I can’t count the number of conferences, books and gurus I have referred to over the years who swear by affirmations. If you aren’t aware, affirmations are sort of a vision statement of who you want to be or become or can be mantras reaffirming who you want to continue to be. Some examples that I have on sticky notes around my office are:
I am grounded and exceptionally awake.
I am running a consistently successful, financially profitable business.
I am courageous and bold.
I love my body.
Don’t get me wrong…affirmations can be very powerful and extremely helpful. And, here is the thing that I have found about affirmations…they work really well if I actually believe that I can make them come true.
As I write the affirmations above, I have to say I am definitely wobbly at whether I will actually be able to run a consistently successful, financially profitable business. I am also super wobbly that I will ever be able to actually love my body, despite the amount of gratitude I have. The other two, I feel pretty good about.
So, how can an affirmation work if you don’t actually believe in them?
I was recently introduced to the concept of “Iffirmations”. My mind has been blown, so I needed to share the concept here! It is so simple! I will play with my two wobbly affirmations. Instead of writing them as an affirmation, add “What if” at the beginning?
Now my wobbly affirmations become:
- What if I am running a consistently successful, financially profitable business?
- What if I love my body?
Do you notice a difference?
For me, instead of creating disbelief, I now see a possibility. It gives me some space to feel a certain way about these statements and to dream up a path toward a possibility. Two little words can make a huge difference. And, as I work through my emotions and why I don’t believe, I can continue to move forward with these statements as a possibility. It immediately has created a shift in my mindset.
Do you think this could work for you?
What wobbly affirmations do you have and if you change them to an Iffirmation, do you notice a difference?
I would love to hear your examples!
