Affirmative

If you’ve dipped your toe into the ever-expanding world of wellness, self-love, self-help, positive psychology - whatever you wish to call it - then you may have come across the concept of affirmations. Affirmations, simply defined, are statements or mantras you repeat, usually on a daily basis, that align with your goals or a mindset you wish to adopt.


I remember thinking, as I read about affirmations in many self-help books, that they sounded way too good to be true. How is it possible, for example, to feel more self-confident by merely looking in the mirror each morning and saying “I am confident” aloud five times? It sounded to me suspiciously like witchcraft, horoscopes, tarot cards - too vague and too simple to have any true impact or incite any real change.

Oh but how wrong I was.


I first began to play with the idea of affirmations back in early 2021 after reading the amazing book ‘The Miracle Morning’ by Hal Elrod. He asserts that we should start our mornings early and use them to engage in behaviour that moves us towards our goals in life - these behaviours or habits he calls the S.A.V.E.R.S - Silence, Affirmations, Visualisation, Exercise, Reading, and Scribing (writing/journaling). Reading his book gave me a solid understanding of what affirmations should look like, and how to structure them to suit my life. Ever since, I have truly felt a difference within myself, finding that some of those negative pre-conceptions I held about myself have been chipped away at by literally convincing myself that I was above them, that I in fact did have the potential to be happier, healthier, stronger in both body and mind. Over time my affirmations have become not just sentences plucked from thin air but actual firmly-held beliefs of mine. They come in handy in situations where I need them - for example, mentally repeating ‘I choose me and my goals over impulses and shortcuts’ when walking past the junk food aisle in the supermarket where the tempting snacks lie.


For a guide in how to implement affirmations in your own life, here is how I do them:

  • I write new affirmations at the start of every month. I write them in my journal on the first page for that month so that I can return to them when I need reminding.

  • I keep my monthly affirmations to five. Not too many, and not too little. I try to ensure that, collectively, they touch on different areas in my life that I’m aiming to improve, or on limiting, pre-held self-beliefs that I’m trying to break. I try to write them myself in my own words, but sometimes a 'positive affirmations' Google browse for inspiration proves helpful too.

  • I repeat them one after the other about 4 or 5 times first thing in the morning, when, truth be told, I’m still semi-unconscious. After about 3 or 4 days into the new month, I know them by heart. Repeating them again before you go to bed can also benefit your mindset, as your day is bookended by positive statements about your potential.

  • Affirmations stated in the positive and the first person are generally the most effective. If you are trying to increase healthy eating habits or exercise, saying something like “I make healthy choices every day” or “I am developing daily habits which make me stronger/fitter/healthier” is far better than saying “Fried food is bad” or “I will not sit on the couch all evening”.


Try them out for a month and see how they change you. You may feel silly at first - the caricature of a fledgling Wall-Street finance type mumbling “I am successful, I am smart, I am strong” each morning on their commute immediately springs to mind. But remember, these affirmations are just for you. Tailor them to whatever it is you are focusing on - your career, your personal development, your relationships, your health, or your interests. And as time passes, your affirmations should change so as to reflect your progress and new challenges you may encounter.


If you’re still not wholly convinced, this article touching on research conducted in the area of positive affirmations may sway you. Happy reading!


Pinning your affirmations up on sticky notes where you can see them ensures that you are reminded of them regularly. This gives the sense too that they are embedded in your subsconscious, which means you don't have to strive as much to believe them, because they become innate beliefs.

Location: قرية جميرا الدائرية - Jumeirah Village - Dubai - United Arab Emirates

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