Anyone had success with positve affirmations? My own 30-day experiment

[Kevin Givens]

I just started my own 30-day positive affirmations experiment, which I am doing a 3-part blog series on.

I'd love to hear about your own results with positive affirmations.

Please share your thoughts and feedback. If you have written a similar article or done your own 30-day experiment, I'm looking for some good stories for my next article.

Thanks in advance!

[Kaspian]

(The first section of this is also posted as a comment on your blog.)

What a great 30-day challenge!

A couple thoughts:

When I look at the use of positive words vs negative words, I see this:

Positive: intelligent, competent, creative, enthusiastic, energetic, talented, confident, free, look forward, learn, successful (2x), income, options, proactive, action, direction, goals, dreams.

Negative: bonds, procrastination, self-doubt, fears, failure (2x), fail (2x), overwhelmed.

You have a lot of fabulous, inspiring, positive words, and way more positive words than negative ones. However, you write fail/failure four times—that’s a lot of "failure!" You could change the failure sentence to something like, "I handle all my experiences with wisdom, joy, love, and ease. I accept and embrace all levels of success, learning from my experiences." Choose the wording that works for you, and aim for empowering.

I would address the negatives in the third sentence. Procrastination could become, "I take action now." Self-doubt and fears could translate to, "I trust my talents and abilities. I release the past and move beyond old limitations." (I'd add, "embracing all levels of success," if I hadn't already suggested it above.)

Also, when you state, "I am not overwhelmed," your subconscious mind hears "overwhelmed." You could just delete the sentence. If you want to keep that idea, though, how about, “I enjoy ……” (and choose the wording that makes sense to you).

In one of Steve’s podcasts, he suggests the following intention, which I often use along with affirmations: "I intend to be shown the edges of my limiting beliefs, as well as what lies beyond them." Simple, broad, clear, and powerful.


When I use affirmations, I often do them along with writing the Morning Pages, a daily exercise suggested in Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way. In short, her instructions are to handwrite three pages of whatever’s on your mind, stream-of-consciousness style, dismissing judgment and criticism as you go. Rather than considering it as writing, view it as brain-drain.

My experience is that the process often brings up and addresses fears, self-doubt, limitations, etc. It also reveals and strengthens hopes, dreams, goals, desires, motivations, and so on. Often by the third page, I have uncovered and examined the belief, thought process, emotion, or whatever that’s getting in my way, and I use the last page to release or change it. That’s where the affirmations come in. When I combine affirmations with the awareness I gain from doing the Morning Pages, they’re much more potent.

[Kevin Givens]

Thanks for the fantastic reply (and blog comment) Kaspian! I have posted a follow-up comment as well.

Those are great suggestions about changing the wording to only positive phrases. I am planning to use your suggestions to write a new affirmation for the second half of the experiment.

Thanks for the info about the "Morning pages" as well. I have to put The Artist's Way on my "to read" list. That would make another great 30-day experiment!

When I originally posted this question I was torn whether to put it in the Personal Effectiveness or Intention Manifestation forum.

Are positive affirmations considered a form of Intention Manifestation? If so, can this thread be moved?