How are you doing in your affirmations? At Essence of Being, when we talk about writing affirmations, we look to 8 Ways to Write Better Affirmations that should be followed when writing affirmations. I have worded them so they all begin with the letter P, which will hopefully make them easier to remember. Some of these rules are fairly well known, although I have added new information that will make your affirmations work even better. Of course, some of these may be a new way of looking at it to you, but I know that all of these will provide you the chance to live a fuller and happier life. Since there is so much to talk about here, I’m going to split this into smaller bites for you to work on each week. All I can say is that you need to take the time to learn each rule, and you will have the key to writing affirmations that can’t fail!
1 – Present Timing: Affirm in the present
Keeping your affirmations in the present tense ensures that your subconscious mind goes to work on them right away. Though few would even consider writing a positive self-talk statement in the past tense, many make the mistake of projecting what they want into the future.
Saying “I will …” or “I am going to …” is placing your desire somewhere out there, just beyond reach. Remember, the future doesn’t exist. Change only happens in the present. The point of power to make a change is in the present!
By affirming in the present tense it is also easier for you to generate the necessary emotions and visualizations that support your affirmations. There is a great difference between saying “I will be so happy when …” and saying “I am so happy now that …”
2 – Positivity: Keep your Affirmations positive – Avoid all negative words
Keep words like ‘no’, ‘not’, ‘never’, ‘don’t’, ‘won’t’, and ‘can’t’ out of your affirmations. You need to direct your self-talk toward what you want, not away from what you don’t want. The reason for this is that our words create the mental images that make up the language of our subconscious minds. When we speak of what we don’t want, this is the image that is created, and this negative image is what the subconscious mind works on. By focusing our words on what we do want, we direct the subconscious mind to work on the positive results we desire.
Stay away from words that imply loss, such as ‘get rid of’, ‘give up’, ‘lose’, ‘quit’, ‘stop’, ‘refrain’, ‘avoid’, etc. Do not affirm what you are trying to get rid of, or get away from. Affirm the gain you hope to attain. You want to affirm your ideal weight … not how many pounds you want to lose!
The words “I want …” imply lack. When you want something, the tendency is to focus on its absence. If you affirm ‘wanting’ something it is possible that being in a state of ‘wanting’, or lack, is exactly where you will stay. Keep away from words like ‘I want’, ‘I wish’, and ‘I would like’. Affirm the positive states of being, doing, or having instead. Use words like “I choose” or “I Am.”
Words which bring to mind the negative issue you are trying to change should not be used in affirmations. Sometimes this is difficult. It is hard to write smoke-free affirmations without mentioning smoking, but it can be done.
3 – Personalization: Keep them personal- after all, affirmations must be about you
Affirming what others will be, do, or have is a waste of time, because you can only change yourself. Even with the best of intentions, your idea of what is good for another person may not be what they want or need. Confine your positive self-talk to yourself. The only beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that you can change are your own.
Affirmations written by others (such as the affirmations provided on this website) are a good starting point. But always change any words or phrases which you feel uncomfortable with. Ensure that you are affirming at the right level for the changes you are working on. Create an affirmation that feels right to you.
4 – Precision: Be precise and describe your desires in detail
For affirmations of achievement or manifestation, the more accurately you can describe your desire, the better. Envision the best possible outcome. Describe it in as much detail as possible. Describe all the benefits that attaining your goal would bring. Your subconscious mind needs a clear picture to work on. Vague affirmations will only produce vague results, if they produce any at all.
Comparative words such as ‘more’, ‘greater’, ‘better’, or ‘best’ should only be used if they precede more detail. Using comparative words forces the subconscious mind to compare what you want with what you don’t want, and thus you end up putting as much energy behind the negative as the positive. If your intention statement is ambiguous, it will create ambiguous results. If you are affirming for a larger salary, would you be happy with an increase of 1%? If you are affirming to lose weight, would you be happy if you lost 1 pound? Be precise. Affirm for the best outcome that you feel comfortable with.
Define concepts in your own words
There are many words we use in affirmations that are acceptable, but that should be clarified in our statements. Words like ‘happiness’, ‘health’, ‘wealth’, ‘prosperity’, and ‘success’ are all good words to use. But always go a bit further. Define these words in your own terms. Make your affirmation statements paint a complete picture. The more defined your desires are, the more effective your affirmations will be.
So that gives you 4 great places to start with your new –or old – affirmations, so think through these for a bit, work on the things that you see are real places that you choose to change, and I’ll be back soon with the next 4 ways to build more powerful affirmations for your life.
Are you making the changes you want to in your life? Are you struggling to accept what your definitions of success are, how successful you are, and how to enhance your life! You need to break those old habits and change methods that no longer work for you. We will be holding our next transformational Essence of Being™ workshop. We will explore how you create reality through your thoughts and core belief systems with the principle of Law of Attraction and many other modalities. Click right here to learn more about our next upcoming Essence of Being workshop!
