Each of us develops a unique internal narrative over time. That narrative can nurture you as you aim for personal growth, or it can actively hold you back. Affirmations are one of many powerful tools you can use to become the person you'd love to be — and by writing your own, you take charge of your own journey. Here's how you can get started with writing effective affirmations that can transform your life.
Basics of Writing Affirmations
An affirmative response is one that validates or confirms — answering a question with a resounding "affirmative!" simply, of course, means "yes!". Affirmations are short positive statements written with the aim of playing a very similar role in your life.
Some people believe that they can invite positive cosmic energy into their lives with affirmations. By actively choosing to engage in positive, productive, and happy thoughts, they believe they can attract (or manifest) more positivity based on the law of attraction (like attracts like).
Others use affirmations as a way to break a negative thought cycle they have been stuck in. Countering excessively critical negative self-talk with more realistic positive thoughts can help you rebuild your self-image. Affirmations can be used not only to feel better about yourself, but also to change the way you live.
Countless books contain beautiful and helpful affirmations that you can simply "help yourself to" and apply in your own life — and indeed, you can definitely pick up nice affirmations from meditation classes, as well. Why write your own?
Affirmations you write yourself are uniquely powerful because:
- You write them yourself — for yourself.
- As such, you can tailor your affirmations to your life circumstances and your goals for the future.
- Even in writing affirmations, you have to actively consider your goals, and to envision the path ahead of you. This can be an extremely powerful spiritual exercise.
Many people who actively engage with affirmations are spiritually-minded, but you absolutely don't have to be spiritual to put affirmations to work in your life. Think about it — your own voice is the most powerful one in your mind. It is only logical that what it tells you affects your outcomes.
Is your voice currently telling you that you are not good enough, that you can't do it, that your life is burdened by obstacles and you will never be able to move forward? It is lying to you. Make it stop, and start giving yourself the credit you deserve.
How to Write Affirmations
Anyone can get started with writing their own affirmations. While your own process will be unique, you can allow this process to inspire you:
- Sit down in a comfortable, peaceful, space — a nice cup of tea can help, as can some relaxing music.
- Many people purchase special notebooks or journals in which they can jot their handwritten affirmations down. However, if a powerful affirmation comes to you in the shower or on the road, feel free to write it down on your phone or a post-it note so you don't forget it!
- Write your affirmations in the present tense. Don't say that you are "going to" be successful, brave, or happy, as that simply reinforces the idea that you are not there yet. Instead, tell yourself that you are already there.
- In crafting affirmations, be realistic and specific enough for the affirmations to have meaning. "I am a billionaire" will probably make you feel silly. "I am competent and successful in my daily tasks" is much better!
- For your affirmations to truly work on your inner self, don't use action verbs — use the most powerful verb, which affirms your state of being. Instead of "I study hard every day", try "I am a hard worker and I am grateful to have the opportunity to study", for instance.
- Remember? Affirmations are all about the positive. Don't make them about what you're not, but about what you are. Instead of "I don't smoke" (which contains the negative "don't"), opt for "I love my body and I nurture my health".
- Affirmations are your own personal growth tool. They should be about you, and not other people in your life. Instead of "I treat my exceptionally irritating boss with kindness", for example, try "I am a team player. I love working with and learning from all kinds of people".
- You should be able to turn to the affirmations you write for yourself whenever you need them. Your affirmations should therefore be simple and fairly short. You should be able to remember your affirmations easily.
Once you have those guiding principles down, there are no rules. You don't have to stick with affirmations that tackle similar areas of life as those you have heard before or seen in books. The affirmations you write can be about anything — as long as that thing genuinely matters to you.
As you try your hand at penning your first couple of affirmations, make sure that they work in your life. Do you feel that you should be aiming to be a tidier, more organized person, for instance, but are those areas honestly not that important to you? Do you instead wish that you had more close friends in your life? That's fine — roll with it.
Some people rely on just a few affirmations in their daily lives. Others have a whole list. Both are fine, as long as it works for you.
By the way, don't let your own fear of feeling silly as you chant your affirmations (mentally or even aloud) stop you. If your creative process led you to affirmations that you deeply identify with, you have arrived at your destination. The more often you use your affirmations, the more real and powerful they will start to feel. After a while, you will no longer feel silly. You will feel a rush of energy and the power of transformation at work.
Examples of Powerful Affirmations
As you write affirmations for yourself, it can help to take a look at some examples of powerful affirmations — so here are some ideas. Remember, though, that the best affirmations are both unique to you and aimed at helping you reach a specific goal.
Examples of Job-Related Affirmations
- I am a valued member of the team.
- I am hard-working, competent, and efficient.
- I reach the goals that I set for myself.
- I give my job my full energy. I do my best.
- I am a successful professional.
- I belong here.
- I am grateful to have a wonderful job that inspires me every day.
- I support my amazing coworkers, and my amazing coworkers support me in all that I do. Together, we can achieve anything!
Examples of Love-Related Affirmations
- I love and I am loved.
- I am so excited to meet the wonderful, kind, beautiful people who are yet to appear on my path.
- I am happy to be surrounded by loved ones.
- I am so excited to meet the love of my life.
- I am a wonderful person and I deserve love.
- I deserve to be loved. The man/woman of my dreams is lucky to have me.
- I am grateful to have an amazing family and kind friends.
- I am a hot, smart, and funny person, and everyone who meets me loves me.
Examples of Money-Related Affirmations
- Money effortlessly flows in my direction. I am grateful to have more than I need.
- I am hard-working and get paid generously for my work.
- I am rewarded for the unique contributions I make.
- I have everything I need, now and always.
- I trust myself. I am competent and deserve the wealth I have.
- My bank account is healthy and my home is beautiful. I am so lucky.
- I am powerful and brave! I am in control. I decide where my career goes, and I am rewarded with wealth.
Examples of Success-Related Affirmations
- I am the captain of my own ship, and it takes me to wondrous places.
- I am successful. I will stop at nothing. I will achieve my goals.
- I keep going until I reach my goal. I can achieve anything!
- I am so proud of the successful life I have built for myself. I look forward to the next chapter of my life.
- I know that I can keep going. I've made it this far.
- I am pretty amazing, and pretty amazing people do pretty amazing things.
- I am so excited to see where my path leads me next, because I know it is going to be beautiful!
- I choose success. I deserve everything I get.
- I am so grateful that my success gives me the freedom to do anything I like.
Examples of Weight Loss Affirmations
- I embrace my wonderful, healthy, and strong body.
- I nourish my body with healthy foods that I love, and my body thanks me.
- I am comfortable in my body. My body serves me well.
- My body is amazing. It can do great things.
- Looking after my body is a breeze. My body listens to me.
- I am beautiful, healthy, and strong. I am proud of myself when I look in the mirror.
- I reach my goals, and every day, I am amazed at the progress I am making.
- I look great in anything I choose to wear. I am so proud of myself!
- My body is perfect the way it is.
Examples of Affirmations for Stress Management
- I choose comfort. I choose peace. I choose happiness.
- I am good enough the way I am. My efforts are valued and I am proud of myself.
- I am powerful. I can handle anything that comes my way.
- Positive energy flows into my body. I am at peace.
- I am a tiger. I am brave.
- The universe always looks out for me, and everything will be OK.
Tips on How to Make Affirmations Work
Once you write a set of powerful affirmations that are just perfect for you, you have already built up impressive momentum. You have already invited the power of positivity into your life. You know what you need, and you know that you can get there.
The next stage lies in putting those affirmations to good use. How? Here are some tips:
- Many people wonder whether they should write affirmations in a journal or chant them. Both are valid choices, and some will combine the two approaches.
- Many also want to know how often they should interact with their affirmations. This depends on the nature of the affirmation. Affirmations that touch on an overarching goal, such as weight loss or success, can be repeated at least three times of the day, during important moments such as after waking up and before going to bed. Affirmations related to specific situations can be held in your mind when they are relevant. If you feel pressured at work, repeat affirmations before an important task or on your way to work. Repetition will allow you to more easily become the person you have decided to be.
- If, after sitting with an affirmation for a while, you find that it simply does not feel right, feel free to scrap it or rewrite it. You should grow into your affirmations, and discover that they are increasingly in line with the person you are. When that doesn't happen, go back to the drawing board.
- If you are going to chant your affirmations, also be mindful of the way they feel on your tongue. Your affirmations should flow, and should be filled with positive words like accomplished, active, happy, proud, peace, positive, success, powerful, exciting, and health.
FAQs
How do you write very powerful affirmations?
Your most powerful affirmations will flow to you from an open heart and a state of honesty with yourself.
What is the best time for doing affirmations?
That depends on your goals. You will want to check in with your affirmations during key moments of the day — when you first wake up, on your way to an important meeting, as you are about to have lunch, before you pick your kids up from school, during your nightly meditation sessions.
How long should affirmations be?
Some affirmations are extremely short, while others are lengthy. The best affirmations are generally short and simple. They get straight to the point.
Do you need a special book to write your affirmations in?
No. Many people choose to buy special, and beautiful, notebooks for their affirmations, but if you don't have one yet, you can still write affirmations.
What color to write affirmations in?
Affirmations invite positivity, and positive colors such as orange, yellow, red, and purple work well.
How to use your affirmations?
Use your affirmations to allow yourself to be inspired from within. Don't overthink them. Trust the process.
How to write affirmations for others?
You can write effective affirmations for a "general audience" by sticking to statements that most people will be able to connect with on a deeper level. Everyone wants to be loved, healthy, comfortable, and respected, for instance. You can write affirmations for people close to you, as a gift, only if you know them deeply.
Is there scientific proof that affirmations really work?
Indeed! Just head over to Google Scholar and search for "affirmations" to gain access to over 10 pages of studies, of varying qualities, that examine the power of affirmations. Affirmations are a key tool in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This is the form of therapy that has been proven to be most widely beneficial to people dealing with a multitude of challenges, ranging from depression to eating disorders. Its key focus lies in correcting the erroneous thought patterns we saddle ourselves with. Affirmations can help to build a more realistic, and positive, self-image, which can lead to tangible improvements in our quality of life.