Affirm Yourself

Can you think of anything more powerful than words? Words create love and peace, as well as war. Words trigger your emotions and directly affect your mood. Words impact your self-concept and how you see the world around you. Words constantly program our minds the way commands and scripts program computers.

The question is whether or not your existing programming supports you in feeling good about yourself and life. We can all learn to more consciously choose our thoughts. One way to do this is by using affirmations: positive words or phrases repeated over and over to “affirm” a single thought. Repetition is required in order to reprogram old thinking which may have been in your mind for years. The scientific explanation is that the new affirmations start to create new neural pathways in the brain to allow new, expansive ways of thinking. The good news is that the brain is capable of change!

Use “I” statements in the present tense to create a powerful affirmation, such as:

I am powerful
I am worth loving
I have many talents
I trust the process of life
I appreciate my healthy body
I am open to ever-increasing income

Now repeat it to yourself as often as you can throughout the day. Use it to counter negative thoughts when they come up (and they will). Post it on your bathroom mirror. Write it on little sticky notes to yourself. Have fun with it!

For more on powerful affirmations, check out the work of Louise Hay who is one of the masters of affirmations. I love her daily calendar to start each day with a powerful, positive thought.