I am rich. I am famous. I am beautiful. I am a fraud.
Okay, endlessly repeating affirmations that you don’t really believe is not going to make you feel better. In fact, it can actually make you feel a lot worse.
The purpose of affirmations is to raise your energy vibration to a new level that opens up new possibilities. If you find yourself saying things like, “I’m so stupid. Why do I always do such dumb things? I’m not good at anything. I’m never going to have any money”, there is a big problem with that. You are talking yourself into a life of disappointments and failure.
That’s the thing about affirmations. We actually use them all of the time, but usually they affirm our perceived shortcomings. We can assume things about ourselves that don’t need to be true. We aren’t dumb, we just haven’t figured out how to do a certain thing yet. Or we might not have much money right now, but that doesn’t mean we won’t.
Be mindful of the limitations you impose on yourself that don’t help you be the person you want to be or to live the life you want to live.
Action – We talk to ourselves all of the time. By becoming aware of what we are saying and thinking, we can change the narrative into something positive that will make us feel like taking action to get to where we want to go. Using affirmations is just a way of becoming conscious of the thoughts that run through our minds and create our story.
Steps – Like anything else, remembering to do affirmations that will support you is a matter of repetition and developing a habit. An easy way to do this is to write down three or four that resonate with you and that you aren’t going to argue with. For example, instead of saying, “I am a millionaire” you can say “I am always coming up with ideas that could turn into a successful business.” That sounds more realistic.
If every morning you read your list and then spend five minutes thinking of all of the positive things about yourself and the potential that exists in your life, you will start the day in a manner that gives you the confidence to go the extra mile.
Why It Makes You Feel Better – We are what we think about. If you believe in your limitations then there is nothing that will motivate you to try something new or to make big changes in your life. Thoughts roll through our minds endlessly, and as you become aware of them you can notice when they are less than helpful. Change the internal dialogue and you can change your whole life.
Affirmations are a way to become your own cheerleader. When you can believe in yourself, others will start to believe in you too.
Example – Every day when I wake up, and every night just before I fall asleep, I run through some affirmations that feel good to me at that moment. I start by being grateful for something, and then I settle into the comfort of knowing that I have no idea what the future holds, so I may as well think about how good it is going to be.
Find a way to work some positive self-talk into your daily life. Catch the negative thoughts and let them go, because you are writing the story of your life in every moment. Make it a beautiful adventure instead of a tragedy.