Affirmations are tools used to align the focus of your unconscious mind with your conscious desires. Inside our heads mental chatter takes place almost continuously, and deciding to use affirmations is simply making a decision to take control of that chatter and turn it in your favor.
Some types of affirmations work better than others and some don’t work at all. The good news is that there are certain ways of structuring affirmations that do work and can mentally prepare you to experience significant positive changes in your life. Here are some helpful tips on how I believe that affirmations can be used successfully.
Begin by Accepting What Is
This is an essential concept in making any type of positive change. Repeating things like “I am outrageously wealthy” when you’re dead broke or saying to yourself that “I can be the world’s best jockey” when you’re 6’7” is only going to set off your internal BS meter and leave you with a nasty case of cognitive dissonance. Affirmations rooted in denial are as effective as putting a new dress on an old Billy Goat. Underneath the dress there’s still a goat and everybody knows it.
Choose the Right Frame
If the new idea you desire to cement into your mind is too far fetched from your current reality consider starting your affirmation with phrases like “I am becoming” or “I am choosing to”. This demonstrates to your unconscious mind both your commitment to and the intent of your ultimate outcome and avoids setting off your BS meter.
For example, you might want to choose the affirmation “Each new day I am choosing to eat a healthier diet” instead of “I am a healthy eater”. Doing so will make the occasional empty bucket of Ben & Jerry’s on the nightstand a bit easier to overlook. 
You may also choose to affirm that “I am becoming more organized each and every day” instead of “I am an extremely organized person”, especially if you happen to be repeating it while shuffling your feet through a pile of dirty clothes on the floor of your bedroom.
The Great “I am”
Choose this powerful affirmation starter by itself without qualification when you are affirming something that already exists to some degree that you simply desire to reinforce. For example, if you are a decent public speaker and can present without fear or hesitation, an affirmation like “I am energetic and friendly when up on stage” won’t clash with your current reality and can help cement in place your desired way of thinking.
Effective Affirmations Contain Strong Emotions
This is absolutely key. Using affirmations without emotion is utterly useless even if you’ve followed all of the advice to this point. Your unconscious mind has a lot to remember and it is much easier for it to recall information that was filed away with strong emotions attached.
Every thought to this point in your life has been stored away in your unconscious mind, with more weight given to thoughts based on the emotions attached rather than the chronological order in which the events occurred. That’s why it’s easier to remember significant events from your childhood than what it was you had for dinner last Tuesday (unless it was really good).
Repetition is Necessary to Cement the Desired Concepts into Your Unconscious Mind
You mind often has to hear a new concept over and over again in order for it to sink in. Our minds are bombarded with thousands of ideas each day and the ones that are going to stick are the ones repeated often enough with significant emotion attached. I recommend that you develop a pattern of saying your most important affirmations first thing in the morning and then again just before you go to sleep.
Back up Affirmations with Action
Affirmations are great tools to prepare your mind towards the pathways of success. Practically, they can improve your focus and replace a lot of the limiting beliefs and junk that tends to hold you back. But they are of no use if not followed up with definite action.
Affirmations without action are like cars without wheels. You can have the best design in the world but you aren’t going to get anywhere. Once you obtain the belief system that allows you to succeed it’s time to hit the road and start making things happen.
Summary
If you are going to utilize affirmations to help facilitate change in your life you will want to phrase them properly, attach strong positive emotions to them, repeat them frequently. and begin the process of bringing your new beliefs into reality by taking definite measurable steps toward their achievement.
Subscribe to DestinyBuilding.com
If you find this site helpful, please leave a donation for Ken and enjoy the spirit of giving too.
