Positive Thinking: The Power of Daily Affirmations
“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” ~ Paulo Coelho
What are daily affirmations? The word affirmation derives from the Latin term affirmare, meaning “to make steady, strengthen.” Affirmations are defined as emotional support or encouragement. Daily affirmations are described as positive phrases a person repeats to the self to bring truth or validity to a want or desire.
Why have a daily affirmations practice? It plays a crucial role in forging a path toward our futures. Of course, thoughts alone won’t make our dreams come true. But they can, and will, bring us closer to manifesting our intentions.
How does practising daily affirmations get us closer to manifesting our dreams? Thoughts will eventually turn into actions, and those actions will lead to manifestation. For these reasons, it is very important to choose our words carefully as the intention should always be to cultivate our highest good. When practised daily, affirmations streamline our thoughts and leave us truly believing that anything is possible. Better yet? When done daily, they leave us with the reassurance that nothing is impossible.
“Affirmations are proven methods of self-improvement because of their ability to rewire our brains,” says clinical psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Carmen Harra. “Much like exercise, they raise the level of feel-good hormones and push our brains to form new clusters of ‘positive thought’ neurons.” Affirmations break down negative thought patterns. In turn, patterns of negative speech become broken which leads to a break in negative actions.
“No words are empty words,” continues Dr. Harra. “As every syllable we speak engages energy towards or against us.” As you move through each day, focus on removing negative “I can’t” or “I won’t” statements. Replace them with positive “I can” or “I will” statements. For example, you might be thinking to yourself “I can’t keep working for this company!” Instead, shift your thoughts to a positive mindset. Tell yourself “I will find another job.” Negative thoughts attract negativity. Positive thoughts attract positivity.
Here are a few affirmations to choose from when you’re ready to begin your daily practice:
I am courageous and I stand up for myself.
I possess the qualities needed to be extremely successful.
I acknowledge my own self-worth; my confidence is soaring.
I am conquering my illness; I am defeating it steadily each day.
Though these times are difficult, they are only a short phase of life.
I wake up today with strength in my heart and clarity in my mind.
My life is just beginning.
Of course, above are suggestions only. They may act as a springboard to creating your own personalized affirmations. The great thing about this kind of positive-thinking practice is that it can be done anywhere, anytime, and in less than a minute each day—so long as you focus on your intentions in that moment.
It is important to cultivate a positive mindset to help you achieve your goals. As you practise positive affirmations, you’ll feel your confidence strengthen as your dreams start to manifest.
Be kind to you.