Weekly Work-In: Week 2 - Create a Personal Affirmation That Works

Affirmations are positive, present tense statements that keep you focused on the immediate goal at hand.

I never connected with the affirmation process until I found a statement that truly resonated with what I wanted. Use your work-in journal to answer some simple questions and create a true intention for your life.

Affirmations are positive, present tense statements that keep you focused on the immediate goal at hand.

Step 1: Journaling

Take ten to thirty minutes to answer each of these questions in your journal:

Describe the most pressing problem, challenge, or goal you are currently facing in your life.
Describe your ideal scenario for the outcome of this problem. Take a moment and truly visualize the perfect result, without any limitations such as time, money, or other people’s roles in the process. If everything turned out for your highest good, what would the result be?
Make a list of everything that stands in the way of you and your result. This can be something tangible such as, “I don’t have time in my schedule to exercise every day.” It may also be something more subtle such as, “I give a lot of my energy to my work.” Write down at least ten obstacles in your way. Be honest.
After each obstacle, create a positive statement that negates the obstacle itself. For example, after, “I don’t have time in my schedule to exercise every day,” you may write, “There is plenty of time each day if I schedule wisely.” Be creative. Whenever possible, make the statement something you personally can do to negate an obstacle. Write your negations in the present tense.
Look at your ideal scenario and the negations you have written. In one sentence, sum up the result you are seeking as well as any work you will do to achieve that result. For example, “I save time and energy to work on myself each day. My health is worth the sacrifices I make in my schedule.”

You may already know some goals you are working on. If so, try answering the questions out loud as quickly as possible, without hesitation. This may help you see your intentions and obstacles in a new light.

Step 2: Using Your Affirmation

There is no right way to use an affirmation, and there is certainly no limit to how much you should say it. State your affirmation any time you catch yourself trapped behind an obstacle. Remind yourself of the way you can negate that obstacle by your positive actions.

In yoga, we use a symbol of an upside-down tree to represent the mind’s affect on the body. With roots in the mind, this tree then grows from the mind-stuff to create the body’s patterns, habits, abilities, and limitations.

So, at least once a day, make time to become quiet and still and repeat your affirmation to yourself ten times. You may repeat it mentally, out loud, or in writing. The mind is incredibly powerful.

Simply by stating your affirmation over and over, you can make your mind believe it is true in your life. When the mind believes something is true, the body follows.

If you are comfortable, share your affirmation with others. When we share goals, we are more likely to hold ourselves accountable to them, and we invite others to help us along that path. I encourage you to share this article and post your affirmation.