Have you ever woken up, before touching your feet to the floor, and immediately thought, “ugh…. ?”
Unfortunately, you’re not alone. A recent study has shown that only 14% of Americans are happy - but that doesn’t mean you should continue to be a card-carrying member of the Unhappy Club. You have the power to change your life every morning when you wake up, and we’ve got a great tool to help you do just that - daily affirmations.
Daily affirmations are a great tool to create the life we want, and have been proven to help us develop a positive mindset, where we are not only grateful for what we already have, but that we believe we are worthy right now of what we want to cultivate in the future.
What exactly are affirmations?
Affirmations are positive statements that can be used to overcome negative and self-sabotaging thoughts. The theory is - the more you repeat them, the more you start to believe them, and that helps to create positive change in your life.
If you’re thinking this all sounds a bit “woo-woo,” and could never picture yourself practicing daily affirmations to train your mind, just think about how you might perform daily exercise to train your body - it’s not any different, and there is actual science behind it.
Many times we start our day off negatively because we’re in a state of lacking, and when we constantly have negative thoughts surrounding our appearance, our financial state, our relationships or our career, it affects our confidence, mood and mindset. The problem with constantly thinking negative thoughts, even in our subconscious, is that we start believing them.
The great news? Because you’re in control of your thoughts, words, and actions, you can ditch the Debbie Downer mindset, think the opposite, and create the reality you really want to be living in.
Research has shown that the subconscious mind plays a major role in the path our lives take and the actualization of our goals, as repeating positive statements can reprogram our thinking. What we tell ourselves on a subconscious level can have a significant impact on our self-esteem and therefore our motivation and determination, which ultimately nudges us to think and act differently so we can live our best lives.
Think about a day when you felt good about yourself - maybe you landed a new job, ran your first 5K or got a clean bill of health from the doctor. Can you remember how that one thing made you feel good about your entire life in general? Maybe it gave you the motivation to eat healthier, to pitch a new client, or to finally ask out that person you’ve had your eye on at the coffee shop every morning.
Daily affirmations can also simply be a reminder to be grateful or focus on the positive in every situation, or they can serve as a stepping stone to create incredible transformation.
Research has studied the multiple benefits of daily affirmations. They can:
Help you to perform better at work, even by just repeating to yourself that you are confident before a big meeting.
Lessen the effects of stress. In one study, a short affirmation exercise boosted the problem-solving abilities of "chronically stressed" subjects to the same level as those with low stress.
Decrease low self-esteem, depression, and other mental health conditions, as they have been shown to stimulate the areas in our brains that motivate us to create effective positive changes in regard to our health.
Increase confidence and decrease negative attitudes. One study found that a stronger sense of self-worth makes you more likely to improve your own health, and using affirmations to boost your confidence helps to create that positive self-identity.
How to write your own affirmation:
Start in the first person, “I” or “I am....”
Write your statement in the positive, for example, instead of saying, “Today I won’t be lazy or eat any bad foods,” say: “Today I will nourish my body with healthy food and exercise so I have lots of energy.”
Write in the present, not in the future. This is where most people get caught up when starting because they don’t feel like they can repeat something that they don’t actually see as being true, but this is where rewiring our subconscious mind starts. So instead of saying, “When I get a new job and lose ten pounds I will be happy,” say, “ I am happy now at my job and in my current body.
If you’ve ever had someone tell you to “Fake it till you make it,” they were on to something. That last one has the most potential to create change, as studies show that if you act like something is already true, then it’s more likely to materialize in real life because you will start to take action as if it’s a reality.
Sample affirmations:
Today will be a productive day.
Each day, I am getting closer to achieving my goals.
My body is healthy; my mind is brilliant; my soul is tranquil.
My relationship is becoming stronger, deeper, and more stable each day.
I possess the qualities needed to be extremely successful.
My business is growing, expanding, and thriving.
My potential to succeed is infinite.
I acknowledge my own self-worth; my confidence is soaring.
Everything that is happening now is happening for my ultimate good.
The perfect partner for me is coming into my life sooner than I expect.
Right now, pick one area in your life where you’d like to create change and either write your own or choose an affirmation from the list above, then commit to repeating it to yourself every morning for at least a week.
Write it on a post-it, make a graphic for your phone screen, or even program your Alexa to make it your morning alarm, and then say it out loud. However you commit to repeating your affirmation daily, we promise it will make you feel more confident, more powerful, and ultimately happier!