The first and most fundamental thing in achieving what you really want out of life is just simply

saying it.

This is a “no muss or fuss” practice. It’s as simple as it sounds. Say what you want. Either silently or aloud. Do it anywhere or anytime. Write down who you want to be. Utilize your sticky pads! Put them where you can see them regularly. Surround yourself with positive affirmations, and positive results will begin to emerge. It really is that simple.

If your mind is convinced you are a great writer or the best mother or an “A” student, your behavior will begin to support that conviction. It is easiest to attain a goal when you begin your quest with the end result already ingrained in your mind.

Affirmations work as placeholders for positive, supportive thoughts. Your mind can only entertain one thought at a time. An affirmation fills that slot with a specifically targeted belief that furthers your goals.

Affirmations are portable. They can be invoked anywhere, anytime for any purpose. Say you have a job interview. You are sitting in the waiting room feeling confident. All of a sudden it hits you. “This is a job that could make or break my career. I really want this.” Now, the nerves start to set in. You begin to sweat. You have butterflies. Affirmations to the rescue. Simply repeat to yourself. “I am confident and relaxed. I am confident and relaxed.” Say it to yourself repeatedly and with meaning. “It is my best interview ever. It is my best interview ever.” Take a deep breath. You will notice that you suddenly regain your composure and begin to feel more comfortable and confident. Clear your mind of doubt and absolutely know you are about to ace the interview.

Crisis averted.

Of course, there are a few suggestions to get the most from affirmations:

1.Affirmations are always made as positive statements, usually in the present tense.

Do say: I am passing this test.

Don’t say: I’m not flunking this test.

In an affirmation, the mind doesn’t recognize a negative assertion. What it would pick up in the example above is “flunking this test.” So stating a negative in an affirmation often results in the opposite of the intended effect.

1. Keep affirmations short and to the point.

Attempt to affirm the following sentence: “My speech is going great because people see me as a leader with charisma so they get my jokes and take my words with the weight of the wisdom that they truly are.”

Did you understand all the nuances at first glance? As a desired outcome, it is a lot for your mind to absorb. It becomes overkill.

Keep it simple. It is more effective.

1. Affirmations work, even if you don’t believe them.

How great is that? By simply repeating the affirmation, without trying to force yourself to believe it, your conscious mind will still accept the implications. They are then transferred into the subconscious mind where they become ingrained as fact.

As an example, let’s say you are always late arriving at appointments, work, social events, everything. You decide to affirm: “I am always punctual.” Your mind at first will answer back, “No I’m not. I’m late for everything.” But ignore that and continue to affirm “I am always punctual.” With the repeated insistence of the affirmation, your mind will take it on.

You’ve begun a chain reaction by changing your way of thinking. Your behavior will change accordingly. You’ll start to become more keenly aware that time is running short before a scheduled appointment. You may learn to be a better judge of the length of time a task will take so that you can better estimate and budget your time. Your emotions may start to escalate when you are in danger of being tardy. In essence, your mind begins to implement the appropriate measures that will ensure you are punctual.

Be cautious that you don’t unknowingly use affirmations to undercut your goal. Sometimes when we react to negative events, we take them on by commenting on them.

“I am so stupid.” “I am sorry.” “I am an awful cook.” “I am uncoordinated.”

Everyone makes mistakes. But by affirming that the mistakes are part of who you are, you can actually make them constants in your life.

EXERCISE

JOURNAL CODE: AFM

Start each day by looking at your calendar, evaluating your day and deciding an affirmation that will be of benefit to the events you have planned. Repeat the affirmation throughout the day. Do this each day. Write down the various affirmations you have utilized in your journal and note which have had the most impact. Also take note of the way an affirmation can affect the way you are feeling.

(This is a complement to the first AFM exercise, Be Conscious of Your Consciousness.)