An affirmation is a statement that asserts the existence or truth of something. The truth is that you are whole, perfect and complete exactly as you are. When you say a statement like “I am confident and competent,” that statement is true about you, it’s just that you may not believe it.

Repeating the affirmation over and over again will burn it into your subconscious until you start to believe it. You will then begin to behave as if you are confident and competent because your mind will have accepted it as a new belief.

Everything you want is available to you, all you have to do is claim it. Writing and reciting affirmations is one way to claim what you want.

You don’t have to believe your claims.

It’s great if you believe your claims, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t. In fact, you probably don’t believe most of them, especially if your claim is really overblown for you. Just keep repeating them despite the voices in your head telling you that you’re lying to yourself, or this doesn’t work.

If your statement is “I have all the money I could ever want and need” and you only have $748 in your savings account, you are likely to hear your monkey mind say “that’s not true, you only have $748”, or “no no you have all the money you could want and need, you’re broke.”

Just ignore the negative voices and keep repeating your affirmations. Know that the voices will be there and it is perfectly normal. As you continue to repeat your positive affirmations, the negative voices will become quieter and quieter. They’ll probably never go away, but after a while the voices in support of your claims will get louder and the negative voices will fade into the background, barely audible.

The mind must have repetition so that you can manifest your affirmations into reality. Even when it seems like nothing is happening, keep repeating them. Trust me, it works.

I will share a true story about one of my claims. When I was in my “40s” I decided I wanted to run a marathon just to see if I could do it. At the time, I was 40 pounds overweight and couldn’t run a block without getting out of breath. I had never run more than a mile, not to mention the 26.2 miles required for a marathon. I choose to run a marathon in Vancouver, Canada. Ironically, my sweet little brother died of leukemia seven years later.

One of my affirmations was “I will finish this race.” I trained for seven months with one of my friends who died in her family and had to withdraw just a week before the race. I ended up having to run the marathon alone (even though there were thousands of people there) on one of the coldest, rainiest, and windiest days in Vancouver’s history. Also, I trained on flat ground and the trail in Vancouver was unexpectedly rough.

It was my affirmation “I will finish this race” that kept me going. I wanted to stop at mile 13 but couldn’t stop even though I was tired, hungry and bleeding from the constant rubbing of parts of my clothes. Seven months of repeating that statement gave me a mental strength I didn’t even know I had. I finished the race and I have my medal and jersey to prove it!

Affirmations are a very normal way of thinking. You’ve been giving yourself affirmations your whole life. Everything you think or say to yourself is an affirmation. Anything another person tells you is a statement””if you accept it. Your subconscious mind will accept everything, whether it is good or bad for you. You want to be more deliberate and strategic with your affirmations.

People usually do not make a conscious decision to program negative thoughts into their subconscious mind. Usually it is done unconsciously. And sometimes when they become aware, they rationalize it. For example, if you find yourself saying “I’m broke,” that’s an affirmation. Yes, you can rationalize it by saying “I have to be realistic, I really am broke.” If you want that reality, keep saying it. If you want to change that reality, then you must change the affirmation and, consequently, the belief.

This is how you form negative beliefs about yourself. You say things to yourself over and over again (usually unconsciously). When you repeat these thoughts enough, they become beliefs that you simply accept as your reality.

When to use affirmations

“¢ First thing in the morning and last thing before going to sleep

“¢ While waiting in line or in traffic

“¢ When you feel anxiety, insecurity or stress

“¢ When you feel bad or depressed

“¢ Every time you think about it.

How to write affirmations

“¢ Keep them short, simple and easy to remember.

“¢ Always make them positive

“¢ Keep them in the present tense

“¢ Never include the words no, not or don’t in an affirmation. Your mind does not recognize those words and will give you what you don’t want

“¢ Include words that will create emotion or feeling

It’s best to write your own affirmations for your particular situation, but you can certainly use other people’s affirmations as well. Here are some affirmations for success and wellness to get you started.

“¢ I’m a money magnet

“¢ Money comes to me easily and effortlessly

“¢ I create my life.

“¢ I create the exact amount of my success

“¢ I am a genius and I use my wisdom daily.

“¢ I am powerful

“¢ I am truly grateful for everything I have right now

“¢ I am always presented with lucrative opportunities

“¢ I am in perfect health

“¢ I am a generous giver and an excellent receiver

“¢ I release all subconscious barriers to my success

“¢ I am calm, confident and in control

“¢ I look and feel great!

Your thoughts and words are powerful. If you repeat your affirmations every day, along with visualizations, you will be amazed at how quickly your dreams will come true. Most importantly, look forward to receiving your affirmations. Just give it a try and see for yourself.

High love!