Have you ever tried using positive affirmations to help you become a more positive person? Did they work for you? Did you stick with them? I ask for a good reason, because how you use them matters.
Positive affirmations aren’t a new concept and indeed, some people dismiss them as ineffective — I’m not one of those people. Positive affirmations like most self-improvement techniques, work if you believe they will and, if you use them with mindfulness.
The concept of a positive affirmation is relatively simple because all you need to do is pick or create a phrase or series of phrases and repeat them to yourself. However, this alone isn’t enough. In order for these affirmations to really work, one must not only believe them, but use them regularly. When used consciously and with conviction, positive affirmations can help to motivate you, improve self-esteem, help you to focus and, foster positive changes in your life. Positive affirmations are also effective if you struggle with negative self-talk – negative self-talk, which is often subconscious, are those detrimental thoughts of doubt or inferiority.
The psychology behind positive affirmations is aligned with the theory that these self-affirmations help to keep us focused on our inner personal view of our self: chiefly, that we’re capable, good and seeking to improve and be more open to new ideas, roles and circumstances. Positive affirmations also ground us: they help us to remember that we don’t need to be the “best,” or perfect, just capable and acceptable in the things that we personally value. And finally, positive affirmations help us to embody the values, traits and characteristics we each cherish most — in essence, we don’t say a positive affirmation with the expectation that is will simply make it true, but with the understanding that we will work to become that…to be that and thus, be worthy of that affirmation.
I personally think writing our own positive affirmations is best, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with using ones already written that are appropriate for our personal growth goals. Here are a few positive affirmations that may help to start you off:
1. “I am strong, capable and worthy, and I create my own happiness.”
2. “I am feeling positive, healthy and strong today.”
3. “I will rise above all negativity and become the person I’m meant to be.”
4. “I am resilient, I am strong and I cannot be defeated.”
5. “On this day, I choose to always experience life with happiness in my heart.”
6. “Through focus and hard work, I can achieve anything that I set my mind to.”
7. “I am good enough. I am smart enough. I am me, and I matter!”
8. “I won’t allow stress to get me down. I’m in control of my life and I choose peace and happiness.”
9. “I choose to surround myself with good, kind and positive people.”
10. “Today, I embrace forgiveness, compassion and generosity. I can make this world a better place.”
11. “I am courageous and strong. We will get through the storm and life will be all the better for it!”
12. “My thoughts do not control me — I control my thoughts. Today, my thoughts will be free, happy and positive.”
And because for me personally, my Christian faith is so tied to my mission to be a positive person, I want so also share two passages from the Bible that fill me with courage and hope:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6
“But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against things like that.” – Galatians 5:22-23
The key to positive affirmations is that we must believe in them — we have to be the change we seek. When said with conviction, positive affirmations are an amazing tool in helping us to re-shape our thinking and in becoming more positive people.