Living through life with issues such as low self-esteem, depression, guilt or lack in confidence comes with a long list of challenges. We only get one life so it’s important to make the most out of it. However, that’s a bit hard to do when suffering from any of the previously mentioned obstacles. Luckily, there is an answer and it is likely easier than most people would think. Affirmations may be the key you have been searching for to open the door to your new life!
Check out this article on affirmations from Mind Tools.
“I’m never going to be able to do this job; I’m just not smart enough.”
“Why does my boss want me to present at the trade show? I’m a terrible public speaker, and I’ll just embarrass the company.”
“I wish I could stick up for myself at work; in every meeting, I let the others walk over my ideas. I’m never going to get ahead.”
Many of us have negative thoughts like these, sometimes on a regular basis. When we have these thoughts, our confidence, mood and outlook become negative too.
The problem with these negative thoughts is that they can be self-fulfilling. Inside our heads, we talk ourselves into believing that we’re not good enough. And, because of this, these thoughts drag down our personal lives, our relationships, and our careers. This is why consciously doing the opposite – using positive affirmations – can be helpful. In this article, we’ll explore how you can use affirmations to drive positive change, both in your career, and in your life in general.
Why Use Affirmations?
Affirmations are positive, specific statements that help you to overcome self-sabotaging, negative thoughts. They help you visualize, and believe in, what you’re affirming to yourself, helping you to make positive changes to your life and career.
While there’s limited research into the effectiveness of using affirmations in a general setting, there is evidence that the use of positive affirmations can successfully treat people with low self-esteem, depression, and other mental health conditions.
When to Use Positive Affirmations
You can use affirmations in any situation where you’d like to see a positive change take place. These might include times when you want to:
•Raise your confidence before presentations or important meetings.
•Control negative feelings such as frustration, anger, or impatience.
•Improve your self-esteem.
•Finish projects you’ve started.
•Improve your productivity.
Affirmations are often more effective when they’re paired with other positive thinking and goal-setting techniques.
For instance, affirmations work particularly well alongside visualization – instead of just picturing the change we’d like to see with visualization, we’re also saying it aloud using a positive affirmation.
Affirmations are also useful when setting personal goals . Once you’ve identified the goals you’d like to achieve in the short and long term, you can use positive affirmations to help keep yourself motivated in order to achieve them.
How to Use Affirmations
Remember – affirmations are positive statements that help you challenge and overcome negative thinking and self-sabotaging behaviors . They’re usually short, positive statements that target a specific area, behavior, or belief that you’re struggling with.
Start by thinking of the areas of your life you’d like to change. For instance, do you wish you had more patience? Or deeper relationships with your friends or colleagues? Or do you want a more productive workday?
Write down several areas or behaviors you’d like to work on. Then, for each of these, come up with a positive, present-tense statement you can repeat to yourself several times a day.
It’s also important that your affirmation is credible, believable, and based on a realistic assessment of fact. For instance, imagine you feel bad about the level of pay you’re currently receiving. So you begin to use affirmations to raise your confidence about asking for an increase. However, it probably wouldn’t be wise to affirm to yourself that you’re going to double your salary: for most people, and most organizations, doubling what you’re earning in one go just isn’t feasible. Keep it realistic!
After all, if you can’t believe the affirmations you’re repeating to yourself, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll have any impact on your life.
Image Credit: pickthebrain
To read more of this article and get some helpful tips, Mind Tools
