"I nourish my body with just the right amount of healthy, nutritious foods."
"I am a loving husband and father who lives a high-quality life."
"My work is helping people get the most out of life."
These are a few of the affirmations I say to myself each day. Over the past twenty years, I have read dozens of books, listened to hundreds of tapes, and attended countless seminars to help me grow both personally and professionally. One of the lessons I frequently heard in my studies, was to use the power of affirmations to be, do and have what I most want in life. I didn’t really buy it. I thought, "How can just saying some words to myself over and over make any difference in my life?" Now I know different.
Over the past few years I have experimented with affirmations. I’ve followed the timeless lessons: Write them down, phrase them in positive language, say them throughout the day, etc. Now I find myself praising the benefits of this "Success Ritual" with my coaching clients, when I speak, and when I write. (I’m actually doing it right now)
Tony Collette, a major contributor in the field of autosuggestion, defines affirmations as "positive statements about yourself or a situation spoken in the first person and present tense. They describe what you want to be, what you want to have, how you want to live."
If you want to be, do and have what you want most in life, I strongly suggest you add affirmations to your daily success habits.
ACTION IDEA:
Write out at least three affirmations based on your goals or on qualities you wish to further develop in yourself. Write them in positive language (not "I won’t…" or "I don’t…"). Read them when you wake up, before every meal, and right before you go to bed. Do this consistently for 30 days and notice how affirmations can work for you.