The power of an affirmation: it is an action that can be the start of a dream coming true.
Affirmations create positive change. They are that important! This can happen because as you believe the affirmations you are saying, you then start seeing possibilities and opportunities that can make that dream a reality.
“An affirmation is a statement in the present tense that is affirming what you believe to be true,” explained Hallie Avolio, a manifestation and affirmations coach. “In terms of self-development, it’s what you believe to be true about yourself.”
Do affirmations really work?
Yes! “The reason why affirmations work is because our words are spells and what we say is what we believe,” Hallie said.
“It’s powerful when it comes to self-love, self-awareness, and manifestation. It’s the whole idea of creating what it is you desire and using the power of words in affirmations.”
Affirmations can be effective because the brain forms neural pathways on the words we use and how we repeat them to ourselves. For example, if you say the affirmation, “I am enough” and you say it to yourself every single day multiple times, you start to ingrain that idea – that concept – into your brain, so you embody it.
“The more we can embrace that idea of ‘I am enough!’ the more self-compassion we have, the less critical we become and the more we can deal with crazy stuff that comes our way,” she explained.
If you determine you want to make a change in your life and you believe that “I am enough” is true, then chances are you will be more motivated to move forward and push yourself. However, if you don’t feel like you are enough and you’re constantly seeking acceptance from others – always looking for external validation – then you’re going to be in a state of self-judgment, a shame spiral. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.
“That’s why truly believing ‘I am enough’ brings you to a place of center in confidence and self-acceptance. I believe it gives you the foundation so that you can truly move yourself forward,” Hallie said.
Benefits of affirmations
Hallie shared a number of benefits that come from saying and believing positive affirmations.
- Self-awareness
- Manifestation
- Self-confidence
- Overcoming limiting beliefs
- Overcoming shame
- Connection to your inner wisdom/intuition
- Self-compassion
- Creating the things you desire
To understand what manifestation means, Hallie defined it this way: “Create what you are manifesting. By using affirmations you are saying what you desire and that’s important for declaring what you want to call into life.”
Daily affirmations
Say affirmations daily for consistency. “The more consistent we can become, the more our brains accept it as truth,” Hallie explained.
“When you allow yourself to be abundant – which doesn’t have anything to do with materials or money – you attract more abundance into your life. You begin to create it and call it in by casting these spells with your words.”
Hallie added, “I think of what Darren Hardy said, ‘Small consistent actions over time equal radical results.’”
Why are affirmations important?
Compare the brain to an ant farm. The more that the ants walk their path down to where they’re going, the deeper the path becomes. This is the same with the neural pathways in the brain. The more we repeat the words, the more strongly we create these grooves in the brain. This can help us identify who we are and help us overcome doubts, fear, stress, anxiety, and depression.
That is one reason why you want to be consistent with saying positive affirmations – to ingrain them in your brain. You want to embody them by not just saying the words, but attaching meaning to them. It helps to strengthen your core and your identity.
Hallie pointed out that affirmations can contribute to a person’s success. “Whatever your definition of success is, if you feel successful then you will act in a way as if this is already the truth.”
“It also helps you overcome failures. A failure is just learning, just growth. I don’t like the word ‘failure’ because did you really fail? Probably not, because even if you didn’t get the thing you thought you wanted, you still learned something along the way. Therefore, there is still a success in each action, so there’s no true failure.”
Affirmations can also be used to get out of the shame spiral or to stop you from giving up on yourself. Hallie shared these affirmations to help move forward. “Even if you didn’t get the thing you wanted, you can still say: I am successful. I am abundant. I am resilient. I will find another way. I allow my failures to provide me insight so that I can grow. All of these words become powerful when it comes to self-acceptance, self-compassion, and self-love.”
Insights on how to stop limiting beliefs
But what if the truth of the affirmation isn’t quite “true” yet? Hallie said she has been asked this question many times: “How do I write or say an affirmation that I don’t quite believe yet? I don’t want to fake it until I make it.”
Hallie share these insights. “You always have to feel truthful about whatever it is you are saying in your affirmation. So maybe you need to baby step it and find a happy medium.”
“For example: if someone is really struggling with self-love, when they look in the mirror they might not be able to say to themselves, ‘I love you’ or ‘I am love.’ It might have too much cognitive dissonance so it won’t resonate. They’ll feel like an imposter and it’s not going to work.”
“But – if they can meet themselves in the middle, take a deep breath, and have some self-compassion by saying, ‘Okay, maybe I don’t love myself yet, but I’m sure I can find something I like about myself.’ Then look in the mirror and say something they do like: ‘Well, I like that I have a nice smile’ or ‘I like that I am a good friend’ or ‘I like that I am a hard worker.’ Saying any of those can be a good way to start.”
The key is finding the words that resonate with you in that moment. “Know that the more you say it, the more it will become true because you truly create what you affirm. When you’re ready to say ‘I love you’ then you are – but if you’re not ready, find something that steps you up into that.”
How to start saying affirmations
Hallie gives these suggestions of beginning the practice of saying affirmations:
- Start each day with affirmations.
- By starting the day with an affirmation (or intention), you will have a greater chance to achieve what it is you desire.
- Whatever that desire is, you have the opportunity to achieve it by using the power of positivity and affirmations.
- Tell yourself you are strong and powerful each day. This will help you feel confident and ready to take on difficult projects, stand up for yourself, and combat daily stress.
- This is absolutely essential: You have to take ACTION and consciously and consistently use affirmations each day to create the changes you desire.
“Each day is special and unique because it is a new day and you have the opportunity to make it the best day possible,” Hallie said. “Further, if that day sucks, the good news is that (hopefully), you will have a new chance tomorrow to do it all over again and make any change you desire.”
Start now
With the right mindset, using positive affirmations can be life-changing. Start now – you don’t have to wait for a certain day to begin. Saying and believing affirmations can be the beginning of dreams being fulfilled.