It’s a new year and with it come new beginnings and opportunities. We get the chance to be better versions of ourselves. We have the opportunity to procrastinate less and achieve more. The new year is always filled with excitement and enthusiasm. This time we will finally stick to our New Year’s resolutions, we will make those changes that we’ve been wanting to make for years now! Right?
In the last article, we talked about setting SMART goals and planning to reach them. We saw how we need to make sure our goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based. We learned that if we fail to plan, we plan to fail.
A guide to daily affirmations
Now I want to get back to our main topic of conversation here, daily affirmations. We already talked about how positive affirmations can help us stay on track and motivated to achieve our goals. But how exactly do we create our affirmations? What are the things we need to pay attention to? Because there is a right and a wrong way to use affirmations. So let’s refresh that and start the new year with brand new, positive affirmation to set us up for success!
There are five points to keep in mind when creating your daily affirmation:
- Use the first person
- Make it positive
- Use the present tense
- Be short and concise
- Make it specific
Use the first person
Your affirmations should always start with the pronoun “I”. After all, affirmations are related to your personal identity, therefore they should always be in the first person. This is a very important point to keep in mind when practicing affirmations.
Make it positive
Did you know that our brain doesn’t really record the word “NO”? For instance, if I am telling you right now to NOT picture yourself on a beach, to NOT see the blue ocean in front of you, and NOT imagine that you are walking on the sand towards the water and NOT see your feet sinking in the sand as you make your way on the beach. Did you NOT picture any of it? You probably did, because that’s just how our brain works, once you send an input, the word NO is erased, as if it was never in the sentence.
This is to say, make sure your affirmations are positive. Rather than saying “I am not feeling tired and stressed out”, say “I am feeling energized and carefree”. Your brain will focus on the words “energized and carefree” rather than on “tired and stressed out”.
Use the present tense
Act as if you are already the person you want to become. This point is crucial in daily affirmations and it helps to keep high energy and motivation. By using the present tense you are telling your brain that you already have the things you wish therefore putting yourself in a positive state of mind. If you use the future tense, there will be that sense of stress or anxiety because you are still far from being that person and having those qualities or resources you desire. There is a huge difference between saying “I will be successful in my career” and “I am successful in my career”. It can be immediately perceived in your mind and body.
Be short and concise
There is no need to make long complicated affirmations. You want to send clear, concise messages to your brain. An affirmation should be easy to remember and to say to yourself repeatedly. You don’t want to spend a lot of time recalling and saying your daily affirmation, rather make it immediate and powerful.
Make it specific
Although affirmations should be short, they should also be specific. You want to avoid generic and vague affirmations and rather be as specific as possible. Instead of saying “I am healthy” you might want to say “I am fit and energetic every day”. Ultimately, you should find what works for you as long as you keep in mind these five points. Create an affirmation that motivates you and raises your level of energy. That makes you want to take action right away and work on achieving your goals.
Remember that affirmations are a tool but you still need to put in the work. Use them every day to keep yourself focused and then go and make the most of each moment until you reach each and every goal you set for yourself!
This article by Jack Canfield has some further ideas and indications on how to use daily affirmations for positive thinking.
Have a magnificent, rewarding 2020!
Happy New Year!
P.S: Because we want you to stay focused, we created a one page PDF with the five points for creating your daily affirmations.
