The Power of Affirmations ✨

This year, I've been going to therapy.

I've learnt so much along the way, but there's one topic we covered that changed everything for me. As we grow up and find our way in the world, naturally we adopt beliefs that become self-fulfilling prophecies. Our minds create these belief systems with the best of intentions, to help protect us and navigate the world in a way that keeps us from harms way,. but, the trouble is, as we get older these belief systems gradually stop becoming useful and eventually begin to hold us back...introducing, limiting beliefs.

We've all adopted a number of limiting beliefs, and we may not even realise it, mindlessly reinforcing these adopted beliefs for years and years without a second thought. However, it is by challenging these beliefs that we can truly open the doors to changing and evolving into the person we want to be. A majority of us all believe we could improve ourselves, but if you've ever tried to change yourself, you know just how difficult it can be.

As we grow, it seems aspects of our personalities become fundamental to who we identify as, never questioning the idea that we may actually be able to change qualities in ourselves that we don’t necessarily like. For example, growing up I knew I was very temperamental, never needing much to get me riled up and annoyed/frustrated/ angry with a situation that most likely didn’t deserve that much of a reaction.

I made excuses throughout my life for my temper, explaining it was just who I was and I couldn't change it. Wrong. It's not that I couldn’t change it. It was more so that I didn’t actually have the right tools to do so.

I thought simply committing to changing this behaviour would be enough and I would seemingly be a new person overnight. I half expected to be like a yogi, waking up the following morning with all the peace and serenity of a Buddhist that had spent months in the mountains, taking a vow of silence and now only speaking when they have incredible life-changing wisdom to pass on. Ha. Ha. That definitely didn’t happen.

Whilst I vowed to control my temper, it seemed that now I was more frustrated than ever, simply because I would be punishing myself for feeling the slightest bit annoyed. Expecting to make such a drastic change overnight is impossible, i was setting myself up for failure. If only I knew then what I knew now.

Changing yourself is far more complicated than simply vowing to make a change. It takes a huge amount of work - with most of it being internal. Whether your goal is to change aspects of your personality or your physical appearance, the reason you haven’t been able to change anything until now is all down to your individual belief systems. With work, change is possible - you just need the right tools.

How to Change Yourself: The Way That Works

If you know there are aspects of yourself that you’d like to change, we’ve created a short, practical guide for you to help you identify your belief systems and start taking the steps to really begin to make a change. If I could finally learn to control my temper, believe me, this will definitely work for you too.

1. Figure out what you'd like to change

First, you’ll need to get really specific about what it is that you want to change. Maybe start with something small if this is your first time using affirmations. For example, one thing you might want to change is being too shy in new surroundings. Maybe you struggle with speaking to strangers. You might dread networking events, or even ordering your food at restaurants. Speaking to strangers is definitely not something you’re comfortable with and you may have grown to accept that you are ‘just shy’. This is definitely an aspect of yourself that you can change and we will show you how. Keep reading.

2. Identify the core beliefs surrounding this

Now, let’s take the same example from the previous step. What core beliefs could you have regarding your shyness? You may believe that you are just naturally shy and that there is no way this will ever change. This might run even deeper than just shyness. This may tie into your overall beliefs around the world. Maybe another core belief you have is that people are not actually very nice and it’s probably safer to keep to yourself. You may also believe that people are not actually interested in what you have to say. There will be many reasons for why we may have adopted this belief, but let’s start by simply identifying all the reasons that support this belief system . There are no right or wrong answers, by the way, as this is entirely different for everybody.

3. Write out your new core beliefs

‘I’m shy and this will never change. It’s just who I am’

Looking at the above core belief, there is one thing that screams out as to why you may not be able to change this belief. It’s limiting! There is absolutely no room to grow or develop with this core belief. It’s very firm in its stance, making it seem as though the idea of you ever becoming less shy is not even a possibility.

However, beliefs are actually malleable. They can grow, change or even be disposed of. Your core beliefs at the age of 21 do not have to be the same core beliefs you hold at 30.

Look back at your list of core beliefs and begin writing new beliefs that you would like to adopt.

For example, if you struggle with shyness, a new core belief could be ‘I'm not shy, I'm just thoughtful about what I want to say’, or ‘people want to hear what I have to say’. You can even create new beliefs such as 'when I speak, I command attention in the room.' Have fun with your new belief systems. Even if you don’t necessarily believe all your new beliefs, just have fun with this stage and get creative. Ask yourself what someone who has the quality you'd like would think. What core beliefs would they have?

4. Recite them daily

Once you have your list of new core beliefs, get ready to turn them into affirmations ✨

The way you carry out this step is entirely up to you, but essentially, all you need to do now is to recite your new core beliefs daily. Whether you choose to do this first thing in the morning or last thing at night, it is all down to preference.

Personally, I like to recite my affirmations first thing in the morning while I’m getting ready for the day. Studies show that we are much more impressionable first thing in the morning and just before we fall asleep, with our subconscious becoming much more susceptible to anything we expose it to during this time.

Since I’ve started working with affirmations, I can attest to their power. They are so incredibly helpful, and can be absolutely life changing. I’ve been experimenting with affirmations for the past few years, but I’ve only recently started to use them consistently.

Within 2 weeks, I found myself happier, calmer, less temperamental and overall, in a much better place. But, you don’t have to take my word for it. Try it for yourself and review over 2 -3 weeks. By then, you should begin to see some changes in yourself. Then it only becomes a matter of continuing with affirmations till you truly begin to believe these new belief systems - and suddenly, your old belief systems are a thing of the past…

Have you tried working with affirmations before? What’s your experience been like? Leave a comment down below and share your journey with others.

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