How To Use Affirmation To Change Your Inner Beliefs
Written by: Savannah Cheon, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Do you suffer from a negative inner voice? Do you notice your negative self-talk sabotaging your goals? Consistent practice of affirmation can motivate you to act, concentrate on your goals, change your negative inner belief system, influence your subconscious mind to access new beliefs, and help you feel positive about yourself.[1]
How Inner Beliefs are Shaped
Your inner beliefs, which is how your view the world, shape your reality and identity. Inner belief is shaped when people are in their childhood as they are assimilating their parents’ or caretakers’ values. Unfortunately, negative inner beliefs can be shaped due to various experiences that people go through. Many of us may have heard these statements from people around us, such as “Why can’t you be like him/her?”, “You are not smart/ strong enough to join the team,” or “What makes you think you can do it? That is too difficult”.
Knowing or unknowingly, people see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear and develop their own subconscious beliefs. Depending on the judgment that they make about what they saw and heard, it is easy for people to form negative inner beliefs such as “I’m not good enough,” “I’m not smart enough,” “I don’t like my looks,” “Success is not for me,” etc.
Your Inner Belief Shapes Your Reality
We all have an internal benchmark system that limits us from taking certain actions depending on our inner beliefs. Our internal benchmark system will lead us to take action on the things that we are comfortable with and make us stay away from the things that are out of our comfort zone. For example, if you feel uncomfortable with a higher position job due to the limiting belief that you don’t deserve it, although there is an opportunity for a promotion, your internal benchmark system will do everything to sabotage that opportunity. No matter how much you want the job, your limiting beliefs will lead you to make choices opposite from the job you wanted. Therefore, it is important to widen our internal benchmark system by working on our inner beliefs about ourselves. One of the ways to change the limiting beliefs into positive beliefs is through practicing affirmations.
How to Effectively Practice Affirmation
The two key factors to make affirmation work are Worthiness and Consistency.
The belief that you are worthy of deserving love, success, health, and all the good things in life is the first step to practicing affirmation. The challenge comes when people first start saying out the affirmation, it doesn’t feel right for them. Many people give up on this stage, but the awkward feeling is natural as the negative subconscious brain will fight them.
To rewire your brain from negative thinking about yourself to a more positive outlook on life, repetition and consistency are the keys.
Say it Out Loud in the Morning and Night
Research suggests that the ideal time to rewire your subconscious mind is first thing in the morning as it sets the tone for the day and right before bedtime as it helps reprogram the subconscious brain. Therefore, you will get the most benefit when you say your affirmation at least two times daily at those times. If you love journaling, it is effective to write down your affirmation few times in your journal.
Commit to at least 21-28 Days
According to studies, it takes 21 days to form a new habit. When you commit to at least 21 days to consistently saying your new beliefs, you will see a noticeable shift in the way of thinking. It is important that any time you catch yourself thinking in a negative way, say the positive affirmation that replaces the old beliefs.
Visualize the Result (Optional)
Some people claim that they are a “visual person,” meaning that they have a good “photographic memory” that comes with the ability to remember things as if they would have the picture right in front of them.[2] If you are those “visual person,” this step will give you the results that you want faster. When you are saying the affirmation of “I’m confident” as an example, visualize the result of how your confident self would act, think, and feel. The more you put the feeling into your visualization, your subconscious mind will absorb it better as the subconscious brain cannot distinguish what is real and what is imagery.
As you practice your affirmation consistently for at least 21 days, you will notice a shift in your thinking.
Visit Savannah's website to learn more.
Savannah Cheon, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Savannah Cheon is a Whole Person Certified Coach, an alumnus of Harvard University, a CEO of Aurora Luxury Hotel, writer, and blogger. Savannah has been a digital nomad throughout her life. She helps rootless digital nomads and world travelers who left home for adventure and want to find a sense of connection wherever they are. She helps people build a sense of home within them that they can feel secure, create meaningful relationships, have a sense of belonging, and enjoy their lifestyle fully. She is a firm believer of the quote, "Your mind is a powerful place, and what you feed it can affect you in a powerful way," and she incorporates the Whole Person Coaching method and NLP tools to work with the mindset.
