To say that words are powerful is not making an over-statement. They are indeed a valuable ally in your life/work toolbox when it comes to creating any kind of change. They can in fact be the entry point to the results you actually seek in any area.
Now we've all heard the adage 'what we focus on, we amplify', or some version of the same thing. Well words have an important relationship to this because what we say helps to direct what we see/notice (or you might say, focus upon), and vice versa. And what we say/see, and see/say (imagine a 2 way arrow between them), well informs what we do which in turn gives us the outcome or result that we live into.
When we seek to experience a new outcome in any area of our life or work, it can pay dividend to begin to notice and catch what it is that we are usually saying about it and notice how this lines up with the experience we're having in that area. For the person who's challenged by low energy, you'll often hear them speak about being tired or exhausted. For the person who hasn't yet met their life partner, they might commonly speak about how hard relationships are, and so on.
For the most part, we are conditioned to 'see it, to believe it'. Like the famous line from Jerry Maguire, 'show me the money!'. So our time is invested (often unconsciously), in repeatedly affirming that which we don't want as we continue to observe the undesired outcome and then continue to speak it so. And we wonder why we keep living into the same same. But if what we say and what we focus upon informs what we do, and what we do creates what we get... well I think you can see where this is going!
What then, if the opposite was actually true? What if we had to 'believe it, to see it' instead? What if we had to somehow line up with what we want even before it's actually so?
I invite my clients very early on into our coaching process to activate their inner detective. Metaphorically speaking - the detective stands guard drawing awareness to what you typically 'say and see', and the ways you might disempower or limit yourself in any area. After all, it all begins with awareness. As you begin to catch yourself, you are now able to exercise some will in going about it differently. You can practise catching and stopping what you've been typically saying/noticing and start to plant some new seeds. Ones that align with what you actually want :-)
Positive affirmation is a great speaking tool. It's like gym training for your language - word exercise! Affirmations are present tense expressions of outcomes you'd like to be experiencing, even before it's so. They're about helping you to line up with and befriend the outcome, in advance of it, and as you hang out with that which you desire, you begin to notice things that line up with your words, which in turn begins to influence what you do, which feeds into what you get. There's also an energy/law of attraction piece at play here too - but that's for another blog ;-)
For now, here, it's enough to just get more onto the same page of what you want by saying it so. Here are some examples: I easily achieve all that I set out to do / Money is easy for me / I am highly creative / I have an abundance of energy / I am a business wizard / I enjoy deep connections with the people in my life / I am a great public speaker, etc
Affirmations are best repeated often - go for morning and evening and aim to make it part of your daily routine for ease. Say them out loud for a few minutes a time and say them in alignment. For instance, avoid slumping on the sofa as you try to affirm 'I have boundless energy'. The 2 simply don't match up! Instead, stand tall and strong, open body posture and say it like you're celebrating it ;-)
Initially, it won't seem like much is going on. It'll feel strange or even silly, and you'll notice what I like to call the inner gremlin come to surface rather quickly with many an argument as to why 'the new stuff' simply isn't or can't be true. That's OK, it's all part of the process. Just observe it and keep going. Pretty soon, things will begin to shift and you'll start to notice little things, and then bigger things that reflect a shift. Harbour an inner state of it being true, and more and more, little by little, magic will reveal itself.
Like any tool, you have to use it to get a result. Positive affirmation is the same. So is the detective and his/her intercepts. Simple, yet really powerful. Give it a go and let your new words activate your new world!