconscious mind works, let’s figure out how we can exploit it!
Affirmations Definition:
Hacking the Mind!
Your brain is a computer.
To hack into any computer, you’ve got to find a vulnerability in the system, and we just found it!
Your unconscious mind accepts all the information you give it, and it treats everything as if it were true.
That’s why affirmations work.
Forget about monsters. What would happen if you filled your unconscious mind with more useful things?
For instance, what if you constantly told it that you enjoyed eating fruits and vegetables everyday? You’d probably start eating more fruits and vegetables.
And you’d be healthier.
What if you told it you were good at math, and that you loved studying the stock market? You’d probably start studying the stock market – reading articles, watching videos, trading here and there.
And you’d become wealthier.
Affirmations change your behavior in small ways that add up over time, resulting in massive life improvements. The applications of this technique are limitless.
Affirmations for Prosperity:
Affirmations Definition:
How to Write Positive Affirmations
Think of a phrase that encompasses what you want to do, how you want to feel, or who you want to become.
Write it down.
Do not write it in the future tense; put it in the present. That’s important!
The unconscious mind interprets everything literally. If you say, “I will become better at golf,” it thinks your improved golf skills are far off in the future, and it will make you behave like someone without those skills.
A much better statement would be, “I’m already a great golfer, and I get better everyday.”
Remember, you may not actually be great at golf, but your unconscious mind doesn’t know that! It accepts the data you give it, and then it does its best to make you perform as though the data were true.
In this case, you’d start behaving like whatever your idea of a great golfer was.
You’d take pride in your skills. You’d practice more often. You’d concentrate harder. You’d play more frequently. You’d swing with more confidence.
And you would get better.
Affirmations Definition:
Focus on DOING things, rather than NOT doing things.
Why?
Because It’s difficult to imagine not doing something. Not doing something is the absence of action. There’s nothing to visualize, and visualization is important.
So instead of saying “I don’t eat junk food,” say “I always eat fruits and vegetables.” Instead of saying “I don’t hate exercise,” say “I love exercising, and I do it everyday.”
The key is to combine statements of "being" with statements of "doing."
If your subconscious mind hears, “I’m a healthy, athletic person,” it will make you behave that way. You’ll find yourself exercising more, stretching more, and eating healthier.
But, just to be sure your subconscious mind knows exactly what behaviors are required, you should affirm those specific behaviors.
“I go to the gym everyday.” “I make time to workout.” “I only eat nutritious, natural foods.”
Those should do the trick nicely!
Affirmations Definition:
Who invented affirmations?
No one knows who invented affirmations because the concept is thousands of years old.
The ancients may not have used the word “affirmations,” but that’s what they were doing.
Religion
Catholics having been reciting the Apostle’s Creed for 1500 years. Muslims proclaim, “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger,” and they do it over and over again, everyday. Buddhists and Hindus use “mantras” consisting of words and phrases they wish to internalize.
Memorized prayers, creeds, and mantras are just affirmations by another name. They’re intended to permanently steer a person’s thinking and behavior (ideally for the better) via the mechanism of repetition.
The more you repeat your beliefs, the more those beliefs become ingrained.
The more ingrained they become, they more likely you are to behave like a good Christian, or Muslim, or Buddhist, etc.
Government
When I was a kid, we were taught to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning.
Why?
Because the more times you affirm loyalty to your country, the more likely you are to be loyal, to value freedom, and to defend the constitution should the need ever arise.
Governments have always recognized the power of repetitive thought.
They’ve applied this concept by having soldiers, judges, and public officials frequently recite oaths of loyalty. They’ve applied it by sponsoring music and poetry conducive to making their citizens stronger and more patriotic.
(Well, not so much in America, anymore, but that’s a topic for a future article…)
Affirmations Definition:
You Already Use Them. You Just Don’t Know It!
We talk to ourselves all the time, both consciously and unconsciously. We say things about ourselves based on who we think we are.
Much of what we say is negative, and the more we do it, the more those negative thoughts become habitual. They can become so habitual, in fact, that we no longer hear them. They aren’t verbalized.
We just feel them, and we take for granted that those feelings are based in reality.
A man sees an attractive woman. Although he’d like to strike up a conversation, his mind whispers, “She wouldn’t be interested in me. I’m not good looking enough. I’m not cool enough. I can’t think of anything to say.”
And he falters.
A teenage girl’s mother tells her, “You look pretty today!” The girl says, “Thanks.” But her mind whispers, “No, I’m not. You’re just saying that because you’re my mother. You’re supposed to say that.”
And her self esteem falters.
Negative thoughts come to us in a millisecond. They’re so fast, and so reflexive, they seem almost impossible to stop.
Even worse is the fact that every time we think them, they get stronger!
Where do our negative thoughts come from?
Every abuse you’ve ever suffered. Every instance of neglect. Every rejection. All the times someone called you “dumb,” “ugly,” “fat,” or “stupid.”
Your subconscious mind remembers all of it, and it all adds up! Those memories are working against you 24 hours a day. They want to control you.
They want to stop you from evolving into the person you could become!
Positive affirmations are a way of undoing inner damage by overwriting bad programming with good. It’s a way of forcing your mind to work for you, rather than against you.
Affirmations for Self Love:
Affirmations Definition:
The past is the past. What’s done is done.
You don’t need to analyze every offense you’ve ever suffered with an electron microscope.
You don’t need 100 dollar per hour shrink to help you re-experience the pain of your youth all over again, and then say, “That’s why you feel bad.”
Affirmations aren’t about the past. They’re about the present and future.
They’re about leaving the past behind where it belongs, and taking responsibility for the current quality of your thoughts and feelings, regardless of what happened to you before.
They’re about actively choosing the direction of your mind, so that you can take control of your life.
Affirmations Definition:
How Do I Use Affirmations?
There are many ways.
Some people think of a single phrase, and repeat it to themselves throughout the day. Others prefer looking in the mirror while reciting several affirmations out loud.
Some people say a few memorized statements while driving. Others do their affirmations silently while waiting in line at the store.
There is no right or wrong way; there’s only what works for you.
The key is to maximize the number of repetitions you’re doing, and to do it everyday!
Affirmations Definition:
The Method
The method I use and recommend is to keep your affirmations in a special binder or notebook.
Find a comfortable place where you won’t be distracted (I prefer to lie on the couch), and then read your affirmations over and over for 5 minutes straight.
5 minutes is the minimum, but I often do 10 or 15.
Setting a timer is crucial because it enables you to concentrate entirely on the affirmations you’re reading, instead of frequently wondering how much time has elapsed.
I strongly suggest doing your affirmations in the morning, as soon as you wake up. When you do your affirmations in the morning, everything that occurs afterward will be seen through the lens of those statements, leading to a better, more productive day.
Try to do them at the same time each day for the sake of consistency and habit building.
The most important thing, though, is that you simply do them! Morning, noon, night. It doesn’t matter.
Just do them and you will see results!
Affirmations Definition:
Choose Your Path Wisely
There are an infinite number of ways you can improve yourself using affirmations.
If you can’t think of anything, just ask yourself how you’re feeling right now about your life in general. Is anything bothering you?
Are there personal qualities you wish you had? Could your self-esteem be better? Could you benefit from a little more confidence?
Do you want to make more money? Do you feel like you’re just not that great at managing your finances?
Do you want to be healthier? Do you want to lose some weight?
I’ve provided affirmations on this site for some of the most common issues, and the list will continue to grow. If you see a topic that applies to you, feel free to print the PDF and store it in a binder. Watch the videos, too.
If you don’t see anything you can use at this time, you can make up your own affirmations and write them in a notebook.
In either case, read them everyday and be amazed at how your life improves.
Affirmations can help you succeed in absolutely anything. You are limited only by your imagination and ambition.
Now, get to work reprogramming your mind!
Do the work. Strive to reach your highest potential.
Good luck!
