7X7: Experimenting with Affirmations (again)
For the last 18 months I’ve been running an experiment, writing a full page of affirmations every morning as part of my journaling (see Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way for more on morning pages). Here’s a summary of the clear, practical framework for incorporation affirmations into you daily life—not vague slogans, but statements that support action, confidence, and follow‑through.
I don’t equate affirmations with goals—but I do see them as supporting my worthy, ambitious goals.
The thoughts that follow here are things I have learned from other sources. Nothing much original here—I prefer to follow the leaders in this field.
Seven ideas for effective affirmations:
1. This may be self-evident, but state affirmations in a positive tone
Effective affirmation: “I get shit done.”
Less effective: “I do not procrastinate.”
2. As you begin, make them believable to your nervous system.
Your brain may reject statements it finds obviously false.
Instead of:
“I am always confident.”
Try:
“I am learning to trust myself under pressure.”
“I can take the next step even without confidence.”
Believability > hype.
However, as you progress, you should get to the point where you are, for instance, writing “I am confident” and reminding yourself during the day that you are confident, if that is what you are working toward.
Also, I like to mix affirmations that are already manifested in my life with those I am still in the process of manifesting. “I am an author,” is already true, although I sometimes still have trouble believing it, and “My body continues to respond well to treatment,” is also currently true and I want to reinforce that. Some of my affirmations are more aspirational, such as, “I am lean and fit.” I’ve been writing that last one for 18 months and have only now started hitting the gym on a regular basis and swimming again, but I keep telling myself I am lean and fit and maintaining the tension between reality and my goal, which drags me toward realizing what I am writing.
3. Anchor affirmations in things over which you have control.
For instance, I can submit 100 query letters (and I did!). However, I don’t have any control over the number of responses I get. I can go to the gym five times a week and ski and stay active. I can manage my money better.
Outcome‑based affirmations depend on results you don’t yet have (and can therefore be frustrating, even counter-productive).
v.
Identity‑based affirmations support consistent behavior.
Examples:
“I follow through.”
“I show up even when it’s uncomfortable.”
“I do my best.”
Identity shapes action; action produces results. One hundred queries should result in 10 requests for a full manuscript. Ten requests should result in at least one offer of representation. I can write every day. I can affirm that I am an author, and that my work in valuable and valued (because it is). That’s what I have control over. Reaching best seller status, well, that’s a dream, but dependent on so many things I can’t control.
You can’t affirm outcomes you can’t guarantee—but you can affirm effort, resilience, and choice.
High‑leverage affirmation themes:
Effort: “I take action regularly.”
Courage: “I am willing to be seen trying.”
Adaptability: “I adjust and continue.”
This builds confidence without denying reality.
4. Use present tense, but allow growth
Affirmations should reflect current commitment, not fantasy.
Avoid rigid absolutes:
“I always…”
“I never…”
Use growth‑friendly language:
“I am…” (my favorite way to start an affirmation)
“I am capable of…”
“I choose to…”
This keeps the statement dynamic and resilient.
Also, slip in some affirmations that come from external sources. I got a review of one of my screenplays that started out with, “I can see you have a great imagination…” and so I worked that into my daily routine: “I am creative and I have a great imagination.” Don’t discount the obvious or things that are currently true—you can build on your existing positive traits.
5. Keep affirmations short, specific, and repeatable.
If you can’t remember it under stress, it’s too complex.
Good affirmations:
Fit in one breath
Use plain language
Sound like something you would say
Example:
“I am qualified.”
“I am confident.”
“I am worthy.”
Simple statements are easier to repeat—and repetition is what matters. However, I do have some longer ones, like:
Money flows to me naturally and easily.
I maintain a positive mental attitude.
I continue to enjoy abundant good fortune.
I make good decisions and things work out in my favor.
I’ve written these so many times they are integrated into my very being.
6. Pair affirmations with behavior
Affirmations reinforce what you practice, not what you wish.
Best timing:
Before starting a hard task
When resistance shows up
After taking a brave action
I do mine every morning, but any time is a good time
Think of affirmations as reinforcement loops, not magic spells.
Example: Turning fear into an effective affirmation
Fear:
“I’m not ready to take on a leadership role.”
Transformed affirmation:
“I don’t need to be ready to begin—I grow by beginning.”
That’s honest, grounding, and action‑supportive.
A simple formula you can reuse:
I am someone who [desired behavior] even when [real obstacle].
Examples:
“I am someone who writes even when it feels messy.”
“I am someone who speaks up even when I feel nervous.”
“I am someone who keeps going after setbacks.”
7. Consider writing your affirmations.
Written affirmations tend to be more powerful than merely thinking them because writing engages more of your brain, your body, and your attention, turning a vague mental intention into a concrete psychological event. Here are the key reasons—grounded in cognition, behavior, and learning science rather than hype.
Maybe even post some of your affirmations around your living and work space. When I first started experimenting with this years and years ago, I made myself a business card that I taped to my mirror that read, “Joe Cooke, CPA, MT, JD”. It took me twelve years of school while I worked to reach that goal. I made a plan and I worked the plan and overcame obstacles and setbacks but I did it.
a. Writing slows thinking and forces precision
Thoughts are quick, vague, and easily interrupted. Writing is slower and more deliberate, which forces you to choose words intentionally and notice what actually feels true or resistant. That friction matters: when you write an affirmation, you’re not just repeating it—you’re evaluating and shaping it. This slows mental noise and increases clarity.
b. Writing externalizes the affirmation
When you write something down, it moves from an internal monologue to something observable and real. Your brain processes written language more like an external fact than an internal thought, making it easier to:
Reflect on
Revisit
Take seriously
This externalization reduces the feeling that affirmations are “just something I’m telling myself,” which can weaken purely mental affirmations.
c. Writing engages more neural pathways
Writing activates:
Language centers
Motor systems (hand movement)
Visual processing
Working memory
The more systems involved, the stronger the encoding and recall. This is why handwritten notes are remembered better than mental rehearsal alone: writing creates multisensory reinforcement, which deepens learning and belief formation.
d. Writing reveals resistance you can work with
When affirmations stay in your head, they can remain comfortably abstract. Writing exposes where a statement feels off, false, or triggering.
For example:
Thinking: “I am confident.” (passes quickly, unexamined)
Writing: “I am confident.” (pause, discomfort, skepticism)
That moment of resistance isn’t failure—it’s information. You can then rewrite the affirmation into something believable, which dramatically increases effectiveness.
e. Writing creates accountability and continuity
A written practice creates a record. Over time, this allows you to:
See themes
Track shifts in language
Notice growth in identity and confidence
Revise, recall, and revisit
This continuity turns affirmations into a practice, not a passing mood. Thinking affirmations come and go; written affirmations accumulate.
f. Writing strengthens identity through action
Writing is itself a tiny act of follow‑through. When you consistently write affirmations, you reinforce the identity of someone who:
Shows up
Reflects deliberately
Invests in their growth
That behavioral reinforcement makes identity‑based affirmations more credible—because they’re paired with evidence.
g. Writing reduces cognitive avoidance
It’s easy to mentally affirm something while subtly avoiding its implications. Writing removes that escape hatch. You have to face:
What you’re actually committing to
What scares you
What you’re avoiding
That honesty is where affirmations stop being performative and start being transformative.
Thinking affirmations is passive. Writing affirmations is active. Writing slows your mind, deepens belief, surfaces resistance, strengthens memory, and ties identity to behavior. That combination makes written affirmations more durable, more honest, and far more likely to support real change.
Seven reasons affirmations WORK
Here are seven solid, non‑woo-woo reasons affirmations can actually help you achieve big, scary goals—especially when the goals challenge identity, confidence, or long‑held patterns.
1. They rewire how you interpret difficulty
Big goals trigger fear, uncertainty, and self‑doubt. Affirmations don’t remove those feelings, but they change the meaning you assign to them.
When you regularly affirm statements like “I can learn hard things” or “Discomfort means growth,” your brain is more likely to interpret stress as information, not danger. That makes you less likely to quit when things feel hard.
2. They reduce internal friction, not external effort
Affirmations don’t replace action—but they lower the internal resistance that makes action costly.
Big goals often stall because of thoughts like:
“I’m not that kind of person”
“This will expose me”
“I’ll fail anyway”
Affirmations work by weakening these default objections, so starting and continuing requires less emotional energy.
3. They strengthen identity‑based motivation
People are far more consistent when actions align with their identity.
Affirmations framed around identity—
“I am someone who follows through”
“I act even when I’m unsure”—
support a shift from trying to being.
When a goal becomes “what someone like me does,” behavior follows more naturally.
4. They create cognitive priming for opportunity and action
Your brain filters massive amounts of information. What you consistently affirm gets priority attention.
When you repeat affirmations related to growth, courage, or capability, your brain becomes more likely to:
Notice relevant opportunities
Recall past successes
Generate problem‑solving ideas under stress
This isn’t magical—it’s attention bias working in your favor.
5. They counteract negativity bias
Human brains are wired to remember threats and failures more vividly than successes. This bias becomes a major obstacle when pursuing ambitious goals.
Affirmations act as intentional counterweight, repeatedly surfacing:
Strengths
Past wins
Capacity to adapt
Over time, this balances the narrative your brain tells about what’s “likely.”
6. They improve emotional regulation under pressure
Big goals are emotionally loaded. Affirmations help regulate nervous system responses by reinforcing safety and agency during uncertainty.
This matters because:
Calm brains make better decisions
Regulated emotions improve persistence
Confidence increases tolerance for delayed results
You’re not eliminating fear—you’re lowering its control.
7. They support consistency when outcomes lag behind effort
Large goals have delayed feedback. Affirmations provide immediate psychological reinforcement when results aren’t visible yet.
They help answer the silent question:
“Why keep going today if success is far away?”
Affirmations keep effort aligned with long‑term direction rather than short‑term reward.
Important caveat (and why it matters)
Affirmations work best when they are:
Believable
Action‑oriented
Identity‑based
Paired with real effort
They fail when used as wishful thinking or as a substitute for action.
The experiment is ongoing
So far, the results of my most recent experiment with affirmations have been gradual but impressive. I’ve treated affirmations as a daily, structured practice—writing a full page each morning—to develop a practical, non‑performative approach that supports real action rather than wishful thinking. Effective affirmations begin by addressing genuine internal resistance instead of idealized outcomes, are phrased in ways the nervous system finds believable, and are anchored in identity rather than results. Use present‑tense, growth‑oriented language, focus on what can be controlled (effort, courage, adaptability), remain short and repeatable, and are paired directly with behavior, functioning as reinforcement loops rather than magic spells. When crafted this way, affirmations help us pursue big, scary goals by reframing difficulty, reducing internal friction, strengthening identity‑based motivation, priming attention for opportunity, counteracting negativity bias, regulating emotions under pressure, and sustaining effort during periods when results lag behind work—making them a psychological support for persistence (in fact, one of my affirmations is “I persevere and persist, overcoming all obstacles). Even so, affirmations are not a substitute for action. Remember, you have to DO the work. Good luck!