How To Use Affirmations

• Affirmations are very effective at programming the mind.
• Affirmations are only effective if used on a consistent daily basis.
• Frequency and emotion are the keys to creating super affirmations.

Affirmations are short statements that you say to yourself throughout the day, usually without you even being aware of them because you say them as a force of habit.

Affirmations are phrased in the positive, present tense and are often used to support goals, for example,

• “I am…”
• “I will…”
• “I can…”

If used correctly affirmations should motivate you, and drive you forward. This is why they are commonly used by athletes.

Why Are Affirmations Important?

Imagine for a second that you had an invisible friend, who everyday told you how wonderful and special you are. I’m sure you would soon feel pretty good about yourself, wouldn’t you?

Affirmations have a similar effect (although of less intensity) as to hearing praise from another person. They serve to frequently enter specific information into the subconscious, thereby overriding previously stored information.

Use Every Day

Affirmations are especially effective if used by parents on young children. I know from personal experience this is true. 

As a child my mum always used to tell me I had a good memory, and later when I went to school I found it very easy to remember information for exams.

However when affirmations are used by adults on themselves, they must overwrite previously stored beliefs that have existed their whole life.

This means these beliefs are deeply ingrained within the subconscious, and therefore will take greater time and effort to be replaced.

Limitations

Affirmations are effective because they frequently enter positive information into the subconscious, but this is also its biggest limitation.

If affirmations are not used on a consistent daily basis, the subconscious will decide to keep the original information and the affirmation will have no effect.

How To Use Affirmations And Boost Effectiveness

It is important to understand that not all information is seen as equal by the subconscious. This means that you can have lots of incoming information, but the subconscious will only play back what it thinks is the most important.

There are several factors which influence how the subconscious grades information, but the most important factors are…

1 – Frequency

How often is the same information entered into the subconscious? You are more likely to remember something you repeat (this is why they give children lines at school).

2 – Emotion

What kind of feeling is associated with that information? You are more likely to remember something that made you feel a particular way. For example, love, pain, sadness etc…

As you can see the best way to influence the subconscious is by doing things often and with emotion.

Use With Emotion To Increase Effectiveness

This means that the effectiveness of affirmations can be boosted by daily repetition and being spoken like you really mean what you are saying.

This will ensure the subconscious sees your affirmation as important information and will eventually use it to override the ‘less important’ previously stored information.

To further boost effectiveness, affirmations should be used upon waking and before bed, as these times will have the greatest influence on the subconscious.

How To Use Affirmations – Final Notes

Affirmations if used correctly are a powerful method of programming the mind. They allow you to enter specific information, which will eventually create new programs (Beliefs and Behaviours) that will assist you in accomplishing your goals.

Discipline Yourself!

However the biggest disadvantage is that most people will not discipline themselves to use affirmations daily. This is largely due to the fact that the conscious mind is still running the old limiting program fed to it by the subconscious, it will therefore reject the new information as false.

For those able to discipline themselves and fight the old program, they will eventually succeed in modifying the subconscious, thereby creating a new program consistent with their affirmation.

Remember, you become what you think about most of the time, so please try and make an effort to praise yourself throughout the day.

Actually don’t try, do it now.

Say I am the best! (and say it like you mean it!!!)

How To Use Affirmations Key Points

• Always use in the present positive tense.
• Use frequently throughout the day.
• Always use with as much emotion as possible.
• Use to motivate you when you are feeling down.
• Use to support your goals.
• If you have children use affirmations on them!
• Use during peak times such as before sleep and when you wake up.