Instead, avoid getting caught out by the usual pitfalls & you’ll see results.
Many people swear that self affirmation is the real deal, saying that the simple act alone has changed their lives by many folds.
However, many others experienced lack of results from it. Indeed nothing much has changed for them.
So is it that is creating this difference between the 2 groups?
First of all, let us understand what self affirmation is
Self affirmations is the term used to describe the practice of repeatedly affirming (by voicing out like reciting or chanting) what you desire to have.
It’s generic and you can practice affirmations for almost anything.
Practicing positive affirmations has been said to bring positive changes to life, create a new reality, healthy, relaxing and attracts to you your desires. It is a great tool which can help you boost your capabilities and results.
An example of a positive affirmation is “Everyday in everyway I am getting healthier and healthier”.
Or you can just use “I am getting more and more healthier”.
Affirmations take can the form of ‘I am’, ‘I can’ and ‘I will’ statements. Such as “I am confident” or “I can be confident” etc. ‘I am’ are affirmations of who you are, ‘I can’ statements are about your capability or potential, and ‘I will’ is for what you want to achieve or change.
Why self affirmations work ?
Though it seems like just talk and no action, self affirmation works primarily because of the power of intention.
Chanting affirmations signals your intent, and you are declaring it to the universe and to your brain.
Our brains cannot differentiate between reality and illusion. If you vividly imagine something as real as possible, the brain will accept it as reality. This is how self affirmations work.
The more you chant an affirmation with belief, power, emotion, desire, and the more repetitions, the more ‘real’ it becomes to the brain.
So why does it not work for some people?
Having said that, there are many instances self affirmation failing to bring any results. I believe there are primarily 2 factors for the failures.
First reason is because it is done the wrong way.
Many people fall into the trap of just voicing/reading out their affirmations. For them, they do it just for the sake of doing it. Just getting it over with.
Self affirmation has got to be done with belief! With energy! For effective practice self affirmations, you must know how to use affirmations the right way.
Just a side note here. If you’re heavily doubting the usefulness of self affirmations, it’s normal. Why is that? It’s because in our current generation & society, people are so obsessed with taking action, with doing.
We still don’t believe that practicing affirmations is taking action. It’s just not concrete. If you have trouble getting past this, read my article on why affirmations work.
Second reason is lack of congruency after practicing the affirmation.
Just using affirmations alone cannot bring any improvements to your life. It is because whatever you do, you must be congruent. An affirmation for improved confidence will not get you anywhere if you still continue with your habits to walk, talk and act in an un-confident way.
The way you speak, carry yourself, treat yourself and let others treat you all have an impact.
Bad habits are one of the factors that causes failure. If you spend time everyday doing positive affirmations, but still continue with your prior bad habits it will be like taking one step forward, and 2 steps back.
By not practicing affirmations properly, and not by being congruent, positive affirmations can indeed become negative. The brain will start to notice that the recital of the positive affirmation isn’t working. After a while, you will develop the belief that the affirmations do not work.
Final thoughts
Now that the main reasons for failures have been identified, you now know how to use affirmations correctly and successfully.
Positive affirmations is a great tool for self improvement. However, just like exercising, getting the ‘form’ right is very important. Do it correctly and you’ll get a great workout, but if your form is wrong, you won’t get any benefits and may even injure yourself.
Happy practicing.