Affirmations

Affirmations are short phrases spoken out loud that are designed to motivate you. They are absorbed into your subconscious mind by focusing your conscious thoughts in a habitual, emotional and repetitive way. It is a simple and effective method of self programming.

Here are the basic rules for constructing and using them:

  • 1. Use the present tense
  • 2. Use positive sentences only. Never use words like 'not' or 'don't'.
  • 3. Create short, compact, direct one-liners.
  • 4. Make a list of about 10-20 for each subject.
  • 5. Write the list down.
  • 6. Learn the list.
  • 7. Recite the list out loud, forcefully and with emotion.
  • 8. Repeat the affirmations over and over.
  • 9. Do this at least twice a day.
  • 10. Actively listen to yourself, hear every word as if it was spoken by a stranger.
  • 11. Believe every word that you say.
  • 12. If it works for you use different voices and make them as powerful and as authoritative as you can
  • 13. Make images of your affirmations in your mind as you say them.

    • Some examples from a sales context:

  • "I am a dedicated salesman"
  • "I love selling"
  • "I learn from every client I meet"
  • "Every meeting is a chance to make a friend"
  • "My clients need my product"
  • "My product is the best on the market"
  • "I am a skilled presenter"
  • "Phoning new clients excites me"
  • "I am the very best at what I do"
  • "I have enormous energy"
  • "I am unstoppable"

    • Power Words For Affirmations

    To help you create your own affirmations the table below gives you perhaps the most persuasive words in the English language. They are often used in hypnotherapy and you will also find them useful when talking to other people. Listen to a good sales person and you’ll hear many of these in their speech. The top of each list there are a few words in italics. These, perhaps, have the most hypnotic potential according to several sources.

    Adverbs & Adjectives Awareness Time & Order Space Cause and Effect Command
    Naturally Easily Unlimited Experience realize aware Before During After Among Expand Beyond And As Because Now Stop
    actually readily infinitely continually begin still already repeatedly usually finally most truly immediately extremely utterly totally smoothly know understand think feel wonder discover consider assume puzzle speculate perceive accomplish fulfill grasp reconsider conceive (and all -ing endings of the above e.g. experiencing realizing) before former was Currently while when foremost continue early later until firstly eventually secondly highest foremost other in addition to chief another earliest latest more against along around behind below beneath near above in including close into without off on out of round through toward under uncover underlying touching further expanded Kindles Proves Generates Allows Since Causes Forces Makes Invokes Settles Stimulates Brings to pass Creates Verifies Justifies Determines Constitutes



    Adverbs and Adjectives
    They are particularly useful as they presuppose that whatever follows then is true, no argument. If you use them and quickly continue, then the listeners brain cannot process the sentence quick enough to object. This works well with affirmations.

    It has been suggested that using 3 or more of these in a sentence can make that sentence almost impenetrable.

    This is a complex branch of linguistics, so if you want to know more about this then look up ‘trans derivational search’

    Verbs of Awareness
    These verbs are all about how the mind works. None of them are actual physical ‘doing’ words. When your mind hears one of these words it has to go inside and actually run that thought. For example, for your mind to work out the meaning of: ‘You realize how easily you understand this’, it has to actually experience some realizing and understanding.

    Basically these words cause your mind to do some thinking, which distracts it for a moment during which time you can deliver some empowering suggestions. All very useful.

    Time
    If you can get your mind to travel in time it, again, it has to do some extra thinking. You can then follow each word with a phrase or sentence that you have to assume is true (a presupposition). For example 'After Easter' assumes that there was an Easter for something to come after it.

    Space
    If you are relating two things in space then both of those things have to be assumed to exist. For example, 'I am next to my computer' assumes that both me and my computer exist.

    Any time that you can force your mind into accepting something as true then you can put a suggestion in it's place. 'After I finish my book, what sort of party should I have?' implants the suggestion that you are going to finish your book. Good stuff for your subconscious mind.

    Cause and Effect
    Very powerful in any affirmation. If you can give a reason for something, sometimes even a totally unconvincing reason, something you say can be accepted.

    In one research project a student was asked to push into a long queue of other students waiting to use a copying machine. If they pushed in and said, 'Do you mind if I push in as I am in a no parking zone', then over 95% of the time there was no objection from anyone. Even when the excuse was quite poor 'can I push in because I am in a hurry' it was till accepted.

    Commands
    The mind is programmed to respond strongly to certain command phrases. They cause a kind of short circuit during which time you can implant your suggestion.

    Example
    Here is a fun example that uses quite a few of these ‘power words’.

    ‘Stop right now and realize that during the next week I will discover how I can expand beyond my boundaries because I am experiencing a truly unlimited sense of possibility as I say these words out loud.’

    Make sense? It does but you had to think about it. You probably experienced a little slowing down while reading it. It’s quite a complex sentence but if you can create sentences like this, learn them by heart and repeat them out loud, rhythmically then they can be very powerful.

    Words To Avoid In Affirmations

    The following table gives you a list of words that you should avoid, especially in affirmations. Basically negative power words:

    Try This assumes that you are going to fail as you are only going to try but not succeed. ‘Try to do it, please’ really means ‘I don’t think you’re going to be able to do this.’  Definitely, a word you should never use to a child.
    But Everything before the ‘but’ is turned around and given an opposite meaning.  ‘I want to help, but….’ Really means ‘I don’t want to help’.
    If This has the underlying assumption that you might not. ‘If you are sure you want to’ casts some doubt on whether they do or not.  It weakens any sentence.
    Might A very weak word.  You might, you might not.  Mostly, it’s not worth saying.
    Could of  Should of  Would of …but you didn’t.  It’s a lame excuse.  Best not brought up.
    Can't ‘I can’t’, ‘You can’t’ almost always forces the question ‘Why not?’  You don’t need that sort of thought going on.  Not at all constructive.  



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