Introduction To Positive Affirmations

article written on the 11th of May 2007 by Lee Nutter

Question: With positive affirmations, how long before I get the results and how many times a day should I use an affirmation if I would like to see results in just a few days?

My Response: How long an affirmation takes to work depends on what it is you are trying to resolve and how you apply them. Some issues are harder to work through than others, some issues can be resolved almost immediately providing you are conscious of them. Affirmations help you keep your goal in mind so you can move towards it.

For affirmations to work, they need to be positive, specific and in the present. For example if you are lacking in self confidence, you would not say ‘I am not nervous’ you would instead say ‘I am confident!’ notice the specific positive (confident - your goal, instead of nervous - what you want to move away from) and the present (am instead of will be)

When you use affirmations, you have to use them throughout the day. Whenever you have a chance you should be writing them down or saying them to yourself. As you reach your goals you may choose to use another affirmation to help in another area and only use your previous affirmation on occasion to serve as a reminder.

Question: For a positive affirmation to be effective should I have to be in a quiet place with a restful state of mind and body to be effective or can use this affirmation any anywhere any time?

My Response: You should use the affirmation whenever you get the chance, and especially when you need it. For me this is when I am frustrated or hot headed. I stop for a second, and I repeat my affirmations to myself (my current ones are about being cool and collected, and about my work being deeply satisfying)

So whilst you may be most open to yourself when you are in a restful state, you basically just need to remind yourself of your goals in the heat of the moment. Use the affirmations throughout the day, first thing in a morning when you are fresh and awake, during a break at work, and when you get home perhaps after some meditation. But definitely when you feel yourself moving away from your goal, stop, and repeat the affirmation to yourself. If possible write it down.

Question: If I say I will win lottery today it means that I will win the lottery?

My Response: Winning the lottery is more intention manifestation than affirmation, there is an article on bmindful about it, but it is really outside the scope of affirmations.

Question: I want to know how many affirmation I can say in a day?

My Response: In my opinion, you should choose a few affirmations at a time, and use them for at least a few weeks. You can use as many as you want, but I do believe that every time you add another affirmation, it decreases the effectiveness of the other affirmations - as you say, there are only so many things you can have going on in your head at the one time. The idea is to internalize the affirmation and make it part of who you are, I believe the fewer affirmations you have, the quicker this will happen.