Using affirmations to better your life

How do you think you would feel if someone constantly told you that you were amazing? That you could do anything you wanted to, that you were totally capable and in control of your life. Compare that to someone constantly telling you that you couldn’t do it… that you were out of your depth and that you would never reach your goals.

This is what is happening in our mind every day, and these thoughts – positive or negative – are called affirmations. You might not think that your thoughts have much impact on the outside world, but more and more studies are proving that they have more power than we give them credit for!

That’s why you can use positive affirmations to make positive changes to your life and career, as well as overcome low self-esteem, stress, anxiety and self-sabotage.

Self-affirmations were first popularized by French psychologist Emile Coué back in the 1920s, but they can actually be traced back to ancient eastern religions – originally known as mantras, used mostly by Buddhists.

Affirmations as we know them today, are widespread in the concept of self-help. Many life coaches and self-help gurus advocate the use of affirmations, including author and inspirational speaker Louise Hay.

Louise believes that we create our own experiences with every word and thought, and that every thought is reaffirming what we want in our life – even if you’re focusing on something that you don’t want, the act of thinking about it will reinforce it in your life.

“You need to pay attention to your thoughts so that you can begin to eliminate the ones creating experiences you do not want in your life,” she says. “Please realize that every complaint is an affirmation of something you think you don’t want in your life. Every time you get angry, you’re affirming that you want more anger in your life.”

Affirmations should be repeated daily, they need to be positive, personal and specific. The more you think those positive thoughts, the more power you will give to them.

“Affirmations are like seeds planted in soil,” says Louise. “Poor soil, poor growth. Rich soil, abundant growth.”

Positive affirmations alone are a great step in creating the life you want, but you also need to combine them with acknowledgements of past results, according to founder of the Fearless Living Institute, Rhonda Britten. This will prove to your mind that you can do what you are affirming.

Popular book and documentary “The Secret” also talks about the power of affirmations and the Law of Attraction – that we can attract into our lives that which we think about and focus on. It is thought that by saying something to the universe (with repetition and conviction), we invoke the law of attraction and the universe will provide everything that we desire.

So what are some affirmations you can use?

For career:

I have unlimited potential, only good lies before me. – Louise Hay

I am a born entrepreneur. I recognize and seize opportunities as and when they appear.

I have a job that I love and am recognised for the work that I do.

For confidence:

I believe in myself and my ability to succeed.

I enjoy being confident and outgoing in social situations.

Feeling confident, assertive and strong is part of my everyday life.

For wealth:

Money flows to me easily, frequently, and abundantly.

I release all my negative beliefs about Money and invite wealth into my life.

My positive affirmations bring me wealth and prosperity

For love:

My heart is always open and I radiate love.

In life I always get what I give out and I always give out love.

Everywhere I go, I find love.

Remember, you need to repeat these affirmations as often as you can, and really believe in them. You might want to stick them on your mirror, or write them on post-it notes to have at your desk.