Affirmations – 5 steps to reignite the power of positive affirmations

If you’ve heard of affirmations, tried to use them in your life, and feel as though they just aren’t working, please don’t ask for a refund just yet! It’s not that they don’t work, it may be that you’re doing it wrong. And that’s not your fault! You simply need somebody to show you how to flip the right switch to make it work.

The first question you need to ask yourself is: What type of power have I been using to fuel my affirmation(s)?

Willpower, the power of repeated speech, power of persistence, and all the other powers you might use won’t work with affirmations. Keep jamming a square peg into a round hole and you’ll keep getting the same ineffective results. Use a hammer to smash it in, i.e. to force your affirmation into your psyche, and you simply break the affirmation and again it’s rendered ineffective. So what can you do? What type of power do you need to make your affirmations work properly?

There are 5 key ways to power up your affirmations!

1. Write your affirmation(s) as an ‘I am’ statement in the positive, passionately, and in the NOW! Go for: ‘I am healthy and happy,’ or ‘I am feeling incredibly blessed and thankful’ rather than ‘I am not depressed and sick,’ or ‘I am not ungrateful.’ You can even affirm the positive aspects of your life right now, for example, ‘I am eagerly reading up on how to remain positive and thankful in my life daily,’ or ‘I am enjoying reading about powerful affirmations.’
2. Persistent Positive Reinforcement from another – the power of community is indispensable. ‘I believe in you’ are words every single one of us wants and needs to hear. ‘You are good.’ ‘You can do it!’ ‘You are enough.’ ‘I know you have it within you to achieve your goals.’ Who are you sharing your personal story with? Who are you telling about your personal and professional goals? Are they encouraging or are they unbelieving, telling you your dream is ‘too big’ and ‘unrealistic’? Be careful who you share your dreams with. I focus on this in a short blog post here. If you share your dreams with the right people, you will know straight away. They won’t drag you down; they will immediately affirm the brilliance of your ideas because they had already seen the potential and greatness within you before you could.
3. BREATHE – I am not shouting at you; I’m displaying a fabulous acronym you should put into practice every time you’re about to repeat your affirmation(s). BREATHE stands for Breathe Rhythmically, Evenly, And Through the Heart Everyday. When you practice this careful breathing technique you positively impact your physical, mental, and emotional state. And if this sounds too good to be true, it is scientifically tested and proven (click here for more information) to positively impact your physiology; your body and brain will become more malleable and receptive to your positive affirmations. Stop forcing a square peg into a round hole; it’s easier to reshape the hole, or alternatively…
4. Reshape the square peg and rewrite your affirmation(s). Slow your pace a little bit. I know you are eager for transformation and self-healing and -improvement, but don’t bite off more than you can chew. You can overreach even in the simplest terms like, for example, writing an affirmation that states: ‘I am happily playing in the park with 5 or 6 big Alsatian dogs’. But what if you are trying to overcome a fear of dogs that you’ve had for the last 20 years? That’s a pretty big affirmation to try to believe and accept. Instead, try making it easier to swallow. How about: ‘I am calmly walking through the park with my friend’s white poodle.’ Doubt is destructive, and chunking it down will eliminate the doubt. I know this may seem like a silly example, but you can see how making it more believable will allow you to accept rather than reject your affirmation(s). So try reshaping your belief statement now, and see what happens.
5. Say it with a smile! How do you normally repeat your affirmation(s)? Are you rushing it through, silently and without energy or emotion? You must feel as though you are actually in the state of that affirmation. If you say: ‘I am boldly crossing the finish line at the London Marathon’, I would imagine watching you with a smile on your face, feeling relief and excitement at your accomplishment, and a sense of pride. If you don’t experience any of these feelings, you’re doing it wrong. You need to feel it from the inside for it to reflect properly and effectively on the outside.

In summary: be mindful and feel the emotions, believe what you are saying the way others believe in you, reduce the scale of your affirmation(s) if you have to, and BREATHE, or even pray and meditate beforehand.

And if this works for you, let me know in the comments below or by email (info@abbeyrosesuccess.com )! I’d love to hear your stories of how your life is positively transformed by the power of positive affirmations!