We received an email a couple of weeks back asking how to use affirmations effectively. This is actually a very good question.
Unfortunately, there are too many people blindly searching on-line for a list of positive daily affirmations, but they don’t have a clue how to use them effectively. They just read through them a couple of times and expect miracles to happen. It really doesn’t happen like that.
Affirmations can be a powerful tool….. but they can also be a complete waste of time UNLESS you apply the right strategies.
The tips we have in this article apply regardless of the reason you are looking for (or writing) affirmations (e.g. affirmations for money, weight loss, health, career success etc.).
10 Affirmations For Success
We have two articles designed to transform your success with affirmations. This one gives you practical ways to make them work. Then in our second article we’ll provide our Top 10 affirmations videos…… These are VERY powerful.
We also have an e-book on affirmations that you can claim for free today (details at the bottom of this article).
Before we get to our tips, let’s look at some of the common things we hear about affirmations :
“Affirmations just don’t work for me”
The key to seeing success with affirmations is to have unshakable confidence that what you are stating (affirming) will actually happen. Now that might sound obvious “Yeah, of course affirmations will work if we are stating something that is definitely going to happen”. However, nothing is guaranteed in life.
Proof that affirmations work
To prove they do actually work, just think of a time when you’ve said to someone, “Let’s catch up for a coffee next Wednesday lunchtime. we’ll meet in that new coffee shop, near your office, at 1pm”.
Now there are hundreds of things that could prevent this meet-up from actually happening, but you are so confident that it will happen that the ‘negatives’ never even pop into your head. The process goes as follows :
- You’ve stated (affirmed) what will happen
- You have unshakeable belief that it will happen
- It DOES happen
“So if I can make things like this happen (and I’m doing this all the time), then why can’t I make more ‘exciting’ things happen ‘on demand’ ?”
The problem we have is convincing our conscious mind that what we are affirming is actually achievable. If we can get past our conscious mind’s barrier, to access our much more powerful subconscious mind, then that can get to work to make our desires come true.
Many people get round this, and see success, with subliminal affirmations (we’ll talk more about them below).
“I don’t know how to write affirmations – can’t you just provide me with a list ?”
We always recommend that you write your own – it’s far more effective.
However, if you really don’t know what to say, then you might want to start off with and affirmation like :
- “I am clear in my mind about what I want”
If you are looking for lists of ready-made affirmations, then we highly recommend the pocket-sized lists we have on our Pinterest account. We are adding more positive affirmations to this account on a weekly basis.
Set against a backdrop of some fantastic images, you can print these off and take them with you for that instant positive boot when you need it.
Successful Personal Growth Pinterest : Positive Affirmations For Success
“I have the right words written down, but I just don’t feel positive when I read them out.”
Unfortunately, our conscious mind often just puts up ‘barriers of disbelief’ and this will manifest itself in you having no enthusiasm when reading out your affirmations. It is merely your ego saying “What’s the point, that’s never going to happen”. This is quite common, but our guide below will definitely help you.
“How often should I be saying these affirmations ?”
As often as you can. But we would suggest a minimum of twice per day. Once as soon as you wake up, and then just as you are drifting off to sleep at night.
10 Expert Tips for Success with Affirmations
Some of these tips you might have seen before, but we guarantee that if you combine these top 10 tips then it will take your success with affirmations to the next level.
TIP 1 : Be Specific
The more detail you can put into your affirmation the more ‘real’ it becomes. It then follows that the more real it is, the more believable it is.
Just like with goal setting, you need to tell your Reticular Activating System (RAS) what is it you are looking to achieve. Aim to be as specific as possible.
Don’t say :
- “I will lose weight by the end of the month”
- “I will get a new job in 3 months’ time”
- “I will meet a man / girl before Thanksgiving”
These are all just weak ‘wishes’. Take control of the situation.
Do say :
- “I will lose 7 pounds in weight by May 1st 2014”
- “Before July 4th 2014, I will get a new job, working as a social media marketer for the biggest firm in [your town]”
- “I will meet a 24-year-old single man / girl before Thanksgiving. They will have blonde hair and blue eyes and run their own psychology business. Just like me, they will enjoy basketball and support [your team]. They will also have a keen interest in personal growth and in particular the Law of Attraction”
However, let’s get real…… you have to take appropriate action for any of this to be achieved.
- You are not going to lose weight by stuffing your face with junk food and not exercising
- You are not going to get that dream job without having the right qualifications or looking at job adverts
- You are not going to meet the ideal partner by never leaving your house
What the affirmations will do for you is to provide :
- Motivation (You have committed to doing something)
- Opportunity (Your brain has been ‘switched on’ to the world around you)
“But isn’t too much detail just narrowing down the opportunities of getting what I want ?”
Whilst it may seem that you are ‘tearing out the pages of the catalogue’, leaving you with less choice, the only thing narrowing down (restricting) the chances of you getting what you want….. is your own limited belief system.
No matter how much you really want this, you might be thinking that there is actually very little chance of you meeting a blue-eyed, blonde haired, guy (or girl) aged 24, who runs his (or her) own psychology business.
If that’s your thought process (belief) then you’re right, your brain will just switch off to that possibility ….. even if that ‘ideal person’ is standing right in front of you !!
- Be specific – (However the specifics MUST be believable)
OR
- Stay generic – (And expect to be less than satisfied with the results)
It’s your choice.
TIP 2 : Be Present – It’s Already Achieved
Always state the affirmations in the present tense. For example :
Never say :
- “I will soon be confident”
- “I will lose weight by the end of the month”
- “I hope to meet someone soon”
Instead say :
- “I am confident. I radiate confidence all the time”
- “I am losing weight all the time.” Or “I am my ideal weight. I’ve reached my ideal weight with ease and enjoyed the process”
- “I have met my ideal partner. We are perfectly compatible and enjoy each other’s company”
“I don’t get it ? Why would I say that I’ve got something that I haven’t. Surely my brain knows that I’m just lying to myself ?”
With the Law of Attraction if you say, “I want to lost weight” the law hears the words “I want” and always leaves you in a state of “Wanting”. Similarly, if the Universe hears you state “I hope to meet someone soon” it will always leave you “hoping that you’ll meet someone soon” (i.e. it won’t actually deliver).
TIP 3 : Visualize
Don’t just read your affirmations off a card and then move onto the next one. Read each one and then spend a few minutes actually visualizing what it would be like when that statement is achieved.
- What would you see ?
- What would you hear ?
- What smells would you experience ?
- What feelings would you have inside of you (Satisfaction ? Excitement ?) ?
TIP 4 : Audio Motivation
We all know how powerful music is when it’s added to a film. It adds all sorts of emotions (drama, fear, intrigue, love).
When reading your affirmations, listen to some stirring, motivational, or upbeat music whilst reading out the words. This is an excellent way to stir up feelings within you. And it’s the feelings that generate the internal vibrations which will ultimately get you closer to your desires.
This is probably the most powerful tip for most people and it’s why we highly recommend producing computer generated vision boards with accompanying music.
TIP 5 : Image Motivation
Overlay your affirmations on some appropriate background images. Again this is a powerful technique. If you don’t have Photoshop skills then just look at related images after reading each of your affirmations.
If you can see images which are congruent with your affirmations, then this will generate a sense of excitement within you. This will get you vibrating in a positive way, which will attract you to your desired outcome.
TIP 6 : Hide Your Affirmations (With Subliminals)
This is a must for anyone who just doesn’t believe their own affirmations. With all good intentions, people compose really great words, but just don’t believe that what they are saying will ever happen.
To get round this negativity, feed the affirmations directly to your subconscious mind (by-passing the conscious mind). This can be done with subliminal audios or videos, or even putting the affirmations on sticky notes scattered about your home – which you will only see in your peripheral vision.
Audios : record yourself saying the affirmations and play this at a low volume. At the same time, play some of your favorite music slightly louder to ‘mask out’ the sound of your affirmation recording. It’s not very scientific, but it might work for you if you are on a budget.
Videos : You most likely already have the necessary software to make ‘movies’ on your computer (Windows Movie Maker or iMovie). If you do, then it’s just a case of flashing images and affirmations across the screen quickly (or in a light grey colored font so you can barely see it).
If you don’t have software then you can make screen capture videos, for free, with http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html
“When can I expect to see success with affirmations ?”
That all depends on your self-confidence and levels of belief. In the coffee shop example above, we were certain that it would happen…. and so it did.
If you produce a set of affirmations to become an Olympic athlete within the next 6 months then (depending on your starting point) it’s very unlikely to happen…..
- You KNOW that it’s unlikely to happen, THEREFORE
- You won’t be committed to train as much as you should, THEREFORE
- This will lead to a guarantee of failure
“What if I have limiting beliefs that I just can’t shake off ?”
You may have deep-rooted limiting beliefs that may go back years and, even worse, you may not even be consciously aware of the actual problem. However, the consequences will be obvious to you because you won’t believe your affirmations; and won’t be able to put your finger on the reason why.
The subliminal tip mentioned above, might just be enough to force the paradigm shift, but you could also try Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or Tapping) as a powerful booster to clear whatever blockages you might have.
Alternatives to Affirmations
Of course, we are not going to say that affirmations will work for everyone. There are people who see limited success with affirmations (even using all the advice above). Fortunately, there are two alternatives :
TIP 7 : Incantations
This has been popularized by Tony Robbins and his way of engaging emotion into the affirmations.
Tony says that motion feeds emotion. It’s emotion that you need to feel if you want to see the Law of Attraction in action.
TIP 8 : Afformations
This is a system created by Noah St John.
With these, Noah suggests asking the right question to get the right answer. We have written a separate article on Afformations here.
Additional Help
TIP 9 : Done For You Subliminal Affirmations (Free)
We appreciate that many people today are just too busy to set up their own affirmations. Or maybe they haven’t got the time to produce a subliminal video or audio. Or maybe they’re just stuck and don’t know what they should be saying in their affirmations.
GOOD NEWS : We have found 10 of the best affirmation videos and have put them all in one article. Look through the videos on our Top 10 Positive Affirmation Videos and use the one(s) which appeal to you. We recommend picking one and watching it, once a day, for 30 consecutive days to really imprint the messages into your subconscious mind.
TIP 10 : Done For You Subliminal Affirmations (Professional)
The problem with free affirmation videos on YouTube is that you’re never really certain what you’re getting as part of the message.
If you don’t want to leave it to chance (We can’t guarantee the effectiveness of YouTube videos), you may wish to purchase some professional mp3s or CDs .
There is a fantastic selection of positive affirmation CDs at Amazon :
Or an excellent selection of downloadable MP3s from the following highly recommended provider :
POWERFUL BONUS TIP : Affirmation Software
CLICK ON IMAGE FOR MORE INFO
If you want to go even further, then affirmation software is as good as it gets. This flicks messages onto your computer screen as you work.
The Mindmaster system is a computer software program where you can load up your affirmations and let them run in the background, whilst you go about your normal computer activities. It’s even been endorsed by an American Olympic Gold Medalist.
Final Comments
We hope that you have found this article useful.
As we said at the start, affirmations can really work for you (there are countless examples of successful people who use them). However, if you don’t take them seriously then they can be a complete waste of time.
As a special gift for visiting today, we have a free book “Using Affirmations For Success” that you can claim right now.
Please feel free to share these 10 tips for anyone else who might be wondering how to use daily affirmations for success.
