The first time I ever heard about affirmations was in Hal Elrod’s book “The Miracle Morning”. Reciting affirmations is one of the 6 things Hal does every morning during his morning routine. I became super interested in exactly what they are and how they work.
Over the course of about 6 months, I started reciting a few affirmations of my own every morning. At first, I didn’t see much effect, but eventually, I realized my mindset started to shift towards what I was saying in my affirmations.
I started feeling more confident in myself which led to increased motivation to stick to my goals. Affirmations are so much more powerful than people give them credit.
In this blog post, I’m gonna dive deep into what affirmations are and how you can use them to shift your mindset and achieve your goals.
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What are Affirmations?
Affirmations may sound like a big and scary concept, but it’s really quite simple. They are simple, short, and powerful statements that aim to affect the conscious and subconscious mind. When the statement is ingrained in your mind, it’ll start to affect your behavior, thinking patterns, and daily habits.
This is why it is so important to recite your affirmation daily, but more on that later.
Research shows that there are about 45 to 50 thousand different thoughts that cross our mind every day. That is about 150 to 300 thoughts each minute.
Ok take a pause and read that again. 300 thoughts each minute of each and every day?! That’s insane!
Unfortunately about 80% of those thoughts are negative ones. That is a lot of negativity. But don’t worry because positive daily affirmations can help shift your mindset to a more positive one, and decrease the amount of negative thoughts.
Affirmations make you consciously aware of your thoughts. This way when you constantly think positive thoughts, it becomes easier to control the negative ones that threaten to take over.
Affirmations help reshape the mind one day at a time. As a motivational speaker and author of “The Success Principles”, Jane Canfield explains it best: “daily affirmations are to the mind what exercise is to the body.”
So now that you know what affirmations are and how they have the potential to reshape your mind, let me tell you about a few amazing benefits.
The Benefits of Reciting Affirmations Every Day
- Daily morning affirmations can motivate you.
- They help you to stay focused on your goals.
- They influence the subconscious mind and affect the way you think and behave.
- Positive statements make you feel more positive, energetic and active, which puts you in a better position to transform your inner and external world.
- Affirmations will help increase your self esteem and feelings of self worth, which will help in boosting your performance in your daily life.
- Positive self affirmations help shift your mind and perspective from negative to positive.
How to Write Affirmations
Now that you know some of the awesome benefits of reciting daily positive affirmations, I bet you’re ready to actually start writing some of your own.
Writing affirmations that are truly effective is kind of like an art form. There are several steps to take to craft a meaningful affirmation and I’m gonna help walk you through each of them.
Step 1: “I am…”
Begin each of your affirmations with the words ‘I am’. This is what makes them the most powerful because that language gives your subconscious mind a command. This way your mind interprets it as something it must follow through with.
Example: ‘I am a runner’ vs ‘I want to be a runner.’
Step 2: Use present tense
With your affirmation, speak about things as if you already have them. This helps your mind visualize the outcome which inturn makes the mind more open to opportunities that will cater to that outcome.
Example: ‘I have a beautiful cottage on 5 acres of land’ instead of ‘I will buy a house with land this year.’
Step 3: Speak about what you do want
Do not use negatives in your affirmations. In fact, the subconscious mind doesn’t recognize negative words.
For example, if you say ‘I don’t hit snooze in the morning’, your mind just hears ‘I hit snooze in the morning’. So instead say ‘I get up without needing to hit snooze’.
Step 4: Keep it brief
They don’t need to be that long. In fact it’s easier to remember and recite something that is short and snappy.
Example: ‘I am a half marathon runner’ instead of ‘I am someone who runs 4 days a week because I am training for a half marathon.’
Step 5: Be specific
When you are more specific in your affirmations, it makes it easier for your mind to visualize the outcome.
Example: Turn ‘I will save more money this year’ into specifically ‘I feel financially stable with $5,000 saved in my bank account.’
Step 6: Write it for you
This one is simple. Make sure when writing your affirmations, you are writing them to describe your actions, not the actions of others.
Step 7: Make it mean something
Make sure your affirmations speak to you on a meaningful level or they won’t have much effect.
Examples of Positive Affirmations:
- My life is full of amazing opportunities.
- I can do anything I set my mind to.
- Success comes easily to me
- I am worthy of my life dreams.
- I am creating the life of my dreams.
- I am likeable and fun to be around.
- I am beautiful.
- I decide how I feel. Today I choose to be happy.
- I see all challenges in my life as opportunities for growth
How to Use Your Affirmations
Now that you have your affirmations written to be the most meaningful for you, let’s discuss how to use them for maximum benefits.
First of all, consistency is key. You need to repeat these statements daily. The best way to make sure you do that is to set up a routine and make sure you stick to it.
I recite mine during my morning routine. Starting your morning with your affirmations can ensure you have a positive start to your day.
Write down your affirmations and put them somewhere you will see every day. For example, the bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, or the wall behind your desk. Write them down in your journal every morning and recite them to yourself in front of a mirror with a confident and strong voice. Basically the more often you repeat your affirmation, the more effective they will be.
Visualize as you recite your affirmation. Imagine you already achieved your goal and feel all the emotions that come with it. This can literally ‘trick’ your subconscious mind into believing that different reality. And this has the power to change your mindset going forward with your goals.
Just a few more tips:
I have just a few more tips before I send you on your way.
- Remember affirmations are only powerful when used correctly. Follow my steps above to create affirmations that will be effective for you.
- Don’t make too many of them all at once. Start with focusing on just a couple 2-3 goals to make affirmations for. Don’t overwhelm yourself.
- Be consistent. Repeat them daily, even when you may not feel like it.
- Start with committing to do them for 30 days, no matter what. Reciting affirmations is new and is a habit you need to work to form. It won’t come naturally at first.
Final Thoughts
The life-changing results people talk about with affirmations will not happen right away. In fact, they may not even happen within the first 6 months of you doing this practice, but don’t give up. Even in just a few short weeks, you’ll notice your mood lift and you’ll feel more inspired to keep working towards your goals.
So no giving up, ok? Promise me, because it’s so worth it.
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7 thoughts on “What are Affirmations and How to Write Them”
This is amazing. I am definitely going to try it out. Of course, I have tried changing my frame of mind with positive thinking but never with positive affirmations. Thanks for sharing such a beautifully written article.
I love using affirmations when I struggle with negative self-talk. It is important for us to talk to ourselves as a friend would, and affirmations are a great form of self-compassion. Thank you for sharing this detailed article!
Very very thorough article about how to use affirmations effectively! Thank you for sharing so much information! I pinned it to my Positive Affirmations Pinterest Board.
Susan,
I glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!
I have been reciting the following every morning, “Today is a new day, with the potential to be great. It won’t be great on its own. I have to be willing to put in the hard work to make it great.”
I pair it with saying this nightly, “Tomorrow is another chance to have a great day.”
Based on your article, it doesn’t sound like mine is affirmations. What would you call what I do?
Kyle,
Don’t worry, remember, an affirmation is simply a powerful statement that affects how you think and feel. If these affirmations give you the confidence to work hard every day then keep reciting them. However, I would change the wording just a little bit to make them even more powerful.
Try saying “I am willing to put in the hard work to make today amazing.”
Hope that helps,
Alyssa
Ooh. I like that! “I am willing to put in the hard work…” With your permission, I’m gonna use that. ?