Daily affirmations can make all the difference between a successful, productive day filled with happiness and positivity and one that just kind of ambles towards a conclusion. They involve a short, simple process where you set out not only how you feel but how you expect to feel and what you intend to do. They focus the mind and give you purpose. If you follow the law of attraction, they can help out with that too!
Even if you have no interest in the law of attraction, daily affirmations can make a significant difference to your life. I compared them in a recent article to giving yourself compliments, and compliments feel good. I’ll expand on that here to say that they can also act as commitments. While people are often more willing to let themselves down than others, you can build a habit through daily repetition of committing to yourself. You’re clear on what you want to achieve, and you owe it to yourself to make that happen. If you can get some outside help in the process, all the better!
In This Article
How Do Daily Affirmations Work?
Daily affirmations work by encouraging you to form a habit of taking time to think about what you want and how to get it. Affirmations are positive statements that can achieve all sorts of different things – here’s how to write one if you’re unfamiliar with them. If you want to manifest something, affirmations are the building blocks. If you want to change a habit or your general behaviour, they will work – especially if you return to them every day.
As touched on in the introduction, they’re excellent for manifestation and the law of attraction. However, you don’t need to be concerned with either to make use of them. I’m the kind of person that’s entirely open to scepticism. I use the law of attraction myself, but I can understand the point of view not only of those that don’t, but those that openly discredit it. As always, I can’t prove it works for everyone, but it works for me.
In practice, daily affirmations work in one of a number of ways, or sometimes multiple simultaneously:
- They encourage you to think ahead, increasing the likelihood of a positive outcome
- They get you into the habit of success
- Daily affirmations bring clarity and calm to otherwise stressful lives
- They combine intricately with the law of attraction, manifesting and other techniques
When to Do Daily Affirmations
If you’re just starting out with daily affirmations, the best time to do them is in the morning. I’d recommend expressing your affirmations however works best for you as early as possible. If you’re worried about building the habit and achieving consistency, make a point of doing it before you even get out of bed. That way, it’s done, and you can forget about them entirely for the rest of the day if you so choose.
From there, try different times each day. Think about when your most productive periods are each day. While you don’t need to work too hard on affirmations, it’s easier to focus and tackle planned tasks when you feel like getting things done. For many adults, that could be between 9 am, and 11 am. For younger adults, more accustomed to later nights and subsequent later starts, that could be the early afternoon.
You’ll find a time that works best for you with experience. I suggest starting with the morning because it works for me and has done for years. If you find it difficult to fit them into your morning routine, try another time when you stand a better chance of experiencing peace and quiet.
Remember too that while doing daily affirmations at the same time each day helps build habits and consistency, it’s not essential. If you’re combining your affirmations with manifestation or the law of attraction, you can remember that time, by our definition, means nothing to the universe. Someone, somewhere, decided there were 24 hours in a day. The universe wasn’t consulted on the decision.
That’s why affirmations take place in the present. It’s always “I am”, not “I will”. So, be consistent for the habit-building benefits, but don’t feel like missing a day or changing your times will make everything you’ve achieved so far worthless.
Why Do Daily Affirmations? What Are the Benefits?
With affirmations being powerful tools for self-improvement both alone and in conjunction with other techniques, here are five ways affirmations work for people:
1. Daily Affirmations Can Prepare You for the Day Ahead
If you decide to focus on morning affirmations, you can prepare yourself for what lies in store. By starting each day with a plan, you’re already ahead of most of the population. I spent so long taking each day as it came, and I quickly found that while nothing necessarily went wrong, I wasn’t moving forward. I can’t tell you the meaning of life, but I’d assume it has something to do with being better each day. The easiest way to succeed at most things is to come prepared.
You can write your affirmations first thing in the morning as they come to you or set them out in advance. Daily affirmations work great with manifestation lists, for example, as they mean that you’ve added your affirmations to your schedule, and the list you prepared doesn’t go to waste.
By knowing what to expect and affirming that you’ll succeed, you’ll enter the correct mindset to make great things happen.
2. They Can Represent a Chance to Reflect
When most people think of daily affirmations, they associate them with the morning. In my experience, it’s true that people that use their affirmations daily, but only once a day, do so first thing in the morning. That way, if nothing else, there’s no chance of the day getting away from them before they have time to focus.
However, whether you consult your manifestation journal, manifestation list or anything else once a day or multiple times, there’s nothing to say you have to do it as early as possible. I practice daily affirmations at least once a day, first thing in the morning. If I have time, am in the right frame of mind and, in some cases, remember to do so, I’ll do them in the evening too.
This is a great way to look back on the day and confirm that the affirmations already made achieved something. Successful affirmations build confidence in practice, and, over time, you’ll be convinced of their capabilities in boosting your mindset.
You could, of course, also use additional sessions to take stock of what comes next and craft affirmations for the following day. That way, you can get straight to writing, thinking or saying them on the following morning.
3. They’ll Encourage You to Think Before You Act
Thinking before you act can save all sorts of hassle down the road. If you’re big on social media, you’ve undoubtedly seen many deleted tweets from celebrities and others with large audiences. Sometimes their opinions don’t jive with popular views. Other times, they don’t think before they Tweet.
By tackling daily affirmations, you’ll encourage yourself to plan ahead, as touched on in the first point. However, you’ll also have the opportunity to ‘experience’ things before you do them. You design your affirmations to ensure things go well, but it’s also an opportunity to break things down. You might find yourself visualising things going well. You’ll notice potential pitfalls before they happen.
Visualisation is an extremely strong skill – it’s the entire underlying concept of vision boards, for example. If you not only know what’s coming up but understand how to make everything go smoothly, it’s well worth taking five minutes out of your day.
4. They Help Building Habits
Building positive habits is generally considered a good thing. Most self-help books include habits in some capacity, even if they’re disguised as schedules, structure or something else. Doing the same thing every day – such as daily affirmations – may not sound like the most exciting plan. However, when something has a positive impact on your life, why wouldn’t you want to do more of it?
Einstein allegedly (although not definitively) said, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”
It’s a famous, not to mention correct, quote regardless of who said it. Conversely, it would appear pretty sane to do the same thing over and over for the same result. If something makes you money, makes you healthier or, most importantly, makes you happier, it’s worth repeating. Daily affirmations can potentially do all of that.
They carry the added benefit of being easy. I’ve got a manifestation list on my phone, with a rotating list of what I want to affirm on any given day. It takes me less than 30 seconds to say them out loud. Over an entire year, I spend approximately three hours on morning affirmations. That’s not a bad investment for the returns.
Most importantly, I keep on doing it. I’ve done it for closer to a decade than a year, and I keep coming back. That proves to me that while I’m inherently a ‘take the day as it comes’ kind of person, I can form habits, and I can achieve success through doing so.
Daily Affirmations and the Law of Attraction
I’ve mentioned the law of attraction several times throughout this article. Before I get into the specifics, I’ll say once more that you don’t need to have any interest in the law of attraction for affirmations to work for you. If you’re on the sceptical side of the law, I implore you not to view that as a reason to discard affirmations as something that can be beneficial.
With that out of the way, I turn my attention to the law of attraction and affirmations working in harmony. Such is their importance that the law of attraction would be practically worthless without them. Indeed, one of the very first articles ever published here at Widibi discussed law of attraction affirmations.
Affirmations are essentially the building blocks of making the law of attraction happen. Some claim to be able to converse directly with the universe, often through meditation. For us, communication stems from positive, confident thought. Affirmations work because they’re inherently positive and confident, and they make us feel that way when we read, write or say them. We don’t talk to the universe as we would to another person, just as it doesn’t respond conventionally – it usually does so through messages wrapped in synchronicity numbers and double numbers.
You don’t have to do affirmations daily to make the law of attraction work. However, many practitioners, myself included, would suggest you do. Popular manifestation techniques like the 5×55 method revolve around daily repetition, so it seems to make sense.
How to Start Daily Affirmations
There’s nothing standing between you and starting daily affirmations immediately. If you can read these words, you can express affirmations. You might want to start with a manifestation list, or simply say something positive and confident related to the day ahead out loud. There are multiple benefits of daily affirmations, but there’s nothing at all wrong with focusing on one to start with.
Don’t overthink it. You don’t need a list of affirmations to say yet. Just think about what you’ve got coming up today and create a positive statement around it.
If you’ve got a day at work like any other, affirm that “I am grateful that I love my job”.
If there’s a dentist appointment coming up later, state “I’m thankful that my dentist doesn’t cause me any pain.”
It’s that easy. Everyone starts with a first affirmation, and it doesn’t need to be so profound that it appears on the same website as that Einstein quote above for dissection.
Of course, to qualify as daily affirmations, they must take place every day. Start with a single affirmation. Add another if you so choose. Then, by the time you come back to do it all again tomorrow, you’ll have seen them in action. It does wonders for the confidence. You’ll also have the first entry for your daily affirmations list.
If you’re really short on where to start, consider these popular affirmation ‘categories’. Remember, affirmations are personal, and while you can use these suggestions word for word, it’s never too early to adapt your affirmations so that they’re genuinely specific to your life and happiness.
Daily Affirmations for Money
Whether you love it or hate it, money plays a significant role in most lives. A lack of it can be even more significant. If it wasn’t for getting up for work, you probably wouldn’t even be awake at sunrise to state your daily affirmations. Fortunately, you are (although any time works), and there’s nothing wrong with spending that time to increase it.
“I am wealthier today than I was yesterday.”
“I have all the tools and skills I require to make all the money I need.”
“I’m grateful never to have to worry about money because I always have all I want.”
Daily Affirmations for Confidence
Confidence, like habits, is a cornerstone of some of the most popular self-help books in the world. Some people are naturally confident, while others are timid and suffer from imposter syndrome. It’s easy for me to say that you should be confident in everything you do, but I know first-hand that it’s rarely that simple. Whether you’re confident by default, do a great job of pretending or genuinely need a boost, consider these daily affirmations:
“I’m great at what I do.”
“I’m grateful to have the skills to overcome any challenge.”
“I constantly earn the respect of those around me through my actions.”
Daily Affirmations for Success
This is where things get really personal. What defines success? Your version of being successful, especially in the context of a single day, probably differs from just about anyone else on the planet. There are so many ways to measure it that three affirmations won’t cut it for many people. As always, however, they’re a robust starting point.
If you pick one affirmation from each category knowing that you’ll adapt as you gain experience, ensure you adapt these ones first:
“I’m grateful for my continued success.”
“I’m thankful for my ability to succeed no matter what happens.”
“I’m thrilled that I receive non-stop opportunities to succeed, thrive and grow.”
Daily Affirmations for Self Love
Affirmations are all about you, and they all start with you too. People often spend too much time thinking about others and what’s best for them. It’s noble, and there’s always time for it, but you should never reach a point where you’re concerned for others at the expense of wellbeing. Just as you should put on your oxygen mask first when it all goes awry on an aircraft, your daily affirmations should reflect that it all starts with you.
“I am always happy and motivated.”
“I am the best possible version of myself, and I keep getting better.”
“I have all the time I need to ensure I’m always positive and content.”
Daily Affirmations – In Summary
Affirmations are extremely powerful in their own right, but getting into the habit of doing them every day will take that potency to the next level.
On their own, you can consider them as compliments to yourself or frequent reminders of how incredible you truly are. When you expand on that and use them as the basis for building healthy commitments, being more consistent in your approach and succeeding at something every day, they become even more powerful.
In closing, I’ll remind you that they’re vital to the law of attraction and manifestation, and they appear on a fair few vision boards, too. However, the last thing I would want to do is to overwhelm you. If you’ve read through this article because you want to start daily affirmations, but you have no interest in or have never heard of the other things, that’s no reason not to get started! They work as much through basic psychology as any kind of pseudoscience, and so I’d definitely suggest giving them a try. You can always expand on them later!
