I’ll be the first to admit, keeping a positive mindset throughout the day is tough.  There are so many things that come up, and so many factors to take into account and deal with. It’s easy to get swept up in the moment and let any feelings of overwhelm and stress take over.  While staying in the right mindset is difficult (at first), it’s definitely not impossible. You really don’t even need to spend that much time each day in order to really feel the benefits. Two minutes in the morning is all it takes to set the stage for a great day.  You don’t even need to wake up early to do make a huge difference in your life!

Affirmations

Ok, this may seem a little out there, but stay with me.  The practice of positive thinking fosters the belief that a positive mental attitude will achieve success in anything.  What we’re trying to accomplish in using positive affirmations is to retrain your brain. To get rid of all of the negative thoughts of not being good enough, or not being able to reach a goal, and replace it with helpful thoughts and positive energy.  

Now, this is a practice, so this is something that you’ll need to work at daily in order to see the effects. Saying these positive affirmations and thoughts to yourself each day will not help you to achieve your goals alone. This won’t give you the power to speak things into existence (but that WOULD be awesome).  What this is going to do is keep sending the message to your brain that you are capable and what you wish to have is possible.

First, take a few moments and write down anywhere from 1-3 statements that you’re going to repeat to yourself and focus on each day.  The affirmations need to be in the present tense, personal, and specific. In order to create your affirmations, you’ll need to start with the negative thoughts and feelings you’re currently dealing with.  

Next, you’ll need to come up with an affirmation that is essentially the opposite, or positive of that scenario.  We’re trying to reprogram our brains with positive thoughts, so to do that, we’ll need to define the negative ones, and create a specific counter-statement.

Not sure how to create an affirmation?

Let me give you some examples to show you what I mean.  Let’s say you struggle with cooking. You’re always telling yourself “I’ll never be a good cook, “Nothing I make ever turns out right,” or “Cooking is too hard for me.”  Now, if cooking is something you want to focus on getting better at, your affirmation could be something like “I will make time each week to improve my cooking skills and have fun in the kitchen.”  

How about another, more abstract, example – money. Many people have hang-ups and negative thoughts about money. We say things like “How am I going to afford to pay for XYZ,” or “I’ll never make enough money at my job to be able to save.”  You could begin to tell yourself “I will deposit money into a savings account each month.” It may seem silly at first, and that’s ok. Keep repeating your positive affirmations until you believe them.

So, following the criteria I mentioned, the affirmations above would be good examples, since they are personal, in the present tense, and specific.  Some bad examples would be something like “I want to make a million dollars in the next three years” or “I will be happy.” These are both too vague.  What will you do to make a million dollars? How will you change your habits to be happy? Your positive affirmations need to contain action steps or things you will do to get you closer to your belief & goal.

Daily Intention

At the beginning of each yoga practice, the instructor will often ask you to close your eyes and focus on your breath.  Then, they’ll ask you to set an intention for your practice for that day. It can be anything you want to work on. Simply put, setting your intention is selecting something that you’re going to focus on for that period of time. In this case, it is during your practice in class.  The same thing can be done, and become very helpful in your everyday life.

Each morning, choose your intention for the day.  Something you’re going to focus on. This will help guide your choices for the rest of the day.  If you have your intention in your mind, that is what you are focusing on. It makes sense then, that your choices, actions, and words are going to be more in line with that. Here are some examples:

Do you have a big presentation at work today that you’re nervous about? Maybe your intention for the day should be Courage. Focus on being courageous and accomplishing your goals, even in the face of fear.

Did you lose your temper with your children yesterday? (and if you have children, how did you not?)  Perhaps your daily intention should be patience. Taking a few extra seconds to breathe before reacting may change your response completely.

Make sure to remind yourself of your intention throughout the day.  Set reminders on your phone if you have to. Make it your lock screen.  Write it on a post-it and put it some place that you will see it often.

It’s Up to You

Doing these two things each morning will have a significant effect on your mood for the rest of the day.  Simply taking a few moments in the morning can set your mind on the right course and help you to make more positive and conscious decisions.  Take a few moments now to decide on your positive affirmations.

Each morning, recite your affirmations out loud to yourself. After that, set your daily intention.  I have a feeling that these could be the two most significant moments of your day. Once you make this part of your routine, you’ll start to notice the power of positive thoughts. You can find out the benefits of a positive mindset in my post titled “A Positive Mind = A Positive Life.”

Here’s my challenge to you:  Focus on your affirmations and daily intention for one week.  Dedicate just two minutes each morning – that’s it! I’d love to hear from you if you’ve done this, and what effect it’s had on your mood, your mindset, and your life.

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