Affirmations - Can I think my way to Success?

By: Caroline Winkvist

First of all, what is an Affirmation? Affirmations are short, powerful statements used to state that something is true - to help make it true. But how is thinking my way to success going to work?

To begin with, it's not magic. Just because you think about a new car, it won’t just magically appear in front of you, unfortunately. You might also feel uncomfortable lying to yourself, since you're stating things that aren't true (yet) - but hopefully this article will help you clarify how it works.

Affirmations actually work due to the power of positive thinking. First of all, affirmations make people receptive to change - and then they help making the change reality.

According to different studies it is easier to make a positive change when you use daily affirmations because it remind us of what we want and why. Affirmations to help you stay on track Everyone can have a ”day off" with a habit change. Unfortunately many people use this as an excuse to say, "I can't do it" and they quit - or they say they're going to do it later. Daily affirmations give you the motivation to keep going through these tough times by reminding you of what you want, to help you stay motivated and determined to work towards the change you want to make.

However, positive affirmations is not only about helping you to succeed with your missions. Affirmations can also be used as reminders of things that are already good in your life, including your strengths or things you're grateful for.

Positive affirmations can also help release you from anxiety, negativity, guilt, fear and pain.

Messages to your Brain

These three sentences on the left side of this picture are all positive affirmations. For example:

When these simple messages are repeated over-and-over, they begin to re-program your mind and slowly change your thought patterns. Eventually they will change the way you think and feel about things - which will increase the chances of you taking the actions required to succeed with it. These positive statements can help you focus on goals, get rid of self-defeating negative beliefs and program your subconscious mind - and eventually create a new reality.

Areas you can include in your affirmations:

When you write your affirmations we recommend using a mix of these areas because they will help keep you on track, make you stay positive and motivated, empower your strengths, fight your limiting beliefs and remind you of what’s important and WHY, and maybe most importantly - what you're grateful for.

GRATEFULNESS - WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR AND WHY? This is an amazing way to remind yourself of things in your life that are important and meaningful to you. We tend to forget all the great things we have in our lives and these affirmations will act as beautiful reminders.

Example Affirmation:

"I am grateful for my health. I am grateful for every part of my body that is healthy."

Another example (if you have children): "I am grateful for being a parent. I am grateful for being given the opportunity to raise children and for the love I get to give them and receive from them every single day for the rest of my life."

MISSION & PURPOSE - WHAT DO YOU WANT AND WHY?

These positive affirmations might begin as wishful thinking - but when you fuel your mind with these affirmations as a part of your daily habits, they end up becoming the reality of your life.

When writing affirmations about what you want and why, write them as it already happened and try to include the feeling you have when you’re succeeding. Example Affirmation:

"I want to stop having a stressful morning - is not an affirmation. Your affirmation would instead be: "I choose to have a great morning routine because it makes me feel stress free and energized and I start every day with a win!" That’s a strong affirmation.

MY STRENGTHS

Making an affirmation about your strengths is a great way to remind yourself of your greatness and to empower yourself. Example Affirmation: "I am kind and I always care deeply for others. I work hard to be able to take care of the people I love and care for. I have positive energy and people enjoy my company. I feel humble."

NEGATIVE THOUGHTS & LIMITING BELIEFS

Negative thoughts can also include limiting beliefs and weaknesses. It can also be things that scares you. For example, a limiting belief can be ”I'm always going to be overweight and depressed" Example Affirmation: "I choose to be healthy, eat healthy and exercise because that makes me feel better, look better and be happier."

Or you might have a weakness you want to work on..

Making an affirmation about your weaknesses is good to remind yourself of why you want to change. Weakness: "I’m always late because I’m a time optimist"

Example Affirmation: "I’m committed to always be on time. I prioritize planning my time because it makes me feel in control and free from any stress." Fears

If you have any fears, a fear can be: "I fear rejection"

Example Affirmation: "I am free of the fear of rejection. Rejection is a necessary thing to achieve success. I act without fear of rejection and I feel proud and confident."

Cheating your subconscious mind

If you feel like it’s too hard to convince your mind of some of the affirmations you’re writing, then try to avoid making the ”lie” too obvious.

Affirmations is about cheating your subconscious mind and in some cases when you make the lie too obvious, you might make it too easy for your mind to catch the lie. You might get stuck focusing on not believing your affirmation - especially if you’re a person who’s often skeptical. Therefore, we want you to focus on your WHY for the things you feel is the hardest to commit to.

For example: Don’t write ”I love eating vegetables” if you truly hate vegetables. That way you make the step to reality too big.

Try to make it more like: ”I choose/commit myself to find new healthy alternatives everyday because it makes me feel healthy, strong and proud of myself.”

When you focus on your why, your reasons and motivation to commit to it will increase.

Guidelines for writing your affirmations

Use the present tense - I am, I have, I always, I love, I commit, I can, I choose.. etc. State it in the positive - Try to not state what you’re doing wrong, focus on what you can do right instead. Don’t write: ”I’m going to stop being negative!” Instead write: ”I choose to be positive because it makes me feel energized and happy and I attract opportunity.” Keep it brief - You don’t need to write a full story. Try to keep it short with only a couple of sentences. Include feelings - Try to include how succeeding with the statement would make you feel. E.g. "I feel honored and gifted” Do not use words like: I wish, I want, I should, I don’t.. When writing about negative thoughts: When you make affirmations based on bad habits, negative thoughts or limiting beliefs try to use sentences like: I choose to____because____ Or: I commit to____because____ Think about how you want to feel instead of how you feel right now, and choose or commit to make actions based on how you want to feel. When using these kind of affirmations repeatedly, "I choose to", will eventually become ”I am”.

Read or listen to your affirmations daily or whenever you feel like you need to empower yourself. We recommend recording your affirmations and keep them on your phone. That way you can listen to them on your way to work or school - or whenever you want to.

Listening to your affirmations is like meditation or mindfulness, it's beautiful. Most phones have recording applications pre-installed which is the easiest way to record your affirmations. Read your affirmations slow and with confidence and really focus on imagining the situation when it's happening. If you want to, you can use mindfulness music in the background to make it extra powerful. Really try to feel the positive emotions from it as you read. For many people this sounds silly but you'll be surprised how much your own voice and your own statements can motivate you and help you take necessary steps forward to success.