The following is an exercise to help you create your own personal affirmations. In addiction to your imagination and concentration, this exercise requires paper and a writing instrument.

Step #1: Begin by thinking of something that you found success with in the past. Allow yourself to go back into that moment where you felt good about yourself. Visualize the scene and feel the experience as though it were happening now. Let yourself see, hear, and immerse yourself in the feelings of success. Allow those good feelings to double with each breath that you take. Take a moment to enjoy this feeling before picking up your pen or pencil and proceeding to step two.

Step #2: Think of a something that you wish to achieve, a goal, or something that you would like to change in your life. Write it down. Allow yourself to form a clear vision of yourself achieving that goal or making that change in your life. What would that change look like? Ask yourself, what would that success would feel like? What would you hear? Make the picture as clear as possible and step into it.

Step #3: Now, think of specific goals that will help you attain that vision. Make them within the realm of your possibilities. Are there small steps that you can take right now to move towards that vision of success? Write them down.

Create two or three affirmations based upon the previous goals. Remember to write them in the first person, in the present tense, while keeping it positive. Do your best to bring in the positive feelings associated with the visualization exercise.

Sample affirmation phrases include;
I am [add your goal here],
I choose to [add your goal here],
Each day I am [add your goal here] more and more,
[Add your goal here] makes me feel [add your positive feeling here], or
I can [add your goal here].

Avoid beginning your affirmations with the phrases ‘I will’ and ‘I hope’ and remember to keep the statements positive. For more specific results, make your affirmation specific. To open up new possibilities in your life, write a more generalized and less specific affirmation.

Step #5: Now, make a regular habit of writing, saying, or reading your affirmations several times each day.

Step #6: Watch out for negative thoughts that crop up. Negative thoughts are a sign of resistance. Remember that the mind cannot hold two opposing ideas at once. One method for dealing with negative thoughts is to counter the negative thought by rapidly stating the affirmation numerous times and only give conscious thought to the act of repeating the affirmation.