Affirmations

An affirmation is a statement of what you know to be true. It is not talking yourself into anything, or pretending to be what you’re not. It is the power of articulating to yourself who you are, what you value, why you do what you do, what really matters. An affirmation is a commitment and reminder — to being and to doing. An affirmation is an assertion of truth.

Affirmations can be a daily practice, or just something you turn to when you find yourself being hard on yourself and in need of some loving reminders from your wise self. When there is something you want to remind yourself or recommit to — to keep present in your consciousness, at the forefront of those buzzing voices in your head — write it down five times. Keep a special notebook for affirmations, or just use the back of an envelope; it doesn’t matter.

One of my favourite ways to use affirmations is as part of Daily Pages, especially if you’re using those pages (my take on Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages) as a way to move into your writing time. It’s a way to build confidence in the face of fear. In your pages, you might choose three affirmations and write each five times. Perhaps they’ll be the same ones every day; perhaps they’ll vary and evolve.

What makes a good affirmation? Whatever you need to hear right now. You know best what you need to say to yourself.

Here are some examples to get you started:
I trust the process.
It doesn’t have to be perfect.
You can go slowly.
I can do this my way.
Doubt is part of the process.
I believe I can do this.
I will put first what matters most.
I am enough.