Affirmations are powerful tools that can be key in bringing about change in your life, whether in the form of personal change or bringing new situations into your life. Self-affirmations are healing, optimistic messages that you give to yourself to counter your negative thoughts. Affirmations resemble visualization with mental images, but words are used instead. Words you say out loud, read, or write each day will help you internalize what you want to be and what you hope to achieve. Affirmations are self-improvement prophecies that when visualized and believed in, will come true.

Just repeating the words is not enough. Affirmations are not magical sentences that are said just a few times and then create miracles. For affirmations to produce results, they should be repeated often with feeling and conviction.

Affirmations are said starting with the words: “I am,” “I can,” and “I will.” An I am affirmation is a statement of who you are such as I am intelligent or I am creative. An I can affirmation is a statement of your potential and power to change such as I can be strong or I can be a winner. An I will affirmation is a statement of positive change that you want to accomplish such as I will control my temper or I will handle financial matters wisely today. Affirmations should always be stated positively. An excellent way to use affirmations is to write down 30 of them, each on a separate index card. Each day of the month focuses on one affirmation. Keep the card with you displayed in your sight and read it out loud during the day.

Affirmations help you to improve yourself because, by nature, humans are compelled to follow what they believe. What motivates you is your belief in the result. If you continually tell yourself something, your inner self will make it true. Affirmations strengthen ambition, create new solutions and activate the subconscious mind to make them come true. The affirmations you repeat will become a positive habit that will result in the self-improvement of your mind, body, and soul.