Positive Affirmations: Become the Change You Desire

I am a firm believer in positive affirmations and I find that many people are still not sure exactly what they are or how to use them in their daily life. I will be doing several blog posts on this topic over the next few weeks. Let’s start out with the basic question: What exactly is an affirmation?

Affirmations are nothing new. There is no new-age mumbo jumbo associated with incorporating affirmations in your life since they have been around pretty much since the beginning of time in the form of prayer. However, with prayer, you are often either asking for something to take place or you are expressing gratitude for the gifts you have received. An affirmation is actually a declaration of a reality that you strive to achieve.

So how is an affirmation different from a goal?

A goal is a written or verbal intention of something you want to achieve in your life. It is worded in the form of an action. For example, if you want to lose weight you may write a goal such as, ͞I will go to the gym 3 times a week.͟ It is stated as an action and is measurable. At the end of the week you will know if you did or did not meet your goal by the fact of did you or did you not go to the gym 3x a week. See what I mean?

An affirmation is a declaration of the results. It is making a statement as if the goal has already been achieved. For example: ͞I am healthy. I care for my body by fueling it with healthy food and exercising regularly.͟ You are declaring your vision or your goal to be a truth. Not something that will take place in the future. You are declaring it to be your reality now!

Do I have to focus on just one affirmation at a time?

NO! You can have a daily focus as well as a long term focus. Let’s say you wake up in the morning and decide to start your day, before your feet even touch the floor, by declaring your affirmation for the day. If you follow me on Twitter you will see that I post a morning affirmation each day and each one is different. Then you have your affirmation that you may say throughout the day which may be attached to a goal. In the evening, you may use affirmations as a time of reflection. Here is an example of what a day of affirmations may look like:

Morning: (said before getting out of bed and while getting showered, dressed, etc.):

The sun rises and fills me with light that I will share with everyone I meet today.

Throughout the day: (using the example of healthy eating and exercise above)

My body is healthy and strong. I honor it with healthy fuel and activity.

Evening: (said as you are preparing for bed and also while you are falling asleep)

Today I did my best. Each through, word, and action was from the heart. I welcome sleep to renew my energy and look forward to a new day of opportunity tomorrow.

You may want to start out by using affirmations that you find in books or online (such as my Twitter morning affirmations) but once you become more comfortable with them you will want to customize them to your daily needs and long term goals. The key is to find an affirmation that resonates with you and that reflects a change that you’re trying to create in your life. You will be surprised how things start to shift simply by using positive affirmations.

~xoxo Loren