Are Affirmations Bogus? - Episode 48

Are Affirmations Bogus?

Have you heard of affirmations? If you have, what do you think about them? Are they bogus or do they have value? In this episode I share what affirmations are along with my thoughts on them, why people find them bogus, and how you can get the most out of them.

What are affirmations? Basically an affirmation is a short statement where you declare something about yourself. They usually start with “I am…” Examples would be “I am enough”, “I am strong”, “I am a successful motivational speaker”. Etc. These statements are positive and help you live your life to the max. They are great tools to help get rid of negative or limiting self beliefs, puts you into a positive and productive mindset, and sends positive energy and vibrations to the universe.

Why do people think they are bogus? Some people don’t believe in the power of affirmations mainly because they feel you are lying to yourself. That when you are saying an affirmation you are essentially lying to yourself because you haven’t achieved those things yet. And since you are lying you aren’t going to see those changes. Believe it or not, I agree with this or the most part. We should never lie to ourselves. While we want to use affirmations to help us grow and be confident we don’t want to lie to ourselves. So here is my strategy, and the strategy I teach my clients, so they can get the most out of their affirmations without lying to themselves.

Real quick before we get into the strategy I want to be clear on my stance on affirmations. I believe that affirmations are positive statements that help boost your self-confidence, send out positive energy and vibrations to the world, and helps get your mindset in the right place. The strategy I’m about the share has helped me numerous times and has helped many of my clients. Give it a try and see if it works for you!

So here’s the strategy. First, decide on an affirmation that resonates with you and your goals. Mine usually come from the root cause for one of my negative self-beliefs. I find what was holding me back and then flip it into an affirmation. Then every day I say the affirmation out loud or silently. (Although out loud is usually more impactful). After I say the affirmation I inhale. During that inhale I recall moments in my life where that affirmation is true and sit on that thought for a second. Then I say my affirmation again with a little more gusto. After this time I inhale again and find yet another moment in my life to connect it to. Then I do it a third time. Now, to be perfectly honest, sometimes my inhale may be 2-3 breaths long because it took me that long to find a moment in my life to tie to it. That’s ok though! The important thing is you are finding moments in your life where the affirmation is true. It doesn’t need to be as big as your affirmation. It can be a small part of it. But this helps build your confidence and belief because you have done it, or a part of it, before.

One strategy I learned from my friend and two time Olympian Tasha Danvers is to use stepping stones if you are struggling with your affirmations. So instead of saying “I am a successful speaker” you can say “I am learning to be a successful speaker”. These stepping stones help you believe in them and be confident in yourself. However, she does stress that we shouldn’t stay on the steps too long. We want to shift over to the full affirmation as soon as possible.

By saying your affirmations you are growing your confidence and sending out great energy but you can’t just leave it there. Imagine if you were sitting on the couch 24/7 and said you wanted to be an olympian. Most likely, you wouldn’t achieve it. But if you did the work to help you get closer to your goals and where your affirmations are taking you, you will get there faster and stronger. Why use just one way to improve your life? Use multiple and multiply your chances of success! Say your affirmations but then also do the work to achieve it. You’ll build up your confidence, mindset, and skillset as you live your life to the max!

The last thing I wanted to share is that they don’t work overnight. Sorry. Like many things in life, it takes consistency. But trust the process and you will see results!

Give affirmations a try. What’s the worst thing that can happen, they don’t work? But what about if they do? Give them a try with the strategy I shared above and see the growth in your life! I would love to hear your thoughts about affirmations! Please share them with me at spencer@spencermjones.com Thanks!