Why Affirmations Don’t Always Work
Updated: Mar 27, 2025
Lisa Hansen offers a truly unique style of Mindset Coaching that powerfully blends Spiritual practices, Manifestation teachings, Somatic Release techniques, and practical Life Coaching skills. She has helped hundreds of clients feel empowered to manifest the lives they dream about.
I remember the first time I heard about affirmations. A friend had given me a Louise Hay book. I dove in and practiced those affirmations every single day, anxiously awaiting change. Yet weeks went by and absolutely nothing changed. Soon, I forgot all about affirmations, tossing the book aside and deciding they didn’t work. What I didn’t know back then is that you can’t trick your mind. Your mind will reject a new belief if it is too far out of reach. Affirmations do indeed work, but only if you use them correctly.
The believability scale
The reason why affirmations might not be working for you is that you may be attempting to change beliefs you’ve held about yourself for a very long time, perhaps even your entire life. The old ones have so much hold over you and have gained quite a bit of momentum. They are deeply programmed into your subconscious mind. And, like I said, you can’t trick your mind. Without the right approach, your mind will override any new beliefs by reverting back to the programmed ones.
Let’s say you adopted the belief “I’m not smart enough” somewhere in your life. Perhaps someone told you that as a child and as an adult you want to stop believing that about yourself. It's unlikely that trying to believe an affirmation such as “I'm the smartest person” will work. You can’t jump all the way from A to Z and expect a new belief to stick. You can’t go from doom and gloom to rainbows and bunnies, right? It just doesn’t work that way. The affirmation is simply not believable enough and won’t create lasting change.
This is where the believability scale comes in. Think of your old belief as A, the starting point, and your new belief as Z, the end. The goal is to inch your way up the scale one thought at a time. It’s really important to move up the scale of thinking at a pace that sticks and starts to gain traction. For example, moving from “I’m not smart enough” to something neutral such as “I have a functioning brain” has a much better chance of sticking around. Notice how it’s a completely neutral thought. I didn’t go straight to rainbows and bunnies. It’s something you can effortlessly believe and your mind won’t reject it.
Next, every time you notice the old belief “I’m not smart enough” arising within you, practice swapping to “I have a functioning brain.” This neutral belief about yourself feels much better than “I am not smart enough.” Neutrality takes away the negative overtones from the old belief and shifts you into a different feeling space without trying to pretend or trick the mind. The practice is to divert your attention away from the old belief which will begin to diffuse the charge of negative emotions associated with it.
You may have to stay at a neutral belief for a while. The less you rush at this practice the more likely it will be transformational. Once the neutral thought replaces the old thought and is sticking around for awhile, it’s time to move up the scale of thinking to the next better-feeling thought.
The goal is to work your way up the scale only one to two steps at a time. When you find your next believable affirmation, pause and try it out. It could be something like, “I am always smart enough to manage my household.” Close your eyes, attune to your body, and see how your new affirmation feels. Say it aloud to yourself. Does it feel like something you can learn to believe, or is it still too far out of reach? Do any objections arise within you? Like a judge in a courtroom, the mind will object if it’s too far-fetched! This will sound like “Yeah, but I know that’s not true at all.” If something like this happens, dial your affirmation down a notch until you find one that is a bit more believable. If it feels neutral or good in your body, you know that’s the one to practice believing next. Other examples of thoughts to work your way towards may include “I am smart enough to keep my job” and “I am smart enough to juggle a busy schedule with the kids.” By doing this, you are collecting evidence to support your end-point new belief of “I am smart enough.” Your brain is more likely to believe the thought at the top of the scale if you have collected evidence along the way to support it. This is how you get new beliefs to gain momentum and replace old ones.
Remember that affirmations will only work if they are believable and feel good in your body. You can't convince yourself to believe something new if your mind constantly rejects it. It’s entirely possible to change your beliefs using affirmations as long as you test them out first by using the believability scale.
Start your journey today
Managing your mindset and deciding what you want to think on purpose is the secret to a happy life. When you are constantly thinking positive things that you truly believe about yourself, you are going to feel much happier than if you're thinking negative things about yourself. The key is working your way up that believability scale and finding the affirmations that work for you, one step at a time, no matter how long it takes. Have patience with this practice. Remember, it will take time to override those programmed negative beliefs. This is the mindset work that has the power to change your life and is worth doing.
Feeling it’s impossible to change your thoughts?
You’re not alone. Book a free session with Lisa today to learn how to transform disempowering negative beliefs into empowering positive ones. Believe it is possible!
Read more from Lisa Hansen
Lisa Hansen, Life Coach, Conscious Parenting Coach & Spiritual Mentor
Lisa Hansen has over 20 years of experience as a Life and Mindset Coach, Conscious Parenting Coach, and Spiritual Mentor. She believes anyone is capable of manifesting the life they truly want to be living, whether it’s to feel a greater sense of purpose, earn more money, improve their relationships, or become a more peaceful parent. Her passion is empowering women to live confidently, intuitively, and authentically. She helps her clients shed self-limiting beliefs, end self-sabotage, overcome their inner critic, and transform their lives into one full of self-love, self-acceptance, and empowerment.
