Affirmations are awesome! I realize I just repeated the title of the article. That’s because I want to make it clear just how amazing affirmations can be–when used properly for positive impact that is.
Let me explain: Affirmations include anything you think or say. Did you know that it’s been estimated that a person has between 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts a day?! If you’re only looking at waking hours, say 16 non sleeping hours, that’s about 3100 thoughts an hour or 50 thoughts a minute! Hot damn, that’s a lot of noise.
From the moment we open our eyes our inner self-talk begins. It continuously chatters away throughout our day, and lingers far past the time we lay our heads on our pillows at night, spinning us further away from much needed sleep. This would be great if all we ever thought about was sunshine, rainbows and happy puppies skipping gaily through fields of dreams, but unfortunately too many of us live on an endless cycle of insecurities, doubts, and worrisome rain clouds.
And what is so great about that? Well, nothing. What is awesome is that you have the power to change your habitual thinking patterns and replace the negative, self-disparaging, internal dialogue to positive and nurturing affirmations!
In the past, I allowed myself to fall victim to this vicious, inner, demon-dialogue much too often. That is, until I became aware of my thoughts and, as we all know, positive change begins with awareness. I began to pay attention to my self-talk throughout the day. I observed the constant state of worry my thoughts would leave me in and the stream of stress my mind would drift down. Did I have enough time to finish my project? Am I where I should be at this point in my life? What is he/she going to think or say about me? And blah blah blah…
Doesn’t that sound like a wonderful way to spend your waking hours? Absolutely not! After spending time consciously tracking my thoughts I came to the conclusion that if I was going to talk to myself all day long, I’d better start being nice.
Self-talk can lead to anger, self-doubt, anxiety, and a plethora of other emotions, both good and bad. So, how do we handle this not so slight predicament, and more importantly, how can you shift your perspective?
- Take notice of your thoughts throughout the day.
- What is the first thing you think when you wake up?
- What are you thinking as you drive to work, throughout the day, and when you get in bed?
- Make note of what you are thinking and when. Is there a pattern you can identify? Are there triggers that spur these thoughts on?
- Replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts.
You have to retrain your brain, and change the messages it has been sending itself since childhood. Here is an exercise that helped me:
- Take a sheet of paper and divide it into two columns. Label the left column “Old Thought,” and the right “New Thought”
- Underneath each “Old Thought,” write down a. How the old thought makes you feel and b. What result it produces
- When creating a “New Thought,” write a replacement statement that would better serve you and what you would like to accomplish.
- Underneath each “New Thought” write down a. How this replacement thought would make you feel and b. What is the potential outcome or result that would be produced?
Hopefully, after completing the exercise you will clearly see that what we think influences how we feel, which directly impacts what we do and how we do it.
When you are doing affirmations, as Louise L. Hay states in “I Can Do It: How to Use Affirmations to Change Your Life,” you are, “consciously choosing words that will either help eliminate something from your life or help create something new in your life.” I consciously chose to put an end to worry as soon as I became aware of my inner Negative Nelly, and began incorporating positive affirmations ALL. THE. TIME.
Here are some ways I integrate affirmations into my life on a daily basis:
- Jot them down. By hand and on paper, and post them in a specific place where they will catch your eye. My favorite place is on my bathroom mirror. I then have an opportunity to see my happy stickies at least twice a day and if nothing else, can start and end my day on a positive note.
- Collect positive cards, quotes and magazine tear outs. I have them plastered on my bedroom mirror and on the inside of my entry door. As I get ready for the day, Gandhi’s quote, “Be truthful, gentle, and fearless,” reminds me how I want to greet the world. As I walk out the door the saying “Opportunity is everywhere,” reminds me to be open to everything and everyone I come across in my day. You never know what will cross your path and open the door for the breakthrough you’ve been looking for.
- Say it and it will be so. I literally speak my affirmations aloud. On my commute into work I speak, “I am present, confident, and focused. I remain flexible to whatever the day may bring and will also have fun today.” When in public, I refrain from talking to myself (so as to not look like a freaking insane person) and think the affirmation to myself.
- Frame your favorites. I’ve put the truly special quotes and cards into frames and hung them by my bed, reminding me of peace and gratitude before I close my eyes.
And let’s be clear–affirmations are not the time to be humble. Remind yourself that you are freaking amazing, incredibly unique, and the world is waiting for everything you have to offer. Write them down, be specific, and shout it from the rooftops!
As I said, affirmations are awesome!
