Guidelines for Creating Affirmations that Work

·         Affirmations will help you change your mindset, open up the doors to greater perception and increase your motivation to take action toward your goals.

·         Remember an affirmation is a statement with a thought picture that says you already having your goal.

There are 8 rules for making an affirmation that will work.

1.    Affirmations start with the words “I AM. . .”

2.    Affirmations are positive. Never use the word not in an affirmation.

WRONG: I am not afraid of job interviews.
RIGHT: I am happily and calmly answering every question in my job interviews.

3.    Affirmations are stated in the present tense.

1.    Say it as if it is happening now.

4.    Affirmations are short. Keep them brief.

5.    Affirmations are specific.

WRONG: I am driving a new car.
RIGHT: I am driving a new blue 2008 Lexus LS460.

6.    Affirmations need words that end in -ing. (an action verb).

0.    I am driving a new blue 2008 Lexus LS460.

1.    I am teaching kindergarten.

7.    Affirmations have a feeling word in them. (happily, proudly, thrilled, excited, exhilarated, peacefully, calmly, gratefully or an action verb that express feelings such as enjoying, adoring or feeling great.)

0.    I am happily driving my new blue 2008 Lexus LS460.

1.    I am enjoying teaching kindergarten.

8.    Affirmations are about yourself.

0.    All of your affirmations should be to change your own behavior, not the behavior of someone else.

WRONG: Johnny’s keeping his room clean.
RIGHT: I am calmly and effectively communicating with (or teaching) Johnny about keeping his room clean.

How to Use Affirmations and Visualizations

1.    Repeat your affirmations 3 times per day. The best times are first thing in the morning, in the middle of the day for course correction, and around bedtime.

2.    It is better to work in consistently and depth with a few affirmations than to occasionally repeat a lot of them.

3.    If you are in a private place, read each affirmation out loud. If not, read it silently to yourself.

4.    Close your eyes and visualize yourself experiencing what the affirmation describes. See the scene as you would see it if you were looking out at it through your eyes, as if it were happening around you.

5.    Hear any sounds you might hear when you successfully achieve what your affirmation describes. Include other important people in your life congratulating you and telling you how to pleased they are with your success.

6.    Feeling the feelings that you will feel when you achieve this success. The stronger the feelings, the more powerful the process becomes. (If you have difficulty creating the feelings, you can affirm, “I am enjoying creating powerful feelings in my effective work with affirmations.”)

7.    Say your affirmation again, and then repeat this process with the next affirmation.

Other Ways to Use Affirmations and Visualization

8.    Post 3x5 cards with your affirmations on them around your house.

9.    Post pictures of the things you want around your house or room. You can put a picture of yourself in the picture.

10. Repeat your affirmations during “wasted time” such as waiting in line, exercising and driving. You can repeat them silently or out loud.

11. Record your affirmations and listen to them while you work, drive or fall asleep. You can use endless loop tapes for this. See your audio supply dealers for endless loop tapes.

Write Affirmations (3 x 5 cards)

Make an affirmation for each of your goals and place them on a 3 x 5 index card. Go through the set saying them and visualizing them twice a day. You could also print these on a piece of paper and laminate it.

Affirmation Milling

Mill around, taking each other’s hands, making eye contact and sharing your affirmations with full enthusiasm and feelings congruent to the affirmation.

By Jack Canfield