Most of us have heard of the benefits of affirmations. I had never really taken the time and effort to construct them, and was skeptical that they would have any impact on me anyway. Last year, while listening to Effortless Success: Living the Law of Attraction, I was instructed to write powerful affirmations and repeat them daily. And I did. At first, I felt silly. I also felt like I was fibbing big time. My affirmations dealt with the way I wanted to feel and be, and I wasn’t nearly there. But after a few weeks, I noticed a change when I spoke my affirmations out loud. I was starting to believe them and that I could make these things I was saying true. I shared the following affirmation with a few friends, and they wanted to adopt it as their own because of the power of the message: I am effortlessly attracting positive opportunities, positive people, joy, and success. When I found myself in a mood that wasn’t to my liking, I would repeat this statement (and try to mean it) and it usually broke me out of my funk.
I have to say, as a former critic, that affirmations can be a very useful tool. The power isn’t in the words. The power isn’t in repeating them out loud. The power IS in hearing yourself say the statement, taking the words in, noticing how you respond to them, and dealing with the reaction. You can repeat affirmations over and over until you’re a nice shade of blue, but if you think what you’re saying is a bunch of baloney, it’s about as useful as repeating the alphabet. When my inner voice laughed, cringed, heckled, or lashed out at me upon hearing an affirmation, I stopped and used the Sedona Method of release. If you’re not familiar with this technique, here is a quick rundown. First, notice how you’re feeling. You don’t have to necessarily identify or categorize the emotion, just feel it. Then ask yourself these 3 questions and answer honestly and without much thought: 1) Could I let this feeling go?/Could I welcome this feeling? (Yes or No.) 2) Would I? (Yes or No.) 3) When? (Now.) I like to answer the last question by taking a deep breath and saying “now” on the exhale. I seems to enhance my feeling of letting go. So using the Sedona Method in conjunction with my affirmations resulted in a gradual but significant shift in my thinking by dealing with my reactions.
I flipped back and forth on whether to share my current affirmations. The only thing holding me back was fear of ridicule and judgement, especially by those who know me. But in an effort to carry out my resolution to be more fearless, I decided to go for it. So here they are, folks. My affirmations…
- I am sexy, confident, and beautiful inside and out. I feel the need to explain. I can do cute. I’m comfortable with cute. Being “sexy” is like unknown territory that I periodically try to enter but am stopped at the border as a self-proclaimed impostor. I would like to add “sexy” to the list of characteristics I consider myself to have.
- I am an incredibly gifted writer who can successfully tackle any project. This is not something I go around telling others…but proclaiming this to myself boosts my confidence.
- The ingredients of my writing are inspiration, integrity, humor, passion, and soul. I want what I write to have meaning and make an impact in some way.
- I am effortlessly attracting positive opportunities, positive people, joy, and success. Love this! While the affirmation doesn’t necessarily create this result more, I tend to see the positives and opportunities tenfold in my daily life.
- I am continuously inspired, enlivened, and fulfilled by my relationships with family and friends. Family and friends are incredibly important to me. They contribute so much to my life and I don’t want to lose sight of that.
- I am an energetic, glowing vision of health! Reminds me to take care of and be good to myself.
- I have star power. I act like a star and deliver like a star. In my opinion, all bona fide stars exude confidence, professionalism, and bankability. They come to work ready to go and deliver an amazing performance/product every time.
I’ll tweak and tinker with my affirmations as my goals and needs change. At some point, I might decide to let go of an affirmation that becomes part of me and doesn’t need reinforcement, and add another. Do any of you use affirmations? If so, what is your experience with them? Have you found them to be beneficial?
Kristin Rath 
Wow, great post and I love your affirmations (especially #7)!!
LikeLike
Nduff,
Thank you! Hope you keep visiting!
Kristin
LikeLike
Not one for posting responses but your affirmations compel one. Well done by the exposing your personal perceived weakness and desires your allowing yourself to be free. Your words are powerful and inspiring and I for one am going to your proclamations as my own obviously twisted to fit my desires and needs. Thank You and exceptionally done
LikeLike
Paul,
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I truly appreciate them and am honored that, as someone who rarely posts, that you felt inspired to do so. I hope you continue to enjoy the blog! Looking forward to more of your comments!
Kristin
LikeLike
Really quite a nice article here! Affirmations are an incredibly powerful tool for changing your life and enhancing your self-esteem. I haven’t started doing them yet, but maybe sometime I’ll try and see what happens.
LikeLike
Dan,
Thanks! I encourage you to try them for a few weeks and see what happens…there’s no downside to them!:)
Kristin
LikeLike
Well, Kristin, this post on affirmations and the law of attraction answers the questions I posed in my previous comment, on your “Fallen in a rut” post.
Maybe you are familiar with this already, but the PLACEBO EFFECT is huge. So intense, that the drug trials required by the FDA to certify a drugs efficacy are mandatorily subjected to ‘double-blind’ studies. Which means some people get the drug being tested, others get sugar pills. And oddly, people on placebos get, proportionately, about the same ratio of good and negative effects associated with the real drug! But at a lower rate.
This effect was first noticed and ultilized by the french pharmacist, Emile Coule’, in France(1800’s), I think. When a man came in his drugstore, sick and angry, without a prescription, Coule’ gave him a sugar pill, just to get rid of him. A few days later, the grumpy man returned, raving about the new wonder drug, and how it fixed him.
From this, Emile Coule’ realized the power of words, and a persons beliefs. He used this to help people cure themselves. He would have them repeat, 20 times or more a day, the following mantra, or affirmation:
EVERY DAY, IN EVERY WAY, I AM GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.
And it worked for people. I read this and decided to try it, about 7 years ago. Before bed, before meals, in the morning with coffee, in the tub, on the treadmill.
At first, nothing. But about two weeks into it (I was on disability) I was in bed one night, and as I began to repeat, “better and better”, a voice from deep inside me just leapt up and said YES! I DO FEEL BETTER! I AM GETTING BETTER! EVERY DAY AND IN EVERY WAY!
So, for me, anyway, it worked. And I kept at it for two years, along with other more specific affirmations. And reading your post today, I am sitting here with the simple but astounding revelation- that I simply need to return to basics! It is time for me to start with a basic mantra, and begin to recover my zest for living, my passion for art, my love of life, as life will love you back. If you let it!
Thanks again, Silky
LikeLike
Silky,
Thanks for all your thoughtful comments! The Placebo Effect you mentioned certainly shows how our emotions, mental attitude, and inner conversations powerfully affect our health and well-being! I’m glad you’re planning on returning to your affirmations. Keep in mind though, it’s not just how often or long you repeat them, it’s your emotional reactions and inner conversations that are stirred up upon repeating your affirmations. I think that’s how you will see the biggest difference in the long run.
LikeLike
I love your affirmations. Especially #7, as an actor I can totally use that one.
LikeLike
Thanks Shell! You’re welcome to “steal” it for yourself! 🙂
LikeLike
Dear Kristin,
I am so impressed by your writings (blogging).
While reading through the Affirmation segment it truely reminded me about the importance of the positive reforcement we all need to give ourselves. I myself used to use affirmations , but it has been years since I regularly applied them.
You have reminded me how powerful they can be and you have inspired me to once again include them in my daily life.
Signing off with much love and appreciation.
Madeline
LikeLike
Madeline,
Thank you for your kind words! We all need reminders once in a while from others to start doing things that would benefit us, or to pick up where we left off. So glad I was able to do that for you!
Kristin
LikeLike
Absolutely love it 🙂 You’re affirmations really struck a chord with me… and I’ll be using them a lot from now on.
I’ve always believed in the power of positive thinking and affirmation… but always had an interest in the science as well of the placebo effect… and the work of Emil Coule. To me there is nothing better than when science and metaphysics mix and complement eachother. Makes it a whole lot easier to preach to the 50% of the world that don’t believe…. mainly men 🙂
LikeLike
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Frank, and that you found my affirmations useful to you!
LikeLike
I can really relate to this post; it was excellently written as well (looks like your affirmations have come true 😉 )
“At first, I felt silly.” I remember wondering if i was wasting my time with new age waffle when i first started doing affirmations but then the things that I said started coming true and I was won over. It’s what makes so many people give up on their affirmations though; but I guess success doesn’t come overnight.
LikeLike
Thanks for your comments and compliments 😉
LikeLike