The Power of Positive Affirmations

We have written before about the power of the Law of Attraction, and how our thoughts have a profound effect on our lives; if you think positively, positive things will more likely happen to you, and vice versa. Positive affirmations are a simple but powerful tool to help you harness this power by boosting your confidence and injecting you with positivity.

Just by taking a few minutes each day to focus on positive affirmations, you can drastically change your thoughts and feelings about the situations and challenges that you face on a day-to-day basis. But what are positive affirmations, and how do they work? Here we look at how you can use these simple but powerful words to change your life for the better.

What are Positive Affirmations?

Simply put, positive affirmations are short phrases or statements, designed to give the speaker a confidence boost, and banish negative thoughts and emotions. However, they are more than just a few words; positive affirmations provide us with little moments of powerful energy and courage, and repeating these affirmations to ourselves means that these moments get longer and longer, until the thoughts become automatic, and the feelings of courage and confidence are permanent, improving our lives exponentially.

The word affirmation is rooted in the Latin affirmare, which means ‘strengthen’, and this is exactly what affirmations to for us. By repeating these positive and encouraging words to ourselves, we are giving ourselves the strength and courage to face the challenges in our life head on, and tackle them with confidence and the belief in ourselves and our ability to beat them.

Affirmations help us believe in our potential; by repeatedly telling ourselves that we can do something, it makes the potential for that dream to manifest into a reality increase. The more we believe in ourselves, the more likely we are to go for what we want, and thus, the more likely it is that our dreams will come true.

How Can I Use Positive Affirmations?

Using positive affirmations could not be easier. All you need to do is to dedicate a few minutes each day to focus on yourself and your dreams. The first step is to decide what it is that you want to achieve; what are your goals, and how are you going to achieve them?

Once you know what it is you want to do, you need to believe that you can do it. For this, you need a positive affirmation to suit the goal. The affirmation should be short, to the point, and easy to remember. It should have strong, positive words that fill you with confidence and self-belief. For example, if what you want is to take strides in your career, you could use, “I am talented and hardworking, and I will succeed.” Or, if you are looking to thrive in the relationship department, you could say, “I am worthy of love, and I will find it.”

You can either create your own affirmation, or you can use an existing one. There are countless positive affirmations already in existence that you can adopt as your own; a simple internet search will provide thousands to choose from. Make sure to choose one that is relevant to your goal; if you choose a generic phrase that doesn’t really have any meaning to you or what you want to achieve, it won’t do a very good job of keeping you motivated and uplifted.

Once you have chosen your affirmation, or affirmations - multiple goals or dreams can require multiple words of encouragement - there are a number of ways to incorporate these into your daily life. The first thing you need to do is to write down your chosen affirmations, and keep them where you will see them on a regular basis. Many people stick them around their house where they will see them every day; stick them on your mirror, or on the fridge, any place you frequent and will put you in regular contact with them.

The next step is to get into the habit of  using these phrases every day. A popular method is to take a few minutes each day to repeat them to yourself. Many people stand in front of the mirror and say the affirmations to themselves whilst looking at their reflection. It is believed this helps you to instill the confidence and belief in yourself, because you can see yourself saying the words and therefore are more likely to believe them.

Another good way to really ingrain these words into both your conscious and subconscious mind is to meditate on them. Instead of focusing on emptying your mind of thoughts when you meditate, focus on these words, and what they mean to you. Picture the words turning into actions, and the feeling of happiness and accomplishment you will feel once you have achieved your dreams. Concentrate on your methods and how you will achieve these goals, and create a plan to go out and get what you want.