The Secret to Powerful Affirmations

You’ve probably heard about affirmations – or mantras, as they’re sometimes called.

An affirmation is simply a statement (as opposed to a question) that affirms what you want in your life. Affirmations reprogram the subconscious mind with new, empowering beliefs that will attract experiences to you based on those new beliefs.

For example, if we belief we are not worthy, we will have difficulty attracting the experiences we want because we don’t think we deserve them. When we reprogram our subconscious mind to believe (and know) that we are worthy, we will attract experiences that validate our worthiness.

Imagine the possibilities! I’m sure you can see the value of using affirmations on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, I see many people using them incorrectly. There is so much information online, it can be confusing.

So what’s the right way to use affirmations to get the best results?
 

Affirmations are always stated in the positive, present tense.

They are positive: I am vs. I am not.
They are in the present tense: I am vs. I will.

Stating that you want something, keeps you in a state of wanting instead of receiving. You want to be loved, true. But you don’t want to continue to want to be loved, right? You want to be abundant and healthy, but you don’t want to stay in a state of wishing you were healthy or waiting for abundance that will be in the future.

State what you do want, not what you don’t want.

For example, let’s say that you want to quit smoking. You wouldn’t want to say, “I am not smoking,” or “I don’t smoke cigarettes anymore.” You can’t affirm the negative. Our subconscious minds don’t hear the “no”; they only hear the rest of the sentence, which is what you don’t want.

Instead state it in the positive, present tense: “I enjoy being smoke-free,” or “I enjoy breathing clean, fresh, smoke-free air.”

Let’s say you want to lose weight. You may think about saying something like, “I am losing weight.” It follows the guidelines I gave you, right? But it’s a tricky one because we’re programmed to not want to lose anything. So if you say, “I’m losing weight,” your subconscious mind is going to go, “Nope, no way. I’m not losing anything.”

It’s better to focus on the positive. “My body is getting healthier and fitter day by day,” or “My body is becoming more toned, fit and thin every day.” Think about what you do want instead of what you don’t want. You don’t really want to lose weight. You want what you’ll gain from losing weight: a healthy, fit, toned body.

The same goes for money, too. Let’s say you have debt and want to be debt-free. The problem with saying something like, “I am becoming debt-free” is that it still focuses on what you don’t want: debt. The question is: What do you really want? What will being debt-free give you? Financial freedom, independence. That’s your affirmation: “I am financially free,” or “I enjoy financial independence.”

Affirmations need to evoke emotion

Repeatedly stating or writing an affirmation without any emotion is going to do very little for you. It’s still a far cry better than making negative statements, but what really attracts what you want are your emotions. When you come up with your affirmation, drill down – not to just what you want – but to your “why.”

For example, if you want to lose weight, why? To feel healthier, to have more energy, to have more self-confidence… Why do you want those things? What’s underneath? What’s your real reason for wanting to lose weight? Maybe you want to be able to play with your kids or grandkids. Maybe you want to have more energy so you feel better in your body. Maybe someone you know is ill, and you realize you want to be in your body for a long time to be there for your family. There’s always a deeper “why.” That’s where the key to your emotions lies.

Deal with your resistance

It’s perfectly normal for you to come up against some resistance when you begin using affirmations. After all, you’re stating something you want to happen that isn’t really true yet. So your little gremlin that lives inside your head is going to rear its ugly head and say, “No, that’s not true.”

There’s a really easy way to deal with this. Just change the wording of your affirmation slightly. Instead of saying, “I am abundant,” when you’re really struggling financially, say, “I am attracting abundance into my life now.”

You can also flip it around to say, “Unlimited abundance is being magnetically drawn to me now.”

Get a head start with my 50 Inspirational Affirmations that will raise your vibration and transform your life, for FREE! Just click on the button below, and they’ll be sent right to your inbox.

Where to find affirmations

For lots of inspirational affirmations, visit my Pinterest page.