So you have your affirmation written out. It’s maybe even typed up and printed, and stuck on your bathroom mirror, in your wallet, in your diary, on your pc and inside your cupboard door.
You spent a few days saying it over and over to yourself, and eventually you notice that the words on the paper have lost their appeal and become part of the background of what ever else you are focusing on.
You’re left with the feeling that affirmations don’t work.
Well I agree – affirmations don’t work.
On the other hand, Well Formed Affirmations do work.
Well Formed Affirmations
Just having a positive statement that you read often is not enough to change the way you think and impact the results you get in life.
A Well Formed Affirmation though, has the power to transform your life in all the ways that those who promote the use of affirmations say it will.
There are a few key things to keep in mind to make sure the time and energy you put into affirmations is both beneficial and well worth the effort:
Be Believable
One of the first things to remember is that the affirmation should be believable to your conscious mind.
Yes, the point of an affirmation is to help change the programming of your mind, both conscious and subconscious. Yet, if you don’t believe that what you are affirming is a possibility for you, your subconscious mind (and possibly even your conscious awareness) will be saying “Yeah right, what a joke!” back at you as you consciously recite the affirmation. That doesn’t help the process, and often leads to us stopping using the affirmation.
For example, if you were to affirm “I am wealthy” when you are experiencing a bout of anything but wealth in your life, the affirmation will seem to jar you on some level. If you affirm rather: “I am taking high priority and focused steps towards being wealthy” you overcome the dis-belief and the statement becomes far more powerful.
Be True
Another point to remember about affirmations is that they should be about a Truth- a universal law or fact that you know to be true. This makes the statement live-able.
A mis-conception about affirmations is that they have to be positive statements. This is not the case.
They should rather be a statement that is liveable, because a true affirmation is about making something firm in your mind. For example saying “I’m always happy” is unrealistic, whereas the statement “I can manage my emotions” is a truth, and is live-able.
Be Present
Affirmations should also be stated in the present tense. “I can/am…….” is far more useful than “I will/want to…….”.
If you phrase the affirmation in future tense, then your mind always hears it as some time away, so that it knows that one day you will experience what you are affirming. This results in you not experiencing what you want in the present moment.
Be Questioning
If present tense is still a little unbelieving for you, try state the affirmation as a question. The subconscious mind enjoys questions, and the right kind of question can open a field of possibilities.
So rather than saying “I am creating wealth in my life” you could ask “What do I need to do to create wealth in my life?”
Be Useful
Your brain is predictable in that it follows directions to the T- it doesn’t question the usefulness or appropriateness of the information you feed it (unlike the stomach which has mechanisms to eject unhealthy material).
So use this fact to your advantage by creating statements that are well formed and worth affirming.
Test your Affirmations
The ultimate test of an affirmation is whether it is words that you can comfortably imagine yourself saying for the rest of your life. If so, then you have power food for your brain!
To you affirming yourself for the life you want!
Telana
(Bibliography: Dr Demartini’s Breakthrough Experience)
About the Author:
Telana is a dynamic, transformational Personal Coach and Blogger who specializes in communicating and relating. She helps people have no regrets in life by having conversations that count. Follow her on Twitter or her podcast show, Let’s Talk Communication.
