Affirmations!

So, you’ve heard the buzz about affirmations. Good, you should! They are hands down one of the things that have shaped so much of my confidence in building up who I am, and have become.

What is it:

Affirmations  mean lots of things to lots of people but at it’s core, affirmations are small sentences or fragments that you write in present tense. There is significant scientific theory behind this- but essentially what you are doing is retraining the subconscious mind to begin to think differently. The idea is to train the unconscious mind to begin to respond different so eventually, you start acting differently or acting in the belief that what you would like is possible. Again, there is SO much science behind this. Think- prayer, meditation, confidence, visualization, etc.  it all stems from building out this small area in our brain. According to Freud, the unconscious continues to influence our behavior and experiences, even though we are unaware of these underlying influences. The unconscious can include repressed feelings, hidden memories, habits, thoughts, desires, and reactions. Hence the value behind shaping it- will result in us changing our lives. The thought is if we think about something on a consistent basis, it redirects our behavior to start thinking or acting in a different way. The key to all of this is believing that it is possible, and know that to retrain the brain takes time.

You need to have an open mind of how affirmations will work for you. If you go into writing affirmations with a thought that “this isn’t really going to work”, well then, it isn’t going to work for you You have chosen that particular filter to view life with. Put it aside for now.

I challenge you to be open to believing in yourself. To start believing in the possibility. Why? Because we tend to have a limiting view of who we are and what we can accomplish. We find that we are not worthy enough to pursue such a large dream, to have a happy and loving relationship, to love our bodies for what they are due to false ideas we have unconsciously built up in our minds- that now hold us back.

But today we can start changing that. Let’s shift our narrative, because I believe that you deserve to have a happy, healthy, and fulfilled life, whatever that means for you. It is going to take some work (all good things do!) but I can assure you the benefit and shift of mindset is a habit you cannot afford to loose.

How to do it:

Affirmations work to both inspire new dreams that we never thought were possible, and to build confidence to pursue a happy, well rounded life. When I started writing affirmations I wrote a variety of phrases that would contribute to the life that I wanted to create, these included goals for my personal and professional development, emotional well being, and health, that I wanted to pursue or had a desire to do but felt out of reach.

To start, you need to have a very basic idea of what you want. If you have written out goals, use these and if you don’t, no problem keep it simple with some general concepts, such as you want to feel happier, you want confidence in who you are. you desire a romantic relationship, you are hoping for a new job. With all of these things, your conscious mind initially is going to try to trick you in saying you do not deserve any of these things - but in reality you may be missing opportunity all around you because you are viewing the world from your unconscious filter. It is time to apply a new one!

The key to affirmations is to write them in PRESENT tense, as if the words you are writing are already the person you are. There are several different “forms” of affirmations. Some write the same affirmation 7 times in a row before moving onto the next thought. Some write the same paragraph a few times over and over. And others, myself included, do a free flow. Do what works best for you or start with one of the methods listed below, as you may respond differently to certain methods. I personally prefer a combination of a standard 7-8 affirmations (see examples below) that I write every day- but the format differs. I also like to enjoy my affirmation time with gratitude and visualization.

The time spent on affirmations may differ but generally I’d say it will take you between 10 - 30 minutes. Some days more, some days less. I wrap it into my entire morning routine of prayer/scripture reading, affirmations, visualization, gratitude and prayer (and I know this sounds like a lot but realistically, it takes me 30-40 minutes everyday). If you are new to pursuing a morning routine- start with one thing at a time, and slowly build out your habits from there. I would start with writing affirmations as they had significant impact on my daily life.

The Act

Find a quiet room- one with very few distractions. Grab a cup of coffee, a notebook, and sit down. Turn off your phone, put on a good neutral playlist. My personal favorites during this time are Brain Food or Classical on Spotify.

METHOD 1:

Start writing your first affirmation, and repeat 7 times. Start the next affirmation.

METHOD 2:

Have a series of affirmations that you cycle through, i.e. I am a happy, health individual. I weigh XX pounds. I love how eating healthy makes me feel. I enjoy vegetables, I am a runner. I am fit. I am strong.

Then repeat the paragraph again, you can do the affirmations in the same order or you can change them. I personally like to mix it up- but that does not work for everyone.

WITH Either method- I recommend doing the same 5-10 affirmations daily, in whatever preferred fashion. The power of affirmations is repetition so you reframe the filter you see the world. Again- consistency and repetition are key.

In order for affirmations to have an impact on your life- you need to make this a daily part of your routine. It is the only way that it works. Personally- I find it very fulfilling to do it in the morning, after I have finished my workout, before I start my work day. The best times to do affirmations are either when you are winding up or winding down, as you need to focus on the words you are crafting and not be distracted by to-do lists, phone calls, etc.

Now that you’ve made it this far, here are a few different examples of affirmations. Please note, affirmations are not only for career growth, but also for emotional stability, to give confidence in your outward appearance, to feel secure, to prepare you to be open for a new relationship.

Examples:

Overall happiness:

I am happy, I live in abundance, my cup is overflowing.

I am confident. My life is thriving. I am blessed.

I enjoy life. I am eager to try new things. I am constantly learning.

I am loving and I am lovable .

Life is full of love and it is all around me.

Career/ Future Opportunities:

Opportunity constantly surrounds me.

I am a Vice President.

I am always getting promoted.

I am a speaker, an author.

I am a top performer, I lead the leader board.

Weight loss examples:

I weigh XX pounds. I am XX size. I am fit, I am strong, I am sexy. I am a runner. I run marathons .

I love making healthy choices. I love how good vegetables make me feel. I crave food that makes me feel good.

All and all, I am extremely passionate about shifting your mindset because I’ve seen it work in my life, and so many others. I want to challenge you, to stop thinking that you can’t. Because I know you can. I know you can have a happy, fulfilled life that you deserve. You do not have to be stuck. We all need to believe in ourselves just a little bit more to shift into the person we want to be. That person we want to be is out there, and is waiting for us to get that bit of confidence to craft them. Affirmations aren’t the whole solve, but I do believe that they are one piece of the puzzle. Remember, “Our abundance is constantly being blocked by three viruses: us, our thinking, and our settling for average” (Wood)!

Believe you have the ability and the opportunity to have a happy, fulfilled life- and start today!