Create Positive Affirmations to Achieve Goals

The idea of writing positive affirmations is not all that new. One could certainly refer to the Psalms of the Bible and see David's affirmations. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life..." affirms that our lives will be filled with positive days even if we are currently walking in the valley of the shadow of death, or if life feels that way now. Reading  positive affirmations on a daily basis can bring us out of a slump and transform our lives.

But, what if we want something more personal and transformational? We can very well create positive affirmations that are highly relevant to our life situation and that will help us to achieve goals. Here are some steps to creating positive affirmations to achieve goals. This information is gathered from a variety of resources, most notably  The Guided Meditation Site.

I. Keep a Journal

Regularly keeping a handwritten journal creates kinesthetic memory. That is, your thoughts, ideas, and discoveries will be more readily accessible from memory because the physical motion of writing uses more complex brain pathways. The more neuronal nodes engaged with a thought, the more easily it is recalled. Typing on a keyboard is not nearly as effective. It is essential to create affirmations in handwritten form.

II. Focus

At any given time, we are probably struggling with a multitude of issues in our life: money, relationship, work, spiritual life, health, and so on. Some of these issues might be highly related such as money and work. Indeed, one could argue that all these issues are related to each other. But, in order to make this process "doable", it is important to focus on one issue that you want to change. You will be surprised how the other related issues start to work themselves out when you begin this process of creating positive affirmations around just one of them. For example, let's focus on money, which is oftentimes an issue for many of us.

III. Let's Get Started

Begin by writing "I am..." statements.

• I am happy
• I am wealthy
• I am content with all I have

These can also be written as "I have...", "I know...", "I love..." and so forth.

• I have all I need in my life
• I know all I need to earn a great income
• I love the work that I do

IV. Always Write in the Positive

Remember that these are goals to which you aspire. Write your affirmations in a way that they lead to where you want to be and not what you hope to get away from. For example, "I am avoiding overspending" is not positive and focuses on the problem of overspending. It also creates a restricted, un-freeing space of avoiding.

An analogy I like to refer to is this. Imagine you are holding onto a rope. Above you is a sturdy tree branch and beneath you is a river full of hungry, snapping alligators. If you try to put your feet down and push away from the alligators, you will likely get caught and pulled down further. However, if you pull hard on the rope you will safely achieve the goal of reaching that sturdy branch. Pulling on the rope is your positive "I think I can" affirmation.

V. Always Write in the Now (present time)

Remember to write as though your achievement is here now. If you write as though the positive outcome is somewhere off, even in the near future, you will find yourself always hoping and never achieving. What you want to become already exists within you, is the message in The Wizard of Oz. So, write your positive affirmations as though you are already there.

VI. Write Affirmations for Yourself

Remember that this is about you. Review your affirmations. If someone else comes to mind in your affirmations, think about whether the affirmation is about you or about them. Yes, we all want to get along in this world and we do live in relationship with others. We even know that part of our purpose in being here is to serve others - AFTER we serve ourselves. On an airplane they will always tell you, "Put your oxygen mask on first and then help the person next to you." You are no use to anyone if you don't take care of yourself first. Your affirmations are about you and should not be focused on taking care of anyone else's needs.

On an aside, avoid using "you" when you mean "I" or "me". This is a common colloquial error in the English language: the habit of saying "you feel..." when you mean "I feel..."

VII. Write Affirmations with Passion and Feeling

The best positive affirmations are the ones that will bring tears to your eyes. When you write an affirmation that evokes a strong emotional response, it will have great power in your transformation. Write affirmations with passion and feeling.

VIII. Let the Universe Figure Out How

Believe it or not, there is no "How To" about writing positive affirmations. This is not an exercise about figuring out the solution to the problem. You have to trust that the solution will come about naturally by simply doing the work of writing positive affirmations. Keep at it and you will be surprised that the "How To" comes to you suddenly and with what seems like no effort. Hint: you did make the effort within the positive energy you created.

IX. Affirm What You Have Already Accomplished

Remember to affirm what you have accomplished. If you have been writing positive affirmations about the new job you have and this happens for you, continue to write positive affirmations: "I love my new job", "My new job is meaningful" and so on.

X. Meditate

After you spend some time writing positive affirmations (and by all means, write as many as you want), take time to meditate or contemplate what you have written. You can re-read your affirmations if you like. But, then spend at least 20 minutes in quiet reflection. Meditation works best, but even staring out onto the horizon with a cup of tea will help to cement your work into your subconscious mind. It is there that the positive affirmations will do the most work.

I hope this information has been helpful and will start you on your journey toward positive change.

Thank you for reading,

Jay

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