There is great power in the things we say and think. Unfortunately, we don’t always know how to harness the power behind our words.
In his book, Understanding the Purpose and Power of Woman (aff.link), Myles Munroe said, “When the purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable.”
When our thoughts are left to wander without any method to the madness, it results in mental abuse. Failure to think with purpose leaves us vulnerable to abuse by our own self-talk.
The human mind is the most advanced computer on the planet. Nevertheless, it is still a computer, and like all computers, it can be programmed from one state to another.
Most people aren’t even aware that they possess the ability to change their mind and their life using little more than words.
Curiously enough, we do it every day. We subconsciously alter our beliefs, feelings, and state of mind by reciting various thoughts over and over until they become a part of our identity.
A good example is how we decide what we are capable of doing. If you suffer a terrible experience while swimming, for instance, you start to tell yourself that you’re not a good swimmer. Over time, as you recite that notion in your head repeatedly, your mind starts to believe it’s true.
You start repeating the words “I’m not a good swimmer” to everyone that asks why you don’t like pools. Eventually, you believe those words so much that you begin to accept that your lack of swimming ability is a part of who you are, even though you created and reinforced that belief yourself.
When we don’t take the reins of our own words and thoughts, we give negative emotions an avenue to infiltrate and destroy our mindset.
Recognizing your thoughts is a powerful skill because when you become aware of the way that you think, it becomes easier to filter out the negative thoughts. Giving your mind the incentive to seek positivity through conscious and deliberate affirmations helps you gain control over your entire being.
Related reading: Harnessing Affirmations for Manifestation: Your Key to Law of Attraction Success –Opens in new tab
The Power of Positive Affirmations
Ironically, the more we say self-defeating things to ourselves, the more desperate we are to make a change. Well, with the right affirmations and some patience, you can make a change.
An affirmation is simply a positive self-talk about yourself or your current situation. It can be a word (yes), a phrase (yes I can), or a particular thought (yes I can lose weight).
An affirmation has to be phrased in the present tense. The reason for this is to convince your mind that what you’re saying is already true.
I would like to share what, in my opinion, is a trusted process of creating personal and powerful affirmations. It involves four steps:
- Identify the negative self-talk.
- Flip your negative beliefs into positive affirmations
- Recite your new affirmations
- Observe and appreciate the positive changes that follow
Related reading: How to Use Affirmations for Your Best Benefit – Opens in new tab
Identify the Negative Self-Talk
For this first step, get a pen and paper. Don’t use a computer because then you won’t be able to connect your physical body with your intuition, psyche, and mental infrastructure. Our subconscious learns more when we get our bodies involved.
Fold the sheet of paper down the middle (lengthwise), crease it well, and unfold it back again. You should be looking at a distinct left and right side of the sheet.
On the left side, start writing down all the negative, self-limiting statements that have been running through your mind, such as: “I am too fat to go to the gym.” Or “My job can’t allow me to follow my dreams.” Or “I will never be attractive enough to find a boyfriend/girlfriend.”
List down all the negative things you knowingly or unknowingly tell yourself.
Start by addressing one issue at a time. It could be your fitness, your romantic life, your work life, or any other problematic aspect of your life.
Don’t overthink it; just write down what you feel about the subject. Be as spontaneous and as honest with yourself as you can. Let your stream of consciousness flow unrestricted because that’s the only way to capture your real thoughts.
Continue the exercise for a few days. When you’re not expanding your list, sit and listen to the way you talk to yourself; the way, you think. If possible, get a friend to listen to you too, then gather all the negative statements and add them to your list.
Please don’t be too quick to conclude your list. Usually, after the first layer of thoughts is exhausted, another one reveals itself. Take your time to release all the negative self-talk in your mind before moving to the next step.
If you want to learn more about Subconscious Reprogramming and the Manifestation process. Check out my suggestions on manifestation courses and books. – Opens in new tab
Flip Your Negative Beliefs into Positive Affirmations
There’s nothing easy about this next part, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. You’re going to shift your focus to the right side of the page, where you’ll be writing some new positive statements.
Expect a lot of resistance while doing it. You probably won’t believe a word you write, but don’t let that stop you.
Here’s how you’re going to do it. Take one negative statement from the left side and just flip it into a positive affirmation. For example:
- “I am too fat to go to the gym” becomes “I am ready to start working on my weight.”
- “I will never be attractive enough to find a boyfriend/girlfriend” becomes “I am ready to get into a romantic relationship.”
- “I can’t afford a car on my salary” becomes “I am ready to start saving for my new car.”
Make sure the new statements are written in the present tense. Avoid using “I will be…” and “I am going to be…” instead of “I am…” Also, the word “try” should not feature anywhere on the right side of your list. “Try” is a word we use in self-perpetuating statements which we don’t fully believe.
Read also our article: Effective Manifestation Process and Techniques. – Opens in new tab
It can be hard to come out of the gate with powerful statements like “I am ready to start working towards my dreams,” so you can ease into it by using phrases like “I am becoming better at…” and “I’m learning how to…” You may find it easier to believe something like “I’m getting better at making friends” than “I’m good at making friends.”
Recite Your New Affirmations
What you’re about to do now is probably the weirdest and hardest thing that you’ve ever done. I want you to fold the paper in half again, and pretend that the left side never existed. Do not read the left side ever again for as long as you live.
With the positive statements facing up, post the paper somewhere where you’ll be able to see it every day. Maybe up on the fridge, on your bedroom wall, in the hallway, or on the bathroom mirror.
Although you should occasionally read through your affirmations, don’t dwell on them. Treat them as a reminder of your decision to change your life for the better through positive thinking.
Watch your thoughts to see if you revert to your old ways of thinking. If you catch yourself entertaining, self-deprecating thoughts, stop yourself immediately. Change those thoughts into the positive affirmations on your list.
Enlist the help of friends and family to help you identify all your negative thoughts and self-talk before they become embedded in your mind.
When you are notified of something negative that you’ve been saying about yourself, right there and then, transform it and say the positive statement out loud.
Observe and Appreciate the Changes that Follow
Once you do the work, the change that follows will be almost inevitable. I’m speaking from personal experience when I say that it’s almost like magic how your whole disposition changes when you start using affirmations.
My happiness levels have skyrocketed ever since I started using positive statements to dissuade my negative self-talk. I feel like things generally happen the way I want them to and that my life is going according to plan.
I’m not going to lie—the changes won’t come overnight. However, they will come. Eventually. Soon, your thoughts and self-talk will look like this:
- “I am very good at my job.”
- “I deserve that promotion.”
- “I have a great social life.”
- “I am capable of finding the perfect partner for a relationship.”
Slowly, you will start to forget what the left side of your affirmation list looks like. Eventually, there won’t be any room for negativity in your head. It will all be occupied by positive self-talk.
Never Underestimate the Power of Affirmations
Related reading: How to Write and Use Your Affirmations – Opens in new tab
Let’s recap what we’ve learned so far.
● It all starts with writing down your negative thoughts. That’s the crucial first step towards turning negative self-talk into positive affirmations.
● It is essential to read what you write before you can start changing negative statements into positive ones.
● After reading your affirmations, you can start reciting them.
● When you recite affirmations for long enough, you begin to hear what you’re saying.
● Hearing your words gradually turns into believing your words.
● Only when you start to believe your affirmations does the change happen.
● When you observe the magic of your affirmations, you will finally understand the power you wield to change your mind and your life using positive self-talk.
So, take the first step today. Changing your life takes just one word at a time. You only need to believe that you can do whatever you set your mind to because that is the truth of the matter.
Check out our recommendations at “Affirmations Bookshelf” and many free resources at our “Free Library“
Stay in Touch
- Join our newsletter by using the forms on this website or click here!
- Follow us on Google News
- Follow us on Facebook
Featured Image by oTschOo from Pixabay