Practice Affirmations, Shift Your Mind
Last week we talked about the concept of getting just 1% better— and how I try to make this community not about BIG lofty goals that are easy to get lost in… but instead about simply committing to slow and steady baby steps toward your goal. Today I want to follow that up with something equally important as you embark on this 1% better journey...
Affirmations.
Affirmations are simple, positive statements of your goal(s) in its completed state. Although simple, these statements can have a profound effect on your conscious and unconscious mind. They are an integral part of shifting your mindset from the muddy waters of ambiguity and negativity to one of clarity and positivity.
When practiced regularly, these statements can supplant limiting beliefs, toxic thoughts, unconscious negative mind loops - the blubber of the mind - the stuff that’s not serving us and is weighing us down. Think of daily affirmations as exercise for the mind - keeping it in tip top shape - keeping the “blubber” at bay.
To tell you the truth— we already make several daily affirmations, but unfortunately these are usually self-defeating, negative affirmations like:
Everything I eat goes straight to my thighs.
I will never find someone to share my life with because I’m too______.
I’m trapped in a job I hate.
I’m never lucky, I never win.
You can get quite comfortable with your mind “blubber.” You may not even realize it’s there until you start to witness the mind and energy shifts that take place when you affirm what you DO want instead of what you DON’T want.
When your compass and energy gets directed towards your positively stated goals, your life transforms from thoughts of mediocrity to ones of expansion and possibility. You replace your “I can'ts” with “I can’s!” - your fears and doubts with certainty and confidence.
Affirmations raise your vibrations and invite in happiness, joy, gratitude - magnetic energies that draw people, resources and opportunities to you.
So how do you write a positive, powerful, affirmation that brings you energy instead of drains it?
Here are some suggestions from Author and Life Coach Jack Canfield and his book, The Success Principles.
Start with the words “I am.” These are the two most powerful words in the English language.
Use the present tense.
State it in the positive. Affirm what you want, not what you don’t want.
Keep it brief.
Make it specific.
Include an action word ending with –ing.
Include at least one dynamic emotion or feeling word.
Make affirmations for yourself, not others.
Here are some of my personal examples of powerful, life-force giving affirmations:
I am on my way to living my best life - I have good friends, meaningful work and a loving relationship with my partner.
I am growing each day - becoming a better version of myself through exercise, clean eating, and mindfulness.
I am energized and empowered - taking the steps I need towards positively improving my life by doing what I say, saying what I do.
What I say, do and feel are getting into closer alignment— helping me live authentically.
Now, the best way to make these statements go to work for you is by reciting them out loud throughout the day. Maybe it's the first thing when you wake or just before bedtime. Or maybe you will boost yourself up in the mid-afternoon or after a meditation session - whenever you are feeling open and receptive OR whenever you are needing an energy shift.