Module 2: Worth - How to use positive affirmation
In Module 2, you discussed what is self-worth and how to build self-confidence.
One of the most useful ways to build self-confidence is to use positive affirmations, and in this article we are going to share with you some tips on how to use positive affirmations.
Language matters. Use positive words to finish the sentence.
If you’re not familiar with this way of thinking, it may be easy for you to write an affirmation using double negatives, such as “I am not afraid of failure”. Positive affirmation as its name suggests, focuses on creating a positive impression on you and your subconscious mind. Instead of using double negatives, try to rephrase it into something like this “I embrace failures, I learn from them”.
Trust matters. Build trust and confidence in your statement gradually.
Let’s be honest, sometimes we don’t really trust and believe in the positive statement we created, because it’s “too good to be true”. For instance, if someone writes “I am living my dream” but in reality the reason why they even wrote this statement is that they are unsatisfied with their current position. How can they truly believe in their affirmation?
Luckily the solution is easy. Assess where you are in achieving your goal, instead of stating the end result, use affirmations that corresponds with you current progress. “I set goals to live my dream”, “I achieve my dream step by step”, “I am closer to my dream every single day” upgrade your statement every time you feel you have achieve a milestone, eventually you’d be saying “I am living my dream”.
Voice matters. Speak it out to yourself.
In your room, speak your affirmations out to yourself, it doesn’t have to be loud, but you need to be able to hear your voice. If you tend to overthink, speaking things out would be very useful for you because it allows you to focus on the present moment and bypass the judgements your mind may have on your affirmations.
Repetition matters. Do it regularly.
Repetition is essential to any learning experience. As you create and read your positive affirmations, you are also learning to see yourself in a positive light and build confidence in yourself, so make it part of daily/ weekly routine to have a conversation with yourself.
It’s okay to be not okay, you don’t need to be positive all the time.
Positive affirmations are means of self-love, and should not be something that forces you to push aside negative emotions. Only you know when you are ready to do some rewiring of your belief system, and when you are just tired and need to rest. Building a relationship with yourself includes not only giving yourself the recognition, it also includes making space for your negative emotions to be expressed and accepted.