Affirmations - How to Make Them Real!

There has been some speculation as to whether using affirmations is helpful in pursuing personal development and setting goals.

In a word, yes.

Affirmations are repeated positive statements designed to bring about a desired result. The repetitious aspect is meant to influence and trigger the subconscious mind into positive action.

It's no surprise that on a daily basis we often unconsciously repeat negative statements to ourselves about different situations in our lives. In doing so we often bring about the undesirable circumstance itself.

We might say to ourselves "I can't do this", "I'm not good enough for that" or "this will never work".

Needless to say, our proclamations become self-fulfilling prophesies.

The reverse can also be true.

If we were to turn the negative statements we frequently utter into positive ones, we would bring about more favorable outcomes.

Take Muhammad Ali as an example. Who hasn't heard his famous declaration?

"I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was." Muhammad Ali

Is there any question in anyone's mind that Ali's repetition of that phrase helped him achieve the status of being "the greatest"?

Another one of his famous maxims was "I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". I'm sure his opponents shuddered at the mere mention of it.

Another interesting illustration for the effectiveness of affirmations comes from the auto suggestion work of Emile Coué (1857-1926) the French psychologist and pharmacist who introduced the now famous phrase:

As a tool for self-improvement, he recommended that we begin each day by stating it firmly and convincingly.

Coué felt that, as stated in his "Law of Concentrated Attention", whenever attention is concentrated on an idea over and over again, it spontaneously tends to realize itself. In working with his patients he utilized this law to help them build their self-image.

Since then affirmations have also been used in cognitive therapy and found to work quite well. Needless to say there's no magic to it and there are limitations. Certainly you wouldn't make an affirmation that is unrealistic or makes no sense. Ultimately they're meant to serve as another helpful tool in furthering your personal development.

Tips On Use:

1. Make up special, meaningful phrases in your own descriptive words. It makes them more credible and therefore more effective.

2. Write them down so you remember what they are and are able to use them over and over again.

3. Always state them in the positive, for example say, "I am good at this", instead of "I will not be bad at this".

4. Find a specific time and a quite place and repeat them at least twice daily.

5. State them with conviction, enthusiasm and desire.

6. Live them. Practice what you affirm.

As you can see employing positive phrases and assertions in the course of your personal development can serve as a useful and productive tool. Anything you can believe, you can achieve.