What do successful salespeople, entrepreneurs, bestselling authors, and Olympic athletes have in common? They all know that a positive mindset, focused on specific goals, and anchored in the present are essential for success.

In other words, they all use positive daily affirmations to keep negative thoughts and images from making themselves at home in the conscious and unconscious mind.

You Are Probably Already Using Affirmations, Just Not Correctly
Most of us tend to focus on what we do not want rather than what we do want. And this means most of us are already using daily affirmations, we are just using them incorrectly by focusing on the negative rather than the positive.

Some examples of negative affirmations:
“No matter how hard I work, I never seem to get ahead.”
“I will never find someone who loves me.”
“I am not __________ to be/do _____________.”
“I hate to exercise.”
“I don’t have time to make healthy meals.”

So, what exactly are positive affirmations?
Affirmations are simply statements that describe a goal in its already completed state. Repeated daily, affirmations help to change your “I can’ts” into “I cans” by reprogramming your conscious and unconscious mind.

Daily affirmations help eliminate negative and limiting beliefs, improve your ability to focus on your goals, improve your self-confidence, and expand your mindset from one of limitation to one of endless possibilities.

How Affirmations Keep You Focused
Affirmations act as a reminder to your unconscious mind to keep focused on your goals. They help your mind come up with solutions to challenges and obstacles that might get in the way.

Affirmations also help you reprogram your vibrations to a higher state which attract more joy, gratitude, happiness, and appreciation in your life. As your vibrations attune to a higher frequency, you become much more magnetic to the people, resources, and opportunities that can help you achieve your goals.

The 5 Ingredients for Powerful Daily Affirmations
When creating affirmations, you want to create positive, self-affirming, self-empowering statements that uplift and inspire you – that raise your emotional set point and your self-esteem.

To help you create powerful affirmations, here are the 5 things every positive affirmation must include:

1. They are stated in the present. Take your desired intention and declare it as already true. Use “I am” at the beginning of your affirmations.
2. They are positive. State what you WANT rather than what you do not.
3. Be concise. Short affirmations are easier to remember, especially in stressful situations.
4. Include Action. Affirm yourself as a person of action. Action engages the Law of Attraction making you more magnetic to new possibilities.
5. Include a feeling word. Powerful affirmations include matter and emotion. Matter describes a specific outcome you desire, and emotion describes how you feel about that desired outcome. You know your affirmation is powerful if it sparks emotional energy which propels you to action.

Here is a list of powerful feeling words to use in your affirmations

How to Use Daily Affirmations

• Start with only 1 or 2 affirmations to work with daily.
• Repeat your affirmation out loud and with intent for 5 minutes 3 times per day. Set aside time in the morning, mid-day, and before bed to work with your affirmation.
• Write out your affirmation on paper or in a journal 15 times every day; first thing in the morning or just before sleep are the most powerful times to do this. Writing out your affirmation creates a strong connection between your physical body and your unconscious mind.
• It takes 28-30 days of daily practice to turn something new into a habit, so commit to working with your affirmation for at least a month before moving on to a different one.

Some Examples of Positive Daily Affirmations
“I am joyously depositing $10,000 into my checking account.”
“I am enthusiastically driving my new (make/model of car) on the open road.”
“I am jubilant at being named top salesperson at (place of employment).”
“I am worthy of love.”
“I am enjoying creating delicious and healthy meals for myself and my family.”
“I am effectively communicating my needs and desires to my loving partner.”
“I am attracting only positive and supportive people in my life.”
“I am feeling vibrant, healthy, and alive at my perfect weight of 150.”
“I am energized and feel strong from daily exercise.”
“I am feeling grateful and relaxed as I sit on this sunny beach in the beautiful French Riviera.”
“I am excited and eager to present my research to my colleagues.”
“I am exuberantly walking on stage to receive the Grammy award for Album of the Year.”
“I am filled with bliss watching my family enjoy our vacation in Hawaii.”
“I am enthusiastic to work at (dream job) and do/be ____________.”
“I am confident and at ease during my interview for (dream job/promotion/internship, etc.).”
“I am breathing effortlessly with lungs that are pure and clean.”
“I am joyfully celebrating my graduation from college with a master’s degree.”

What are you going to affirm?!