How Affirmation Is Important
We live in an increasingly negative-focused culture, where every situation is filled with challenges and stress.
Most of us have experienced a day at work where things just didn’t go well. You put in a lot of effort, you tried your best, but you just couldn’t seem to connect with someone, or you received bad feedback that made you feel less than before you started.
We also live in a very individualistic society, which means we spend a lot of time thinking about how I could be better, and not as much time thinking about what I can do for others.
In fact, a study conducted over 5 years found that 94% of people are more concerned about how they could be improved rather than what they could contribute to others.1
Why does this matter? Because research shows that when we’re working on improving ourselves, it creates positive ripple effects within and outside of our relationships.2
Affirmations — statements that emphasize positive qualities like strength, confidence, and optimism – play a major role in creating these benefits.3,4,5 By using affirmatives consistently, you can shift your mindset and perception, and influence your emotions and behavior.6
This article will discuss why having affirmative thoughts is important, and some easy ways to begin doing this.
What does it mean?
A lot of people believe that being rich is all about having a ton of money, but that’s not really what it means. Being wealthy is actually about living an abundant life – one full of love and prosperity for yourself and those around you.
Wealth isn’t something we have, it’s something we live with. We are always in control of how much wealth we have because we can choose to be loving with ourselves and others or else we can opt out and stay lonely.
It takes work to keep this going though, which is why affirmation is so important.
Affirmations are positive statements that emphasize your success as a person. For example, “I am successful,” or “My family loves me.” The first statement is slightly more specific, making it easier to put into practice.
The second sentence is a little broader, emphasizing the importance of loved ones in your life. You can use these types of affirmations anywhere — while eating breakfast, before falling asleep, when you wake up and start your day.
Your subconscious mind doesn’t care whether the words come from a movie or a book; all it cares about is if they make you feel good.
Give me attention
A few years back, I read about a doctor who asked his patients to try something he called “affirmations.” He would ask his patients to say positive things to themselves for one minute every day.
He said that this technique works because your subconscious mind stores those thoughts it finds more powerful and true. By having you yourself tell yourself how good you are all the time, it develops a habit of self-belief and confidence.
This helps you feel happier and healthier physically. You’ll find that you’re much less stressed out and down and there will be differences in how you feel emotionally.
I know what he means. When I was younger, I would get really upset very easily. It took me longer than it should have to realize why.
It took me around six months before I realized that some family members didn’t like me. My uncles don’t like me as friends anymore. They never did, but now they definitely don’t.
My parents divorced when I was little, so I don’t have any memories of them being supportive or kind to each other. As kids, we’d spend weekends at my dad’s house or mine, and sometimes we’d even visit both together.
Now that I’m an adult, I understand that they just weren’t close.
Speak to us
A few years back, I read about a guy who asked his friends to send him pictures of themselves with their phones while lying down. He would then measure how tall they made his phone be in the picture and calculate what size bed he needed. If you ever do something like this, I hope you don’t mind me telling you that it is kind of weird and funny.
I think most people feel uncomfortable having someone else determine how good or successful they are, but it’s a common feeling. We all have times when we doubt ourselves and our abilities.
By trying on different clothes, hairstyles, and colors, you can learn a lot about yourself and your personal style. Sometimes, though, what works for one person doesn’t work for another.
That’s okay! We’re all unique individuals who bring special things to the table. You were born with certain skills and qualities that make you special, and you’ve developed more over time.
It may help you feel better about yourself if you recognize those traits in others. When you realize that not only does somebody admire you, but they also want to be you, that makes you feel good. It boosts your self-confidence.
A little bit of positive feedback goes a long way towards making you feel good about yourself. So try giving these tips to people and see the changes in their lives.
Make us feel better
A few years back, I read about a scientist who conducted an experiment to test how important it is for people to believe that they are good enough. He studied students in his school and determined the biggest factor in their success was not whether he told them that they were smart or nice but whether he convinced them that they were intelligent.
He called this “internal validation” and it makes you feel good about yourself. It helps you get into sleep mode by telling you that everything is okay and you are doing well.
This applies beyond education to other areas of your life such as work, relationships and hobbies. When we tell ourselves things like “I am a good person,” or “My family loves me,” or “I enjoy working on projects,” then we feel happier.
We can apply this theory to why some people seem more happy than others. Some people are just plain lucky and have luckier genetics, but most of us find happiness through internal validation.
Hold us up
A few days ago, you probably read an article or two about how important it is to put in some effort into improving your self-esteem. It’s a pretty powerful thing when you believe in yourself and trust in your abilities, but there are times when things get tricky.
When that negative voice in your head tells you something like “I can’t do this,” then it is time to add some affirmation to your daily life.
Affirmations are statements that emphasize what you want to create in your mind and soul. The way we form our own inner beliefs comes down to perception and conditioning.
We develop habits and behaviors that feel right for us, so why not use those to help improve your mental state?
By using affirmations, you are replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. This helps shift the emotional tone of your day, which makes it more stable and happier. You will also find that the process works both quickly and slowly, depending on how fast you work with it.
There are several ways to use affirmations effectively. For example, you could say them out loud, write them down, speak them into a device such as a microphone, or think them all the way through. Some people even use writing tools to make their own creative affirmations.
Whatever method you choose, just be sure to focus on what you want to achieve and say only true, honest words.
Positive feedback
A lot of people place a lot of importance in negative comments, but what about positive ones?
That’s like saying nothing about you makes you feel good so why not go out of your way to find things that make you feel good about yourself? It may sound silly or even manipulative, but it can work!
Affirmations are a great tool for this. You say something about yourself just as you would say anything else (i.e., “I am such an excellent writer”), but instead of telling yourself that you write well, you tell yourself that you writing is amazing and wonderful.
Your mind will eventually believe you, and when it does, all sorts of positive feelings will come along with it.
These feelings could be related to self-confidence, happiness, motivation, or any number of other traits.
So how do you use affirmative statements to help you achieve your goals? Here are some tips.
Helpful tips for affirmations
A few helpful tips to make your affirmations more effective are knowing what type of affirmation you are trying to do, what tone you want to use, and how long you should repeat an affirmation.
Knowing what kind of affirmation you are doing will determine the success of your affirmation. For example, if your affirmation is “I am wonderful,” then that word itself is negative and does not help you feel beautiful or know you are wonderful.
Instead, your affirmation should be something like “My life has been going well because I have believed in myself.” Or maybe “Living with confidence takes work at first, but over time it rewards you richly.