Positive affirmations are important to a positive attitude and achieving goals. Learn the importance of correct format for powerful affirmations.

Positive attitude and positive thinking are linked to greater health, increased happiness, and longevity. Properly constructed and appropriate positive affirmations are an important ingredient for a positive attitude, as well as other life goals. The equation can be expressed as:

positive thinking + positive affirmation = positive attitude.

Positive Affirmations and Goals:

An affirmation is a statement of declaration, a reinforcement or affirming of a strong belief. Regular use of positive affirmations helps us reach goals and continue thinking positively. Affirming a goal regularly keeps it front and center in our thinking. We tend to accomplish what we think about, especially when we think about it properly.

Structure of a Good Affirmation:

The structure of an affirmation is vitally important. Word it wrong--as many people do--and it can work against you. The first and most important thing to know about an effective affirmation is that it must be in first person format. Begin your affirmation with I.

The next important structural requirement is often where people have the most trouble. Format your affirmation in the present tense. Many people resist this and in doing so they diminish the power an affirmation.

With few exceptions, the first two words of an affirmation should be I am. Notice these first two words incorporate first person present tense. Follow these two words with the end result you seek. If, for example, your goal is to have a positive attitude, you could finish your sentence like this:

I am a positive person.

Here's where many people go astray. Because they're not yet a positive person, or not very often positive, they resist using present tense, instead preferring to state a much weaker declaration like this:

I will try to be a more positive person.

Read those two examples out loud and you'll feel the difference in energy and power. Declaring something about the future sets an intention, but lacks an important ingredient of positive attitude and goal attainment. We'll take care of that next.

Emotion and Affirmations:

Passionate people achieve. Passion for a goal brings a near inexhaustible source of energy and resilience to attaining that goal. The I am statement is firm and passionate. The I will try statement is hopeful and dream-like. Which conveys more passion?

We can bring even more emotion to our example affirmation like this:

I am proud and happy now that I am a positive person.

There's More:

There's more to know about using affirmations, such as the importance of visualizing, how habits of thinking can counteract a good positive affirmation, being aware of accidental affirmations. These are covered in this article.

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