In other articles I discuss the importance of shaping our attitudes (habits of thought) and talk about using affirmations as one of the more effective tools for making changes in our thinking patterns.
This skill article is not about what affirmations are or using them (please read those other articles), but offers basic guidelines for writing effective affirmations.
Powerful Affirmations
Use the First Person
Always write positive affirmations in the first person. Most of the time you will begin your affirmation with the first person personal pronoun, “I.”
The purpose of an affirmation is not to state a truth but to state a personal choice of attitude or behavior. For example, “I pay off the entire balance on my credit card every month.”
Powerful Affirmations
Are Declarative
Write positive affirmations in simple declarative sentences. Leave out the adjectives and adverbs, certainly the conditional “if”, “may,” or “I would like to.”
When constructed and used properly (brief, positive and to the point) you will spend less time saying your affirmations and no time raising doubts about your intentions.
Powerful Affirmations
Use the Present Tense
Always use the present tense for your positive affirmations. For example your affirmation might read, “I save ten percent of my income every month.”
Probably writing positive affirmations in the present tense is the hardest part for most people. We tend to think that because we are not doing it now it should be written in the future tense.
Powerful Affirmations
Anticipate Behavior
We should only use affirmations when we have made a commitment to make them come true and when we are taking steps to make them happen. But don't get hung up on the apparent truthfulness of the statement beyond that.
In this case we are using the sentence as a tool to shape our subconscious mind. Just as the hammer is not true or false, positive affirmations are not either. But affirmations can help construct a mindset that will move us forward in a powerful way.
Use Affirmations to Shape Attitudes
Writing affirmations is a skill but using them primarily relates to attitudes. I discuss how to use affirmations in an article in the Attitude section titled, Basic Money Affirmations—Change the Way You think About Money.
When written properly, positive powerful affirmations can be one of the most effective tools in our success with money arsenal. Use these skills to write your own powerful affirmations.
We can use affirmations to change the way we think about money which will in turn change the way we act. When we change the way we act relative to money we will change our financial future.
