A lot of people claim that they experience positive changes in their lives after they started practicing self affirmations. That whatever they affirm for really becomes a reality. Sounds good, but the problem is there are many others who say the opposite! Many say that affirmations don’t work and they don’t see any results from it.
Why is this so? How come some people experience success with it while others don’t?
Before we get into that, let us know what self affirmation is first. Doing self affirmations means to repetitively affirm to yourself the thing that you desire to have or achieve. It is done by just saying out the affirmation repeatedly. Somewhat similar to reciting or chanting. Self affirmations can be done for anything you desire.
Have a look at this example of a positive self affirmation;
- “Everyday in every way I am getting healthier and healthier”
Just a simple statement like that is fine. Or lose the “everyday in every way”. Just go something like “I am becoming…….”.
Affirmations are made with statements ‘I am’, ‘I can’ and ‘I will’. Like “I am confident” or “I can be confident” etc.
What Makes Affirmations Work?
Self affirmations works because of the power of intention. Even though affirmations seem like is it just talk and no action, there is actually more to it. Practicing affirmations signals your intention to the universe. When you do that the universe will conspire to help you.
Our brains cannot differentiate between reality and something that is imagined vividly. Intellectually we know the difference, but the brain accepts both as reality. The more intense and real the imagination, the more the brain will accept it as real. This is the same when doing affirmations. The more intensity and emotion you put into it, the stronger the affirmation becomes. Then the brain will then accept that affirmation as reality.
The more you repeatedly chant the affirmations, the more ‘real’ it becomes to the brain.
If that is so, why does it not work for some people?
So why is it many people say that self affirmations are ineffective? Is it because the power of intention is not real? Or does the brain actually feel that what you’re affirming does not reflect the truth?
The following 2 reasons are the main cause of why self affirmations do not work for some people.
First of all it is because they are doing the affirmations the wrong way, without any power, passion, intensity or emotion. If you chant affirmations in a weak and non-enthusiastic manner, it will never work. That statement will not be accepted by your brain or the universe. There is no power of intention in it. Don’t practice affirmations just for the sake of it, don’t just go through the motions with it. Do it correctly, which is with belief and power.
The other reason is because there is no congruency after practicing the affirmation. People expect that practicing affirmations will solve all their problems. But the truth is they must put in effort to work together with it. Staying congruent is important for affirmations to work.
That is the mind-set to have when it comes to practicing affirmations. Affirmations should not be considered as the end all solution. We must work with it. Be determined to help the affirmation take effect by putting in the effort to change our lives to reflect the affirmation.
