“Finally” is what you’re probably saying. I bet you’re wondering why it took me so long to get to the affirmations. After all, that’s all you need right? NO! You have to do the other steps so that you can get to the most effective affirmations and have your subconscious mind believe them).

This is actually the simplest part of the entire process. You start with basics and then refine things as you go along.

An affirmation is essentially the opposite of a denial. Basically you are saying:

• “I am _____”, or
• “I have _____”

There are a few things that you have to watch for though:

• It must be in the present tense.  “I love my red Honda Insight sports car”.
• Do not say “I try to achieve great results”. That’s the same as being in the future and you’ll spend your life “trying”. Same thing applies to “I can” – that’s a future idea too. Say “I am grateful that I run the 2012 NYC Marathon in my best time ever”. Even though the marathon is 11 months  away, my subconscious mind doesn’t know that and it’s accepted the fact that my time is better than I’ve ever done. So that’s what it’s embraced and is taking me toward.
• It has to be positive and definite. “My life is phenomenal, I have the easiest, most enjoyable and most profitable job – a job where I can stay in one place without traveling, where I work with the most wonderful, happy, productive, efficient and amicable people” etc. Careful of writing “I work with people who are just like a family” – think about what your subconscious mind might think about family – you may not want that.
• You have to watch what you’re saying – the best way to do that is to read what you wrote aloud. For example, you really don’t want to say “my affairs are in order” unless you’re interested in having a lot of affairs. You also don’t want to say “My life is in harmony” – when you read that out loud, your subconscious mind hears “inharmony” which is the opposite of harmony. This is why you want to read the affirmations aloud – to catch these things that look ok but sound exactly opposite what you want.

Start by writing out the basic desire. Make sure it doesn’t have any traps that I mentioned above.

Then you can add superlatives and adjectives that fit you. Don’t make them too flowery but make them meaningful. What’s meaningful to you may not be meaningful to me. After you add the “fixins”, read them out loud again to spot any traps.

Once you have the affirmations for your goals, this is the best way to start. Remember that you’ve already spent a week saying just denials. Now, it’s time to combine the two. Take another index card for each goal. This time,

Write the goal at the top of the card,

Write out the best denial,

Follow the denial with the best affirmation

I would write in pencil so you can change things that don’t feel or sound right as you go along without having to re-do the entire card.

Now you start saying your denial followed by the affirmation and do all your goals this way for about 3-5 minutes THREE times a day. You may not have enough time to do that 3-5 minutes all at once so spread it out. You’re ultimately aiming for all your goal denials and affirmations to be said for a total of 9-15 minutes a day. Say them at the stop lights, in the bathroom at work, when out for a walk (combine two goals – exercise and saying your denials/affirmations), waiting in line (I could have said 9 minutes of affirmations or more while waiting in line at Walmart this a.m.). That’s why I recommend using index cards. They’re easy to put in your pocket or purse and pull out whenever you have the opportunity. These are your “Goal Cards” so they should be close to you at all times.

Keep revisiting the affirmations and denials and make necessary changes. Remember to record what happens in your life. Use The Gratitude Journal or any other type of journal. This is imperative. You’ll miss out on so much that’s happened in your life if you don’t record every day’s events.

Enjoy and best of luck. Tomorrow will be the last of the series so stay tuned.

Terrie