How Positive Affirmations assist with Incremental Changes
Positive affirmations can be a helpful tool in supporting incremental changes because they can help shift your mindset and beliefs about yourself, which in turn can impact your behaviours and actions.
I’d love to share my experience and show you how you can choose affirmations to help make the changes you want in your life.
Positive affirmations help with anchoring
If you have read my book, She Energy, you would have seen my vision board journey.
Essentially, I had to re-wire what I was telling myself. I have always been naturally positive and sought for solutions rather than excuses.
As a teacher and coach, I naturally gravitate towards being a cheerleader.
I needed to be my biggest cheerleader.
Belief in myself
Here’s a story for you: when I was 9 years old, my dad came back from a conference he had been on and gave me a printed copy of a document (now known as an e-book) that was called “You can do it”.
My dad had obviously noticed my change in belief in myself.
However, I did not read this document straight away. In fact, I did not read this document until I was 15 after my hormones had settled right down.
I remember laughing to myself that I really should have read it when my dad gave it to me because I have learnt what it had said without reading it and it would have fast-tracked what I had to learn by myself if I had just read it.
But would it have really?
The title ‘You can do it’ was actually enough - all I needed to believe that I could do it. I just became aware of the process (and what the document outlined) after going through the process myself time and time again. ‘I can do it’ is an automatic positive affirmation that has fuelled a lot of my achievements over time.
So, one of my first positive affirmations that went on my vision board was ‘I can do it’.
How to start with positive affirmations
I have trialled different ways to introduce new positive affirmations into my sub-conscious brain.
For example, when I wanted to make huge changes to my thoughts, I started to write positive affirmations on post-it-notes and carry the note around me with me for the day.
Then every time I reached into my pocket, I could pull it out and say the affirmation either out loud or just in my head.
I also have positive affirmation cards that I pull to give me new inspiration of the different ways I can think. I love to do this with my kids as well and I even have a deck for them.
The reason this works is because when we give our brains something to connect to and a different way of thinking, it looks for the ways to reinforce this thinking and as an effect, we end up feeling or experiencing something that makes us feel this way.
My latest vision board has a variety of positive affirmations all over it and I have made it part of my daily rituals to read them. I love when my inner mean girl brings something to my attention and then I respond back with a positive affirmation.
Incremental changes over time
Let’s look more at how positive affirmations can assist with incremental changes:
Enhancing self-belief
When you repeat positive affirmations that reinforce your abilities, strengths, and potential, it can boost your self-belief and confidence.
This increased self-confidence can help you take small steps towards your goals with a positive mindset, even when facing challenges or setbacks along the way.
Cultivating a positive mindset
Positive affirmations can help you develop a positive mindset, which can be crucial for sustaining incremental changes.
By focusing on positive affirmations, you can shift your attention away from negative self-talk or self-doubt, and instead, cultivate a more optimistic and empowering perspective.
Strengthening motivation
Staying motivated can be challenging when you're working towards long-term goals that require consistent effort over time.
Positive affirmations can serve as a reminder of your goals, why they are important to you, and the progress you have made so far. They can help reignite your motivation and reinforce your commitment to making incremental changes.
Promoting positive self-talk
Incremental changes require patience and self-compassion, as progress may not always be linear.
Positive affirmations can encourage positive self-talk and self-compassion, which can help you stay kind and patient with yourself as you work towards your goals. They can counteract negative self-talk or self-criticism that may arise when facing challenges or setbacks, and instead, promote a more nurturing and supportive internal dialogue.
Personalise your affirmations
Remember to personalise your affirmations to align with your specific goals and needs, and use them in conjunction with other strategies, such as visualization, vision boards, and consistent action, to support your journey towards positive change.
Ready for more?
Looking for a coaching package that will suit you in your quest for understanding? Please follow this link and choose from the options https://www.jessicaterlick.com.au/work-with-me
And if you are looking for a deeper understanding of who you truly are, and learn how to get in touch with your energy, you can buy my book, She Energy here.