There’s no better way to drive home a message than to write it down.
The power of what you write strikes straight into your subconscious and gives it a better chance of becoming real.
Just go grocery shopping without a list and you’ll see what I mean.
Having affirmations that you repeatedly and continuously read because you’ve peppered your life with them is like a shopping list for your life.
I’ve got a quote by Hafiz just above my desk and every time I read it I feel better.
It reads: “Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets to find you”.
It’s especially comforting when my energy goes down and I tend to spiral into negative thoughts.
Writing things down gives you focus.
And focus is what you need to achieve your goals.
So, today I want you to write down positive affirmations.
There’s a few tricks to getting them right – if you can’t believe them, they’re useless.
Here’s how to give your affirmations power:
- Write them in the present tense. Instead of placing it in the future, “I want a dog” bring it to the present; “I have a dog”.
- Be specific. Instead of, “I have a dog” write “I have a chocolate Labrador”.
- Add gratitude. “I’m grateful that I have a chocolate Labrador.”
- The thing that will usually cinch the deal is gratitude.
Because your brain literally sits inside a black box all day and is only making its best, most educated guess at what’s going on around your body based on the input it collects from your senses.
Your mind does not distinguish between something in front of you and something you imagine — they’re equally powerful.
So, use your imagination to place a very specific order from the Big U.
Using present tense and being specific isn’t enough, though.
Because up to that point, it can still feel a bit conceptual and you may find it’s hard to truly convince yourself to believe it.
But once you get your chocolate lab, you bet your belly button you’ll be grateful.
Once you can latch on to that feeling of gratitude, it becomes easier to believe.
Gratitude actually has physical, tangible benefits.
And by saying that you’re grateful for something you want to have, it’s much easier to reposition your thinking around it from concept to reality.
What you focus on grows.
And the right affirmations will turn your focus on the small daily tasks you do to achieve your goal.
So, if you wish for things, then you’ll just create more wishing. If you feel grateful for something you have, suddenly it’s real to your brain and having that thing physically appear in your life is that much more likely.
Now, affirmations aren’t magic.
They don’t make stuff appear out of thin air. What they do is help you create small daily steps and habits that will eventually carry you to your goal.
It takes time and hard work to get there. Affirmations only increase the likelihood of you getting there by keeping you focused.
It feels a bit silly at first, but trust the process.
Write down your affirmations and put the really important ones where you’ll read them often.
Make sure you believe in your affirmations. Otherwise, you’re just sabotaging yourself.
If you don’t believe you can achieve a big goal, break it down and start with smaller steps. This is all about reminding yourself that you choose what you focus on.
So, choose well.
JOURNALING PROMPTS:
Write one page of affirmations (more if you feel like it).
Statements that make you feel good about who you are and what you want.
Some examples to get you started:
“I’m grateful that I’m in a loving and respectful relationship with healthy boundaries.”
“I’m grateful that I’m living in my dream house on the beach.”
“I’m grateful that I’m healthy and wake up every morning free of pain and full of energy.”
“I’m grateful that I make a living from my silversmithing and quit my job to do it full time.”
