Yes, you read it correctly – “Manifest your goals”.
This is not a dream seller blog. I am writing this because I have found that 98% of people have been doing affirmations the wrong way all their life.
In this post you will learn the following :
- What affirmation is not.
- How people do it wrong?
- What are affirmations.
- How to do it right.
What affirmation is Not?
It is not a magical spell that you will cast to manifest anything you want. More importantly, it’s not a self-sufficient tool.
Think of affirmations as fuel (petrol/diesel). Even though fuel is an expensive commodity, it is not self-sufficient perse. In fact, it is of no use whatsoever unless you add it to a machine that can use it.
For example, a car, a generator, etc. A machine that can use the fuel and convert it into energy for different purposes.
Similarly, Affirmations are powerful but not self-sufficient. you will learn later in this post how to use affirmations as fuel to manifest your dreams.
For now, Let’s take a closer look at How most people do affirmations :
- I am healthy.
- I am rich
- I am attractive.
- I am confident.
The truth is this is just pure bullshit. If you continue to use affirmations this way, Chances are your life will go backward, if not stuck where it is currently.
2. How people do it wrong?
Let me give you a few examples of how it has failed most people due to the wrong usage.
Using affirmations to manifest fit body.
Natalie is a fashion designer in her late twenties. She has been overweight since she was a teen. She wants to be more fit in order to get into beautiful dresses. But for that, she must workout and eat properly.
However, she found another solution for this. She decided to use the power of affirmations to achieve her right body. Every time she is about to eat unhealthy food (read: deep-fried carbs sometimes even stacked with sugary drinks or desserts) she says to herself one of these affirmations:
“I am losing weight, I am in the Best shape of my life”.
“These French fries are healthy”
“No matter what I eat, I lose weight”.
Guess what?
She never achieved that best body shape that she wanted so badly. Not even after doing this weird affirmation for 10+ years. Now, It has become a subconscious ritual in her life to say these affirmations before making unhealthy decisions.
Using affirmations to manifest wealth.
James is working as a relationship manager in a bank for the last 7 years. His dream is to become insanely rich. Own a mansion in Miami, drive sports cars.
His strategy to accomplish that, He gets up every morning, looks in the mirror, and says these affirmations :
” I am the richest man on earth.”
“Money flows to me naturally.”
“I am a wealth magnet.”
“The Universe gives me everything I want”.
He is still working for the same bank with some 5% yearly salary increment. Quite far from his goal. Interestingly, he never even tried to initiate a business of his own. Or work on a second source of income. Forget about trying and failing.
So, his dream of becoming insanely rich went down the drain.
I am sure you also know someone like James or Natalie. If you don’t want to be the next James or Natalie. Read on.
3. What is Affirmation :
Affirmation is a positive statement designed to reinforce a belief in you.
As petrol is fuel for the car,
Affirmation is fuel for the right action.
All Actions are motivated by your beliefs, and affirmations are ‘belief reinforcers’.
Scientifically, affirmations work on your brain by altering the neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to modify and change the way it functions based on experience or in this case repetitive affirmations. It changes the way Neurons fire in your brain.
4. Right Way to do it.
Like I said affirmations are not a magic spell. They are belief reinforcers. They should be done at the right time for the right goal.
What Natalie and James should do.
When Natalie sees unhealthy food. She should say:-
“I love to eat healthy food.”
With time she will reinforce a belief that she loves to eat healthy food. She will stop eating unhealthy food because her new belief is that she likes healthy food.
She will make healthier choices.
When Natalie doesn’t feel like getting up in the morning for a workout. She should say:
” I love to do early morning workout and stay fit.”
Until she reinforces a belief that she actually loves to do the early morning workout and she starts doing it.
Talking about James.
James wants to be insanely rich. His affirmations should be like this:
“I got such great ideas, I will definitely be insanely rich”.
And then write down those ideas so he can work on them after his regular job.
Once he is back home, instead of binge-watching Netflix he should read his ideas and say:-
“I will implement this idea now and get insanely rich”.
This will set a belief in his mind that implementing this idea will make him rich and he will implement the idea and get rich.
Rather than saying:
“I am insanely rich.”
While procrastinating the idea till eternity.
As you might have observed a trend here. Every affirmation is followed by a Follow-up action.
In the absence of follow-up action, affirmations will be a fuel without a machine to utilize it.