Affirmation Experiment - Result

A few months ago, I started Affirmation Experiment to see if affirmations, so often claimed to be successful by psychologists and therapists and inspirational leaders work for me. 

So what happened to the experiment?

Well, in short - it was a FAILURE. 

It did not work for me. But like life, most things are not black and white. I think it has potential. I think it could work. But the reason it did not work for me, was because I couldn't remain consistent enough in sticking to saying the affirmations. 

Often I simply didn't have time in the mornings, or I forgot, or half the time I was in public so I could just look at them, not actually repeat them out loud. One thing I would say is that when I did speak them out loud, it did fill me with inspiration and motivation - just as I do when I read a good quote or a good poet, or listen to inspirational speech. So over long term, and more devoted and disciplined effort, yes, I think it could work. 

While the experiment itself failed, I have still kept my affirmation post-its all over my PC, so they are still there when I sit at my desk to inspire me. 

Perhaps in the future, I might take it up again and try to be more disciplined at it, but for now, I just read them out as and when I remember them. 

Have you had more success with affirmations? 

Affirmation Experiment

I believe in the power of the mind. I believe in positive thinking. But, I am not sure if affirmations actually work. And before I hear any of the cynics complaining, let me clarify - positive thinking by itself doesn't solve anything, but when you use that positive thinking to perform positive actions then it creates wonders.

Affirmations is supposed to add to that mental awareness, and will power. Lots of people swear by them. I have never tried them for long enough to make a judgement. So I have set myself a mini-experiment.

September 1 to September 30 - 30 days of positive affirmations, and of course I shall journal about this experiment, and note any results I may note.

I invite you to join in. You can start today, tomorrow, next week. Think about any goal you want to achieve, any weaknesses you may want to over come.

There are few basic rules that apply to affirmations:

1. They must be positive. i.e. - "I don't want to be a failure" is not positive. Instead what you want is "I am successful"
2. However, "successful" is too broad. Be specific. What do you want to do?
3. Use present tense. Imagine as if you have already achieved your goal. Use present tense. "I am working out every day."
4. To begin with, focus on one or two goals. If you start with too many affirmations, you will split your focus, and they may not be very affective. I would say, ideally, start with one goal. I am experimenting with two - but simply because both of those goals - Fitness and Writing - are of equal priority for me at this point in my life, so I can't chose one.
5. Write your own affirmations. I know there are plenty available on the Internet for free. Look at them by all means, but then reword them for yourself. If you create your own affirmations, they are personal to you. They will have more impact.
6. Start with positive attitude. If you are adamant that it's not going to work, then it probably won't. So keep an open mind. Go with the flow, and see what happens. I don't know if they will work or not, but I am willing to try, and put my utmost faith in it for 30 days. Even if I don't see tangible result, I would have lost nothing by telling myself some positive things.
7. Don't have too many affirmations. Be specific, and concise. For each of my goal, I have created 5 affirmations. For quality experiment, you should be able to repeat them every day. I intend to repeat them every morning, and every night. If I have time, I will write them down several times too. I will keep a copy of them on my PC where I can see it at home, and a copy of them in my Filofax so I can see it during the day.
8. And lastly, make notes on how they make you feel. Or if you feel like it, write your affirmations in your journal every day. For any experiment to be successful, results must be noted and measured. If you don't keep track of anything, how will you know whether you have succeeded? Mind is a funny thing. You may think your attitude has changed but it could be just the memory tricking you. And if you only achieve small changes (but positive nonetheless) they will be hard to see without some form of record. So use the journal.

I will do post(s) on how my experiment with affirmations go. If you have any experience / opinions about them, please share your views.