“What is an affirmation statement exactly? And how do you write one that works?”
When a client asks me this, what they are really asking for is permission to state what they want out loud, powerfully and unapologetically.
They are so afraid of using power words and definite statements that there is no meaning, no belief, at all. The words are lackluster and bereft of feeling. This is specifically what the affirmation is meant to combat.
So, how do you craft a soul-inspiring, heart-pumping message to yourself that you are manifesting into existence? Don’t you need confidence? What if it just feels silly? What if you’ve always seen words as your worst enemy?
There is a catch. Affirmations aren’t meant to be mindless phrases you repeat in hopes that the universe will hear you. Affirmations are meant to be guided reminders of your goals, especially if the going gets tough (even in your own head).
Here’s how that looked for me in the beginning. I knew what I wanted, but I didn’t know how to get it. I was scared to trust the process of becoming someone different or believing that I could get the things I wanted. So if I didn’t state what I wanted, I couldn’t be disappointed. Sound familiar?
In my heart, I knew that I was going to have to change what I was doing or be stuck where I was forever. The thought of being trapped in a never-ending cycle that had me working to pay bills, not being able to do what I wanted, wishing for things that would never happen, was frightening. But I still didn’t change. The change came when I ended up in the ICU with Covid. I had everything to lose if I didn’t accept the challenge, and so I subconsciously created my affirmation.
My first affirmation was about those I loved, not myself. It focused on all of the things I wished for them. I love amazing, giving people, whose love is healing me and keeping me from feeling alone. The people I love are strong and healthy, and are living their dreams. They enjoy their best lives and share their abundance with others. The people I love bring me joy. It wasn’t until I had written it that I realized it was about me, as well. Believing these things for them freed me to believe what I wanted to for me.
Craft Words That Reflect You
Start with this—breathe! No one is around to judge you, or your words or needs. If you give yourself some room for error, you’ll find that you have nailed this process in no time. Deciding what to say isn’t about the words at all. It’s about you being willing to state your innermost desires aloud and becoming accountable for them.
An affirmation has two purposes. The first purpose of the affirmation is to reinforce the beauty already in you and your life in the present. The second purpose is to proclaim your intentions for the future in a way that will help you achieve your chosen success and provide a tantalizing target to keep shooting for.
Many people write affirmations to feel better or to change their current position. They want to change their outcome, because they don’t want to remain where they’re at. It is natural to want to move forward, because there is so much to experience out of life. Oprah Winfrey, for example, said in an interview for her movie A Wrinkle In Time [Film, 2018], “You have to put it out there… and prepare yourself to meet it when it shows up.”
Here’s what I learned. To make your statement, begin with either I have, I am, or I know. Let your mind wander, and think of all the positive things you can use to answer these starters. I am enough! I have an amazing spouse. I know God is with me. Write down every one you think of.
Write in the present tense. You are telling yourself this is attainable, so putting this in the future tense, I will be vs. I am, gives you subtle permission to put it off. Also, use powerful words that trigger a response in you. Creating a reason to fight for it means you’re more likely to put in the sweat equity to attain it.
Overcome Your Emotional Obstacles
If you get stuck, you may need to remove fear or doubt. Declaring what you don’t want is a strong way to bring it straight to you. The flip side of your “don’t want” can reveal your true “want,” though. I don’t want my son to go away to college might really be I want to have a solid and open relationship with my son. Changing this to an affirmation becomes, I have a solid and open relationship with my son.
There might even be a part of you that can’t believe what it is that you want to say. Disappointment, doubt, fear, guilt, are all belief robbers that keep taking from you. Allow the affirmations you are making to stop these robbers from being able to steal anything else from you. You deserve to be in charge of your own life, to claim your own choices, and to live purposefully in your own story!
It’s not about you being perfect, it’s about finding perfection in what is. This means accepting your life, expressing gratitude, and opening yourself up to growth and abundance both outside and within yourself. Think about what you are willing to do to change. Start as small as you need. My smile makes others smile. Then create a goal to smile at one person every day. Set a positive and open path to your next steps, shaping a meaningful, driven, intentional life for yourself.
The next part is shaping your future. What does your life look like down the road? I have lots of close friends who value me. My relationships are meaningful. My business provides services that improve other people’s lives. I find value in the time I spend with my family. You can even specify in detail what you will work towards. I am an architect with a high-level firm making six figures annually. I am a Junior Vice President a year from now.
You may want to borrow parts or phrases from this post or online to get you started. Just get started! With practice, you’ll learn to take this process and make it your own. Revisiting is encouraged! You will need to reorient your compass every so often, because your needs shift over time and new goals arise as you accomplish old ones.
Deep Dive Into Your Motivation
A powerful affirmation must motivate you to action! For certain people, proclaiming I am enough! loudly and with authority motivates them to BE enough. For others, I enjoy living in my own skin! brings them more clarity. For some, I embrace who I am! speaks their truth, but others may need to say, I am the sum of my experiences, and I forgive and love myself. The only way to change your future is to alter what you are doing in the present. Your affirmation should, as Tony Robbins says, “Get you out of bed in the morning!” Becoming is doing, so your words should excite you to DO!
One powerful way to psychologically focus on what you are calling to you is to speak it aloud. Say it like you mean it! There is power in vocalizing what you want, as research studies have shown. An article on Shine by Martha Tesema said, “Research has shown that talking to yourself out loud can motivate you to move forward with your goals, help you focus on a task at hand, and combat self-criticism.” When you put your thoughts out into the universe, it’s like you are revealing your secrets. The positive side to this is that when you stop treating your desires like secrets, you start acting like they are goals.
When I began pondering my new affirmations in the hospital, my entire focus changed. I moved from only thinking about trying to breathe to all the wonderful things I imagined my friends and family doing. These were things I wanted to be doing, too, and I decided then that I would be there to do them in the future! I fought my way out of the hospital, and I know it was because I focused on what I was fighting for. I worked on my health goals with more intensity and investment.
The final piece for powerful, motivating affirmations is gratitude. When you see life through the lens of gratitude, appreciating what you have, enjoying the people in your life, there will be more room in your life to give and receive. Be sure to acknowledge the wins, the steps moving you forward, and the things you are grateful for. According to www.health.harvard.edu, “In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”
No one can say what your outcomes will be in the future, but you are guaranteed to get more of what you are already getting if something doesn’t change. Define your health, wealth and relationships for yourself and how you want them to manifest for you. Once you know what you want, decide on your affirmations. Make sure you are plugging in to that, invested, showing up ready to be all in, every day. I challenge you to have the courage to make a difference in your own life. May this lead you to a life of passion, purpose and prosperity.
Please share if this spoke to you.
Related
Written Into Existence 
“What is an affirmation statement exactly? And how do you write one that works?”
When a client asks me this, what they are really asking for is permission to state what they want out loud, powerfully and unapologetically.
They are so afraid of using power words and definite statements that there is no meaning, no belief, at all. The words are lackluster and bereft of feeling. This is specifically what the affirmation is meant to combat.
So, how do you craft a soul-inspiring, heart-pumping message to yourself that you are manifesting into existence? Don’t you need confidence? What if it just feels silly? What if you’ve always seen words as your worst enemy?
There is a catch. Affirmations aren’t meant to be mindless phrases you repeat in hopes that the universe will hear you. Affirmations are meant to be guided reminders of your goals, especially if the going gets tough (even in your own head).
Here’s how that looked for me in the beginning. I knew what I wanted, but I didn’t know how to get it. I was scared to trust the process of becoming someone different or believing that I could get the things I wanted. So if I didn’t state what I wanted, I couldn’t be disappointed. Sound familiar?
In my heart, I knew that I was going to have to change what I was doing or be stuck where I was forever. The thought of being trapped in a never-ending cycle that had me working to pay bills, not being able to do what I wanted, wishing for things that would never happen, was frightening. But I still didn’t change. The change came when I ended up in the ICU with Covid. I had everything to lose if I didn’t accept the challenge, and so I subconsciously created my affirmation.
My first affirmation was about those I loved, not myself. It focused on all of the things I wished for them. I love amazing, giving people, whose love is healing me and keeping me from feeling alone. The people I love are strong and healthy, and are living their dreams. They enjoy their best lives and share their abundance with others. The people I love bring me joy. It wasn’t until I had written it that I realized it was about me, as well. Believing these things for them freed me to believe what I wanted to for me.
Craft Words That Reflect You
Start with this—breathe! No one is around to judge you, or your words or needs. If you give yourself some room for error, you’ll find that you have nailed this process in no time. Deciding what to say isn’t about the words at all. It’s about you being willing to state your innermost desires aloud and becoming accountable for them.
An affirmation has two purposes. The first purpose of the affirmation is to reinforce the beauty already in you and your life in the present. The second purpose is to proclaim your intentions for the future in a way that will help you achieve your chosen success and provide a tantalizing target to keep shooting for.
Many people write affirmations to feel better or to change their current position. They want to change their outcome, because they don’t want to remain where they’re at. It is natural to want to move forward, because there is so much to experience out of life. Oprah Winfrey, for example, said in an interview for her movie A Wrinkle In Time [Film, 2018], “You have to put it out there… and prepare yourself to meet it when it shows up.”
Here’s what I learned. To make your statement, begin with either I have, I am, or I know. Let your mind wander, and think of all the positive things you can use to answer these starters. I am enough! I have an amazing spouse. I know God is with me. Write down every one you think of.
Write in the present tense. You are telling yourself this is attainable, so putting this in the future tense, I will be vs. I am, gives you subtle permission to put it off. Also, use powerful words that trigger a response in you. Creating a reason to fight for it means you’re more likely to put in the sweat equity to attain it.
Overcome Your Emotional Obstacles
If you get stuck, you may need to remove fear or doubt. Declaring what you don’t want is a strong way to bring it straight to you. The flip side of your “don’t want” can reveal your true “want,” though. I don’t want my son to go away to college might really be I want to have a solid and open relationship with my son. Changing this to an affirmation becomes, I have a solid and open relationship with my son.
There might even be a part of you that can’t believe what it is that you want to say. Disappointment, doubt, fear, guilt, are all belief robbers that keep taking from you. Allow the affirmations you are making to stop these robbers from being able to steal anything else from you. You deserve to be in charge of your own life, to claim your own choices, and to live purposefully in your own story!
It’s not about you being perfect, it’s about finding perfection in what is. This means accepting your life, expressing gratitude, and opening yourself up to growth and abundance both outside and within yourself. Think about what you are willing to do to change. Start as small as you need. My smile makes others smile. Then create a goal to smile at one person every day. Set a positive and open path to your next steps, shaping a meaningful, driven, intentional life for yourself.
The next part is shaping your future. What does your life look like down the road? I have lots of close friends who value me. My relationships are meaningful. My business provides services that improve other people’s lives. I find value in the time I spend with my family. You can even specify in detail what you will work towards. I am an architect with a high-level firm making six figures annually. I am a Junior Vice President a year from now.
You may want to borrow parts or phrases from this post or online to get you started. Just get started! With practice, you’ll learn to take this process and make it your own. Revisiting is encouraged! You will need to reorient your compass every so often, because your needs shift over time and new goals arise as you accomplish old ones.
Deep Dive Into Your Motivation
A powerful affirmation must motivate you to action! For certain people, proclaiming I am enough! loudly and with authority motivates them to BE enough. For others, I enjoy living in my own skin! brings them more clarity. For some, I embrace who I am! speaks their truth, but others may need to say, I am the sum of my experiences, and I forgive and love myself. The only way to change your future is to alter what you are doing in the present. Your affirmation should, as Tony Robbins says, “Get you out of bed in the morning!” Becoming is doing, so your words should excite you to DO!
One powerful way to psychologically focus on what you are calling to you is to speak it aloud. Say it like you mean it! There is power in vocalizing what you want, as research studies have shown. An article on Shine by Martha Tesema said, “Research has shown that talking to yourself out loud can motivate you to move forward with your goals, help you focus on a task at hand, and combat self-criticism.” When you put your thoughts out into the universe, it’s like you are revealing your secrets. The positive side to this is that when you stop treating your desires like secrets, you start acting like they are goals.
When I began pondering my new affirmations in the hospital, my entire focus changed. I moved from only thinking about trying to breathe to all the wonderful things I imagined my friends and family doing. These were things I wanted to be doing, too, and I decided then that I would be there to do them in the future! I fought my way out of the hospital, and I know it was because I focused on what I was fighting for. I worked on my health goals with more intensity and investment.
The final piece for powerful, motivating affirmations is gratitude. When you see life through the lens of gratitude, appreciating what you have, enjoying the people in your life, there will be more room in your life to give and receive. Be sure to acknowledge the wins, the steps moving you forward, and the things you are grateful for. According to www.health.harvard.edu, “In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”
No one can say what your outcomes will be in the future, but you are guaranteed to get more of what you are already getting if something doesn’t change. Define your health, wealth and relationships for yourself and how you want them to manifest for you. Once you know what you want, decide on your affirmations. Make sure you are plugging in to that, invested, showing up ready to be all in, every day. I challenge you to have the courage to make a difference in your own life. May this lead you to a life of passion, purpose and prosperity.
Please share if this spoke to you.
Related
Posted in Commentary and Philosophy, Spiritual | Tags: abundance, affirmation, Blogs, goals, Happiness, Inspiration, Life, mindset, Personal, prosperity, purpose, self-confidence, success