Reconsidering Positive Affirmations
A new approach to positive affirmations with How and Why
I’ve never been a big fan of positive affirmations. You know the ones – positive phrases you’re suppose to repeat to yourself that describe how you want to be. The idea is that with repetition you start to believe them, and eventually they become a self fulfilling prophecy but it sounded too much like voodoo to me. Then I read Hal Elrod’s “Miracle Morning” book. His take on positive affirmations really resonated with me so I reconsidered.
With this new approach, I think about HOW I can achieve the desired outcome I’m committed to and WHY. Here are a few examples from my current affirmations. They’re still evolving but I find them incredibly helpful to remind me of what I want to do and why.
Business:
- How: I prioritize my tasks each day and stay focused on those things that are the most urgent and that achieve my top 3-5 goals. Throughout the day, I will ask myself if what I’m doing meets this criteria.
- Why: I do this to stay focused on what will drive the success of my business so I can help more people and enjoy a more sustainable and thriving business with less worry and stress.
Family:
- How: I intentionally spend quality time with my family, remembering to be grateful for them, to build them up and show my appreciation.
- Why: I do this to build strong, healthy connections with them because my relationship with my daughter and husband are so important to me.
Balance:
- How: I adjust the amount of time and energy I give to the different areas of my life (work, family, physical, emotional, and spiritual health, etc.) as needed and am intentional and sensitive about the current situation of each one, recognizing that there will be constant fluctuation.
- Why: Living my life with balance between my work, my family, my physical, emotional and spiritual health is important to my quality of life and overall happiness.
I definitely notice that saying these phrases out loud and focusing on their meaning and impact is important to really feel my “Why.” Just as a reminder, these are a few examples of areas I am working on. I do NOT have these perfected by any means.
What positive affirmations could you design with a “How” and “Why” to try these next two weeks? Let me know how it goes.
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Tina Hallis, Ph.D. is Chief Positivity Officer of The Positive Edge, a company dedicated to helping people and organizations increase their positivity to improve the quality of people’s work lives and the quality of company cultures. She is certified in Positive Psychology, an authorized partner for Everything DiSC®, and a Professional Member of the National Speaker’s Association.