Affirmations can be an effective tool for change …
But only if they work.
By the time clients come to me, they’ve often spent years trying to make changes on their own. They’ve usually read stacks of personal development books and experimented with numerous tools found in the pages of those books, including affirmations.
When affirmations don’t work
In their first sessions with me — as we discuss what they’ve tried up until this point — I’ve had quite a few women ask about affirmations. They’re curious why something that seems effective for others doesn’t work as well for them.
I get it. Years ago I had the same question … until I discovered the two missing words.
Just like anything in life, different methods work for different people. So if what you’re doing is working for you, keep doing it.
But if you’re struggling with affirmations, you might need to make two tiny adjustments in your wording. Don’t worry: I’ll show you how. It’s simple. And these tiny shifts help my clients and me get good results when we want to use affirmations.
How thoughts get in the way of affirmations
For some of us, (me included) our thoughts can sometimes get in the way of traditional affirmations.
As an example, let’s say you want to use an affirmation to feel more confident. A traditional affirmation for this might be: “I am a confident woman.”
But if you’re a woman who has challenges with traditional affirmations, it’s most likely because you detect an untruth in the wording and therefore your thoughts start arguing with that untruth.
In the above example, as you say, “I am a confident woman,” your thoughts might take a negative turn and respond with something along the lines of, “No I’m not.”
As you’d expect, that internal arguing isn’t helpful.
Instead of trying to manage the negative thoughts, I’ve found it’s easier just to shut them down before they begin.
All it takes are two words to shut off the source of those counterproductive thoughts: the words becoming and more.
Let’s try adding it to the affirmation used in the example above:
“I am becoming a more confident woman.”
Do you see the difference? By adding the words “becoming” and “more” this statement no longer contains an untruth. As long as you’re taking steps to become more confident, you are becoming more.
This tiny tweak can completely adjust how your mind responds to the affirmation and make it much more effective.
Your turn
Are you ready to give it a try?
Try creating an affirmation that supports your current goals. Phrase it in a way that you are becoming more of whatever it is you want to achieve.
Here are some simple affirmation examples to get you started:
- I am becoming more free
- I am becoming more healthy
- I am becoming more abundant
- I am becoming more loved
- I am becoming more wealthy
Use these, or create your own. You’ve got this!
XO
Piper