Ever had a conversation in your head like this:
(You trying to force an affirmation on yourself): “I’m wealthy.”
Your mind: “No I’m not!”
“I’m really good with women.”
“Yeah, right…”
“I’m an incredibly successful guy.”
“LOL!”
Affirmations have been shown to work if you already somewhat believe what you’re saying. So if you actually do think you’re wealthy right now, saying “I am wealthy” actually will reinforce that belief.
However, if you don’t already believe something about yourself at some level, affirmations about that thing will not have much of an effect your self-beliefs.
The stronger you feel about particular self-beliefs, the harder it will be to change them.
However, we know that your self-image, the kind of person you think you are, is the most powerful lever for personal growth and behavioral change.
So how can you give yourself the attributes you want in a more effective way?
How can you cultivate your ideal self-image and make it real?
2 SOLUTIONS:
1.Tweak your affirmations to make them easier for your mind to accept.
If you add “for some reason” at the beginning of your affirmation and “now” after it, your mind has an easier time accepting what you’re saying.
Example: “For some reason I’m a healthy person now.”
You can also add the word “just…”
“For some reason, I’m just the kind of person who’s healthy now.”
“For some strange reason, I’m just the kind of guy who has an easy time connecting with women now.”
These simple changes in language allow new self-beliefs to take hold more easily.
2. Ask your affirmation as a question instead.
This is a powerful technique and it helps a lot when you are trying to change a DEEPLY held self-belief.
Instead of trying to force a statement you don’t really believe into your mind, ask it a question instead.
Your mind is powerless against a question. It can’t resist.
It MUST come up with an answer.
So, if your affirmation is, “I’m the kind of person who’s wealthy,” and your mind has a hard time accepting that, ask it:
“Why am I so wealthy?”
“What are all the reasons why I’m the kind of person who’s wealthy?”
“What is it that makes me so wealthy?”
Your mind will generate answers to the question you ask, which can be the starting point of building a new self-belief.
Your mind will be forced to produce evidence that your new self-belief is true instead of resisting your affirmation.
Bonus: Write your ideal self-image down every day.
I’ve been doing it for a few weeks now and it’s been awesome.
(Here’s what I write currently: “I’m the kind of guy who consistently delivers useful service to the world freely. I’m the kind of guy who makes a living doing what I love ethically. I’m the kind of man who actively demonstrates positive self-worth.” Of course, your ideal self-image will change over time…I just wanted to share an example. My ideal self-image used to have 5 statements, but it keeps getting shorter…).
Then, of course, TAKE ACTION and you’ll gather more evidence that your new self-beliefs are true over time.
YOU are a badass. Why are you such a badass? =)
