January 11, 2009

"Affirmative" Actions

Are you taking "Affirmative" Actions in your business life and your personal life?

Do you ever talk to yourself? You should. Using positive affirmations is one of the best ways I have found to continue to manage your attitude.

Affirmations are positive "self talk" statements that a person would say to themselves (silently or out loud) that help to "coach" your subconscious into positive actions and results. I am a big believer in using affirmations to help me maintain my positive attitude and help me achieve success.


“One advantage of talking to yourself is that you know at least somebody's listening.”
~ Franklin P. Jones


So what is an affirmation?

According to Wikipedia, and affirmation is "a carefully formatted statement that should be repeated to ones self and written down frequently. For an affirmation to be effective, it needs to be present tense, positive, personal and specific."


It should be made clear that affirmations cannot be used to affect or change another person. Instead of saying a statement like "My Sellers will reduce their price to a fair market value" you could create an affirmation that focuses on something you can do. "I market my listings to create maximum exposure to today's Buyers."

Popular books such as The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness by Esther Hicks and the classic Think and Grow Rich!: The Original Version, Restored and Revised by Napoleon Hill would be great places to start if you're interested in learning more about the concept of affirmations.


“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

~ W. Clement Stone

I have used affirmations for both my personal life and business life. I usually will say these affirmation's when I am running or when I am driving. I don't say them out loud but I do say them numerous times each to further ingrain the thoughts on my subconscious. Here are some examples of my affirmations that I either use or have used in the past:



  • "I am a great facilitator"

  • "I teach with passion and enthusiasm, instilling confidence and excitement in my students"

  • "Running keeps me healthy and brings me energy"

  • "13.1 I will run" (used when training for a half marathon)

  • "26.2 I will do" (used when training for the Columbus Marathon)

  • "Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever" - This was a quote made famous by Lance Armstrong, 7-time winner of cycling's Tour de France

  • "I always do my best because my best is all I can do"

Have you ever used affirmations? What are some of your favorite affirmations?


If you haven't ever tried affirmations, start simple. Make the statement easy to remember (or write) and make it a point to repeat it to yourself each day this week in the shower or on your way to work. Keep it up, even when it doesn't appear to be working.


Before you know it, your attitude will begin to "kick it up a notch" when it comes to the area of your affirmations.