One of the most frequently asked questions about affirmations is that do they actually work? I am very happy to share my answer, of course, and over the past few months, I have asked 8 other social workers to weigh in, as well.
Their views around affirmations, goals, priorities, daily affirmations, personal growth, morning affirmations and self discipline were fascinating, and we are going to discuss them.
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What are affirmations?
Affirmations are words which are said out loud or written down.
They are powerful tools for change, which affirm something to be true.
Affirmations have been used by several religious groups in the form of blessings for ages.
However, an affirmation must focus on the positive and it must be believable.
There should also be consistency because it helps develop routines and build momentum.
With consistency, people can form habits that become almost second nature.
"Affirmations without discipline is the beginning of delusion"
I agree with Jim Rohn and believe that without consistent discipline, there is only delusion. Do you agree?
Affirmation Tip 1. Dream it
I asked some social workers what they want from a dream job as part of developing powerful affirmations.
They stated those things they want from a dream job.
For example, in describing their dream job, they said:
“I do not want a job where my role will involve working with a manager who is a nightmare, one who micro-manages and ignores the well-being of their workers. I do not want to commute for hours to work every day or be forced to take on cases without support”
The emphasis on the dream job is on the negative side, which means that subconsciously, they are failing to recognise that perhaps their affirmations do not work because it is focused on the negatives.
Resetting the mindset to focus on the positives such as “my dream job will involve having a manager who listens and supports their workers” will bring about actions that will attract those positives.
The law of attraction states that like attracts like.
It is also a universal principle. It follows the belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person’s life.
Hence it is important that when creating affirmations, we make them positive in order to attract positive energy.
Start by intentionally thinking about what you want to attract in your life in the present.
For example, “I am healthy, I am strong, I am knowledgeable”
Affirmation Tip 2: Believe it
Affirmations need to be believable or considered possible. Know that you can have it and believe it.
This is to ensure that the feeling of internal rejection is avoided.
Internal rejection undermines your confidence and makes you doubt your worth.
Using the previous example, a social worker can say “My social work knowledge improves every day, I find resources and opportunities to learn every day, this will improve my marketability in the job marketplace”.
Your mouth and your heart must fall into alignment.
At least, you must believe in your heart that your affirmation can come to pass or is possible, even if it’s not your current reality.
It doesn’t have to be factual, but it must be reachable (and believable).
In actual fact, when you say something out loud, it has very little positive power if you do not believe it in your heart.
It is important that you are conscious of this.
This is because sometimes it can negatively impact on you and you will feel almost like a con artist.
Deep down, you’ll know that what you’re saying isn’t true—and, by definition, an affirmation is a statement that is declared to be true.
As one small goal is manifested, the affirmations can be expanded to manifest larger goals.
Affirm the best that can be accepted as being possible. Also, work on any baggage lurking in the subconscious that may be the root of resistance.
Words alone don’t imprint the subconscious with an idea or a vision; emotions that are triggered by those words do.
Affirmation Tip 3: Achieve it
Achieving it means believing that you already have your dream manifested.
It involves generating a positive emotional state.
Imagine how you feel to have achieved your goal.
Imagine how you will react. Imagine how your life would be once that goal has been achieved.
Imagine how your family will react to the news!
Make your affirmations visible and write them down.
Having a feeling of fear or a sense of unworthiness may creep in and compete with your positivity.
Try to find techniques for overcoming these negative emotions, such as journaling.
When an individual realises any of the affirmations stated, they begin to feel worthy and that feeling of unworthiness begin to recede.
Do affirmations really work?
Affirmations are like vitamins for the soul.
Vitamins are an essential nutrient that the body cannot produce enough of.
Some vitamins are made of low-quality ingredients and others are made of high-quality ingredients.
Like vitamins, there are affirmations made of low-quality ingredients.
However, there are also affirmations that include potent, high-quality ingredients.
High-quality ingredients for affirmations include characteristics such as being positive, memorable, empowering, personal, inspiring and believable.
Affirmations that focus on the positive, are believable and invoke a strong emotional response, are power packed spiritual vitamins that make the manifestation of a goal nearly effortless.
"Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart."
89 Positive Affirmations for Social Workers
- I am full of energy
- I am overflowing with joy
- I am superior to negative thoughts
- I welcome challenges in my life as opportunities to grow
- I’ve overcome challenges in the past and will do so again.
- I am optimistic about the present and my future
- I am surrounded by people who love me
- My enthusiasm will lead to great achievements
- I let worry and anxiety go like clouds passing in the sky
- I always find ways to get back on track
- I give myself permission to thrive and succeed in life
- There is no limit in what I can do or learn
- It is who I become that matters
- I love working on my growth
- New and exciting opportunities manifest in my life all the time
- I am smart, capable, skills and talented
- I work with purpose and passion towards my vision
- I am the most positive person I know
- I will not allow what people think of me to define who I am
- I am unique and special
- I have perfection even in my flaws
- I do not live to please others
- I visualise myself exactly the way I want to be
- I forgive myself for any mishaps
- I forgive others I feel may have wronged me along the way
- I have unique and special talents
- I have peace
- I am successful
- I learn from my leaders
- I acknowledge my own self – worth
- I am kind
- I am enough
- I am strong
- I am patient
- I have empathy
- I am confident
- I care for the people I support
- I have a purpose to help people
- I am an advocate
- I am compassionate
- I am all I can be
- I build positive relationships
- I am worthy of good things
- My mental health is my priority
- I believe in me
- I have good manners
- I learn from my mistakes
- I am respectful
- I have love in abundance
- I cannot solve every problem
- I contribute to solutions
- I am healthy
- I am a mentor
- My heart knows what it wants and deserves
- My thoughts are happy, and they will welcome my reality
- There are people, and resources to support me perform my work better
- I take care of myself
- I eat healthy
- I’m so grateful to be happy right now.
- My body is healthy and strong
- I believe in myself
- I’m grateful for my friends and family.
- It’s okay if I make mistakes and am not perfect.
- I can do anything I set my mind to.
- I’m proud of the person I’m becoming.
- My heart is open and willing to accept love.
- I’m grateful for the loving relationships I have.
- Today is a great day.
- I’m ready to start the day.
- I have the power to create my reality.
- Nothing can stop me from having a good day.
- I can handle anything that comes my way.
- No matter what happens today, I will stay positive and upbeat.
- I deserve to be successful.
- I’m inspired and motivated to achieve everything my heart desires.
- I’m in control of my thoughts.
- I can turn any negative situation into a positive one.
- Thinking positively comes naturally to me.
- I feel great right now.
- I deserve good things.
- Every day, I’m getting better at what I do.
- I’m capable of great things.
- My voice matters, and I make a difference.
- I love solving problems and overcoming challenges.
- I’m learning to be a better person.
- If I fail, I will fail forward and rise up again
- My confidence knows no limits
- My life is full of amazing opportunities that are ready for me to step into.
- I will make positive thoughts grow stronger with constant repetition
Conclusion
Your energetic vibrations are like radio signals. You must tune your signal to a vibration worthy of receiving it.
Be fearless in enjoying every moment of this journey and have the end in mind.
So, if you want to learn how to create affirmations like a pro, then grab your free affirmations checklist below.
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Thank you so much for sharing this positive article! Positive affirmations definitely relate to faith-if you pray for something, you must believe that God will do just what you asked him to do (don’t doubt, lose hope, or give up); this allows you to feel better, better deal with life’s peaks and valleys, and inherit God’s abundance of blessings. Our minds are a powerful tool, and when we think and act positively, good things happen (and the same applies to thinking negatively and seeing bad things happen). Dream it, believe it, achieve it; it will be so, according to God’s perfect and divine will. God bless you!
Faith indeed is indispensable when it comes to affirmations. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I am really glad to have come across this article. I have within the last couple of years listened to some preachings on the same topic. Some few men of God have spoken time and time again on the power of positive affirmations and the positive effect they have on our subconscious state. I have rightly adopted this approach, and so far, I have no complaints.
As you rightly said, one must believe in his or her positive affirmation and work towards achieving it. A positive affirmation with no belief and action plan is basically an empty affirmation! Thanks a lot for sharing!
Glad to read that you enjoyed this article 🙂
Hey,
This is a really interesting article. Years ago I was never one to think of affirmations or believe in them. But, I forced myself to read about them and try them, and things started to change. I put it down to better focus and working smarter, but I must say doing the affirmation rituals of writing things down and saying them out loud did help.
For anybody who is new to affirmations then this article is for you, and if you really believe in what you are doing then follow these steps because they will work for you. You just need to believe in them and most of all believe in yourself.
Thank you for sharing and keep up the amazing work.
All the best,
Tom
I think if a person has never practiced an affirmation ritual its difficult to understand the real impact it has. Just like you, I highly recommend it. Thanks Tom.
Affirmations are a daily part of my morning routine. And indeed they help. You have explained it very well in this article. Especially the ‘be positive’ part. For years I had said “I hate my back, I don’t want back pain”. And you know what happened of course. Nowadays I say “My back carries me and supports me”. Way better 🙂
Thanks.
Amazing Hannie. Turning negative statements into positives attracts positive vibrations 🙂
This is definitely a vitamin for the soul. I am a believer of positive thinking and affirmations. I have experienced it over and over that what we think is what we become and thus create our reality. There is saying which is quoted something like this: ‘take care of your thoughts when you are alone and take care of your words when you are with people.’
If you dream it, affirm it and then you can definitely achieve it.
Thank you for this amazing post.
Best wishes
Whatever the mechanism of the affirmations or law of attraction is, it certainly works. Whether they are positive or negative, you’ll attract what is occupying your mind. As when I first put on high heels and could only think how I do not want to fall. That’s exactly what happened, of course. It took some years until I learned how to form my thoughts, so I understand that it may be difficult for someone to formulate a correct one. Your excellent post may give a valuable help in that. Well done!
I can certainly relate to the high heels situation Minaher lol
wow this is definitely the article I was looking for. I recently read think and grow rich where napoleon hill talks about the power of affirmations and visualisation. I really like the idea and seemed to understand it when I read the book but when I was to do it in practice I faced difficulties, but after reading your informational post it became much easier. Thank you.
…. and add a pinch of consistency and you are well on your way! 🙂
Thank you so much for this, it was such a help. You’re so right in what you say about affirming the positive. I definitely struggle with overcoming negative thoughts and feelings sometimes when doing them so I will implement your tips. I loved what you said about affirmations being like vitamins, it’s so funny you said that coz I was thinking that the other day! Also what you said about some affirmations being low quality and others being high quality.
Thanks for stopping by Natalie 🙂
This is just great article on affirmations. I am doing an everyday so-called an hour of power( inspired by Tony Robbins) and it is an unbelievable booster for my everyday life. If we talk about work-life or private life. I agree, that those affirmations have to be positive, otherwise it is not bringing the positive effect. I think it is really the best tool for achieving the stuff one wants. And the time invested in that( it can be so low as 15 minutes per day) is definitely worth it. Thank you and all the best.
You are right, affirmations can be done in as little as 15 mins a day. Thanks Julius.