I hate to tell you this but you’ve probably been led astray by most of the self-help experts out there regarding affirmations.
Affirmations only work if they are tied to a dream and a goal that is grounded in reality.
Let me give you an example.
Let’s say you are studying to become a Certified Public Accountant. If you follow the advice of the self-help experts, they will tell you to create the following affirmation:
“I am a CPA”
The experts say such an affirmation will serve to reprogram your subconscious mind into believing you are a CPA and, thus, your subconscious mind will push you to taking action that will lead to your becoming a CPA. It will somehow magically inspire and motivate you to become a CPA.
Unfortunately, that’s bad advice. It’s bad advice because that affirmation creates an internal conflict between your conscious mind, which is grounded in reality, and your subconscious mind, which is fed a vision of the future you.
Your conscious mind knows you are not a CPA, so it does not accept the programming.
As a result, your conscious mind will not accept that affirmation. OK then, what will it accept?
“I am studying 2 hours every day to become a CPA”
This affirmation works because it is tied to a dream and a goal that is grounded in reality. The dream is becoming a CPA and the goal is studying every day. That goal is achievable. It’s not unrealistic. Your conscious mind will accept this affirmation because it believes that it is possible for you to realize your dream of becoming a CPA, so long as you study for 2 hours every day.
This affirmation also serves as an accountability partner. If you say the affirmation every day, it serves as a reminder that you need to study in order to realize your dream.
With this affirmation, your conscious mind and subconscious mind now work as a team in order to make your dream a reality. There is no conflict between your two minds.
About Thomas C. Corley
Well, let me backtrack a bit here and say, if you already have great self-esteem, are confident and sure of yourself — then positive affirmations are just the boost you need to get through that work or school presentation, get to the gym or stay productive during your day. Affirm away!