How To Write Positive Affirmations for Personal Growth and Self-Improvement

Air, water, and food are the three main things required for us humans to survive. Have you ever wondered if we could survive in a place where these things aren’t available? 

Well, you might be surprised to know that we already do, in space. 

The International Space Station (ISS) is a home we’ve built in space, where none of these essentials are naturally available, yet we’ve been surviving there for around 20 years, with astronauts constantly living and working there.

Imagine a place with no air, water, or food, yet humans have made it possible to survive there. How did we achieve such a feat? 

It became possible because someone believed it could be done. Someone visualized that if we want to advance and learn more about our existence, we need to venture out and look for answers. 

Soon, we’ll have habitats on the moon and Mars as well. Can you believe it?

Everything we’ve built and achieved so far became possible because certain people believed it could be done. They didn’t worry too much about how it would happen but had a vision and a strong belief that it could be made possible by taking the right steps.

Look at the founders of big companies. None of them had a eureka moment where they suddenly knew how to build the end product. 

They had a vision of what they wanted to achieve and a strong belief in themselves that they could make it happen.

Once you have both of these and start taking steps in that direction, things start to happen and align. You figure things out along the way, nothing is crystal clear from the start.

The driving force behind achieving something great or becoming great in life is self-belief, the belief that what you’re dreaming and visualizing is achievable and that you have the ability to make it happen. 

If you listen to interviews of founders, CEOs, athletes, best-selling authors, celebrities, and other successful people, you’ll often hear them talk about practicing daily affirmations to reinforce their belief in themselves.

Now you might ask, what are affirmations?

Welcome back to our affirmations series, where we’re learning all about affirmations and how you can use them in different areas of your life to bring about positive change. 

Our first blog was an introduction to affirmations. In this second blog, we’ll walk you through the process of writing positive affirmations for personal growth and self-improvement.

Let’s get started! 

Step 1: Understand What Are Affirmations and Why They Are So Powerful

In very simple language, affirmations are positive statements that are written to change your thinking and help you believe in your capabilities to become a better version of yourself and achieve your dreams. 

‘Affirmation’ comes from the Latin word “affirmare,” which means to make steady or strong.

It means having a firm faith in yourself and your abilities. When you believe in yourself, you’re essentially saying that you have what it takes to reach your goals, become a better version of yourself, and grow as a person.

One key aspect of affirmations is that they are always written in the present tense and in a way as if what you’re desiring has already happened. 

For example, if you want to become a top YouTuber or blogger, your affirmation could be something like, “I am so happy and grateful that I have reached millions of subscribers or readers and my content is inspiring people every day.”

This practice might sound very simple and straightforward at first but believe me, it is a very powerful practice. 

Because writing these affirmations, believing you can achieve them, and visualizing and feeling the emotions of how reaching your goal will feel makes a very powerful change in your mind and your thought process. 

This practice will counter the negative thoughts, boost your self-confidence, and motivate you to focus and take action towards growing as a person and achieving your dreams. 

It will counteract the negativity bias trait of your mind and give you an overall positive outlook towards life.

To understand all this in detail, we invite you to read the first blog of this affirmations series that talks about the science and psychology behind affirmations.

Step 2: Identify the Areas of Your Life You Want to Improve

The next step in the process is to figure out the areas of your life you want to improve. Think about what aspects of your life you want to change or enhance. 

It could be anything from making progress toward your goals, advancing in your current job, or learning new skills. Identify how you want to grow as a person and improve yourself.

The important thing to understand is that there might be multiple areas in your life that you want to work on. Maybe you want to get healthier, build better relationships, improve your financial condition, or boost your self-confidence. 

While it’s natural to have multiple goals, it’s generally recommended to focus on one at a time. It can be overwhelming to tackle everything at once, which makes progress difficult to see.

Start by choosing the area that is most important to you right now. This will help you stay focused and make your affirmations more effective. 

Once you’ve made progress in that area, you can move on to the next one. Remember, personal growth is a journey, not a race. 

Taking it one step at a time will help you build a strong foundation and make lasting changes in your life.

By identifying the specific areas you want to improve, you set clear intentions for your affirmations. This clarity will help you create more targeted and meaningful affirmations that resonate with your personal goals.

Step 3: Identify What Your End Goal Looks Like

After figuring out the area of your life you want to improve, the next step is to identify what you want to achieve in that area. 

Think about the specific outcome or end goal you are aiming for. This clarity will help you create powerful affirmations that are focused and effective.

For example, if you want to advance in your career or get better at your job, your goal might be to get a promotion from your current role or to receive a salary increase. 

Be as clear and specific as possible about what you want.

But keep in mind that it should be realistic. If you’re working in an entry-level position and you suddenly want to become the CEO of your company, that might be setting unrealistic expectations. 

Set achievable goals that stretch your abilities without being impossible. 

It will give you a concrete target to aim for and help you stay on track towards personal growth and self-improvement.

Step 4: Create Your Affirmations

Now that you’ve identified the area of your life you want to work on and set goals for that area, it’s time to write affirming statements for those goals. Let’s go through a few important things to keep in mind while creating your affirmations.

1. Start with the words “I am”

Start your affirmations with “I am,” two of the most powerful words for changing your mindset and solidifying your belief in yourself. These words help you embody the change you want to see.

2. Write them for yourself and in present tense

Affirmations are personal and should be written for yourself, not for others. 

For example, you can’t write, “I am so happy and grateful that my parents don’t fight anymore,” or “My partner is now following a healthy lifestyle.” 

These are beyond your control and not centered on your personal growth.

Always write your affirmations in the present tense, even though they are for a future outcome. You have to write your affirmations about your goals as if you’ve already achieved them.

Instead of saying, “I will be promoted,” say, “I am so happy and grateful now that I am promoted.”

3. Keep them brief and specific

Your affirmations should be brief and specific. This makes them easier to remember and repeat multiple times a day. 

If you write vague affirmations, your vision of the end goal will also be vague. 

Your affirmations should be specific and targeted because a lack of clarity will make it difficult for you to achieve your goals.

4. Use emotional words and feelings

Use emotions and feelings in your affirmations. Visualize how you will feel once you’ve achieved your goals and embed those emotions into your statements. 

This makes your affirmations more powerful and effective because you’re not just stating facts but also feeling those emotions, which reinforces your belief in them.

So, keeping all these points in mind, an effective affirmation could be: “I am so happy and grateful now that I have been promoted to a senior manager role, where I am valued and fairly compensated for my hard work and dedication.”

Step 5: Incorporate Affirmations into Your Daily Life

The next step is to incorporate these affirmations into your daily life. 

Affirmations are not magic pills that can instantly help you achieve your goals. Instead, they are a simple and powerful practice that takes time to show its effect. 

To reap its benefits, you need to make them a part of your daily routine and practice them multiple times a day.

If you’re truly looking to make progress toward improving yourself and becoming a better version of yourself, one of the most powerful things you can do is journaling. 

Journaling provides you with space and encourages you to practice affirmations daily. Incorporating both journaling and affirmations into your daily life will have a powerful effect in terms of propelling you toward your goals.

We strongly advise practicing both journaling and affirmations daily, but if you prefer to focus solely on affirmations, that’s fine too. 

Find chunks of time in your daily schedule where you can sit down undisturbed and practice your affirmations. 

Practicing them first thing in the morning sets a positive tone for the day. Repeating them a few times throughout the day keeps your goals and the necessary steps to achieve them fresh in your mind. 

And practicing them at night helps program your subconscious mind to make decisions about the steps you can take to reach your goals.

By incorporating affirmations into your daily life, you gradually start to change your thought process and mindset and shift it toward making consistent progress toward your goals.

Step 6: Take Action

Practicing affirmations is just the starting point. They will change your perspective and give you a positive mindset, which is the foundation for achieving anything great in life. 

But the real change will happen when you’ll take action and start working towards it. 

Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that things happen by themselves by just practicing affirmations or through the process of manifestation. 

Yes, these are very powerful practices, and there is no doubt that they work. But their role is to change your mindset, help you build self-belief, and make you notice opportunities that you would have otherwise missed.

The real change happens when you start working towards your goals. The “how” part is for the universe to figure out, but your job is to get started. You’ll figure out things along the way. So, the most important step is to take action.

30 Powerful Affirmations for Personal Growth and Self-Improvement

Before we dive into the affirmations, remember that these are quite generic. They are here to give you a starting point or an idea of how to create your own affirmations. 

As we discussed above, the key to powerful affirmations is to be specific. 

While these examples can inspire you, make sure to tailor them to fit your unique goals and situation. Think about what you want to achieve, be clear about your desires, and write your affirmations in a way that feels right to you.

Self-Confidence

• I trust my gut and follow my own path.
• I’m proud of what I’ve done and excited about what’s next.
• I feel confident and sure of myself in everything I do.
• I believe I can handle challenges and grow from them.
• I deserve love, respect, and admiration.

Motivation and Productivity

• I’m full of energy and ready to tackle my goals.
• I make progress every day, no matter how small.
• I create a space where I can be productive and inspired.
• I’m driven by my passion and purpose to achieve my dreams.
• I turn my plans into actions and my actions into results.

Health and Well-being

• I take care of my body by making healthy choices every day.
• I’m committed to a lifestyle that supports my mind and body.
• I balance work, rest, and play in my life.
• I’m grateful for the energy and health I feel each day.
• I take care of my mind, body, and soul with love and care.

Learning and Growth

• I’m open to learning new things and expanding my horizons.
• I see challenges as chances to grow.
• I’m always growing and becoming a better version of myself.
• I learn from my experiences and use that knowledge in my life.
• I seek out new experiences that enrich my life and broaden my view.

Relationships and Connection

• I build deep and meaningful connections with those around me.
• I listen with empathy and speak honestly.
• I attract positive and supportive people into my life.
• I give and receive love freely and generously.
• I’m surrounded by people who inspire and uplift me.

Career and Success

• I take initiative and am proactive in my work.
• I’m dedicated to achieving my career goals with honesty.
• I welcome new opportunities for growth and advancement.
• I celebrate my achievements and recognize my hard work.
• I balance my work ambitions with personal joy and fulfillment.

Wrapping Up – How To Powerful Affirmations for Personal Growth and Self-Improvement

Everything we feel and think negatively about ourselves is because of our thinking. Our negativity bias makes us focus more on the small negative things than the larger positive things happening in our lives.

As we learned in the previous blog of this series, there are around 60-80k thoughts that go through our minds daily, most of which are negative and repetitive.

Constantly playing all these negative thoughts in our minds leads to self-doubt and insecurities, stopping us from taking action and growing as a person.

While it’s not possible to completely shut off negative thoughts and fill our minds with positive ones all of a sudden, it is definitely possible to make a small change that will have a compounding effect over time.

I just came across a powerful mathematical figure that captures this beautifully.

1 raised to the power of 365 is 1, but 1.01 raised to the power of 365 is 37.78.

(1)³⁶⁵ = 1 & (1.01)³⁶⁵ = 37.78

So if you remain the same throughout the year and don’t make any changes, thinking it’s not significant and nothing will happen, you will stay where you are. But even if you make just a small change in changing your mindset for the better, in a year you would have made 37.78 times the progress.

So understand the power of making even a small change daily because it will have a compounding effect over time and you’ll get a lot closer to your goals than you were a year ago.

If you want to couple journaling with affirmations, we invite you to check out our digital planner, which we’ve carefully curated to combine the practices of mindfulness, gratitude, affirmations, and self-care. This planner is meant for organizing your life, tracking and taking care of your health and well-being, and manifesting your dream life through proper planning and goal setting.

If you’ve already been practicing affirmations, please share your experiences so all of us can learn from them. Namaste!