“Whatever you can do 
or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” ~ Goethe
An affirmation means positive self-talk. It’s a statement about ourselves or our situation, phrased in
the present tense as if the statement is already true. in this article Kate Britt, a Human Resources Manager wrote some methods to start creating very personal affirmations.
How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Using Affirmations
- Identify your negative self-talk and beliefs.
- Create affirmations out of those beliefs.
- Begin using the new affirmations.
- See the “magic” gradually unfold.
1. Identify your negative self-talk and beliefs.
Do this in handwriting, not with a computer. Connecting your physical self with your neurons and psyche and intuition is important here. What our bodies do, our subconscious learns from.
Fold a piece of lined paper in half lengthwise, and then unfold it. Down the left side, write a list of those self-limiting statements you’ve been thinking and saying. “I can’t afford a vacation.” Or “It’s hard to lose weight.” Or “I’ll never meet the right guy/woman for me.”
Stick to one theme or personal issue on this first list. Write everything that comes to mind on the topic. Don’t think, just be spontaneous and real. It needs to be a stream-of-consciousness set of statements.
Then spend a few days listening closely to yourself, to what you’re saying, thinking. Ask a friend to listen, too. Add every negative self-talk statement to your list as it comes up.
After you think you’ve written them all, wait. More will come. As you empty out the top layer in your mind, the next layer will be revealed and released.
2. Create some affirmations out of those beliefs.
This next part is not easy, but you can do it!
You are going to write some new statements. You may feel huge resistance as you do it. Maybe you won’t believe a thing you write. Perhaps you’ll feel discouraged. You’ll probably think it’s weird. But humor me, just like my students did.
Down the right side of your paper, across from each left-side statement, write a new one that transforms that negative statement into a positive.
Examples:
- “I can’t afford a vacation” becomes “I can afford to take a nice vacation.”
- “It’s hard to lose weight” becomes “Losing weight is easy for me.”
- “I can’t save any money” becomes “I’m good at saving money.”
- “I’ll never meet the right guy/woman” could become “I’m open to new relationships” or “I’m ready to meet my perfect mate.”
The new statements must be in the present tense. Write “I am…” rather than “I will be…” or “I’m going to be…” Avoid using the word “try” because “I’m trying” is a self-perpetuating statement.
To get around your disbelief about writing something that feels untrue and seems impossible, you can write things like “I’m learning to….” and “I’m getting better at….” It’s still present tense, still a positive affirmation. Something like “I’m getting better at saving money” might feel better than “I’m good at saving money.”
3. Begin using the new affirmation statements.
Fold the paper in half again. Never again read the left side. Ignore it forever.
Post the folded paper, positive statements on top, somewhere you’ll see it often. Above the toilet paper roll. Over the kitchen sink. Read your affirmations from time to time, but there’s no need to dwell on your list. It is simply an occasional reminder that you’re transforming your thinking.
If you catch yourself thinking or saying any of your old (negative) beliefs, stop yourself. Transform it into the positive, right then and there.
Ask your family and friends to help by simply pointing out any negative self-descriptions when you say them. When they do, transform the negative to the positive immediately, and say the new statement aloud to them.
You’re literally changing your mind.
4. See the “magic” gradually unfold.
The “magic” will happen, if you do the first three tasks. Truly! I’ve done this ever since I learned how, and I promise you it absolutely works. I have a good and happy life and things generally go my way. I believe it’s because I do this kind of work ongoingly.
Soon you will not only say you’re good at handling money (or whatever your issue is), but you’ll also begin to believe it and—here’s the magic—one day you’ll notice that you are good at it!
The negative statements will gradually disappear from your mind.
If you stick with this, what’s absolutely true is that:
- When you write it, the magic begins.
- After you write it, you can start reading it.
- When you start reading it, you’ll be able to start saying it.
- When you start saying it, you start hearing it.
- When you start hearing it, you start to believe it.
- When you believe it, things begin to change.
- When things begin to change, you will understand. And believe.
How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Using Affirmations should be a daily mental exercise for anyone who wants to come out of anxiety and depression.
Related reading: Affirmation is the key: It works on the mind – Life Altitude (livealtitude.com)
