We all use affirmations, whether we realize it or not. Our brain is a thinking machine; it is in constant effervescence. The affirmations in our thoughts become facts in our mind, and in order for them to work in our advantage, we must turn them into positive ones. High-performance athletes use mental preparation over the course of many years, repeating positive affirmations to direct their minds and bodies towards their goals. The impact of positive thinking on performance is beyond question.

Thus, the body and the “subconscious” submit what our thoughts suggest. If we often think, without realizing, that we are incapable of doing something, our forces mobilize in such a way as to make it difficult to succeed, despite all our efforts. On the other hand, if we strongly believe that we can achieve something, we feel more confident, and it will seem easier to carry out the actions with significantly better results.

When you don’t master your thoughts, they take different paths according to the events of your day and you can get carried away by negative thoughts against your better judgment. Positive affirmations are a simple and effective way to redirect your inner discourse, in order to find yourself in a desired state of mind.

OK, but how does it work?

There are different ways to apply this technique. You can read positive affirmations to yourself or recite them out loud with conviction. You can also recite positive affirmations in your head before, during or after a specific event (a stressful or frustrating one, for example). Some people keep a stone in their coat pocket; they recite their positive affirmations each time they feel the stone between their fingers (anchoring). It’s up to you to find what works best for you.

It should be noted that positive affirmations are particularly effective in certain key moments: before falling asleep at night, upon waking up in the morning and after short meditation, seeing as these are all moments when our minds are malleable.

The specialists agree that positive affirmations work best when:

• it is a short affirmation
• the affirmation makes sense to the person who said it
• it is an affirmation that the person truly believes (not an exaggerated affirmation)
• the affirmation is conjugated in the present tense
• the sentence does not contain negative words

Positive affirmations must therefore be true to who you are, what you are looking to accomplish or change, and what you believe in.

Here are a few examples, for inspiration:

• I find something positive in everything that I do
• I let go of what I can’t control
• I love my body the way it is
• I have a balanced lifestyle and take good care of myself
• I deserve to be happy
• I see my body as my ally
• I let go of the past and I am open to the present
• I know that everything will be fine
• I appreciate and am grateful for everything that I have
• I possess within me all the ingredients to succeed

Positive affirmations are recommended daily in order for your mind to stay focused on what you desire. Choose affirmations that make you feel good. Change the wording if it makes the affirmation more powerful. Believe in every affirmation and pronounce them with conviction. You will succeed at focusing your thoughts and maintaining a state of mind that is favourable to achieving your goals.