Do affirmations actually work? How can you adopt a mindset that radiates positive energy?
While you’re envisioning what you want to achieve in the future, you need to think about what’s standing in your way. To overcome these blocks, you may find that writing affirmations will help.
Find out how to write affirmations for yourself to get around mental blocks.
Adopt a Positive-Energy Mindset
Simon Alexander Ong suggests that our biggest obstacles are self-inflicted mental blocks that we put in the way of our own energy. To get around these blocks—or remove them entirely—you need to adjust how you think about yourself, learn to see failures as stepping stones to growth, and persist through any challenges and fears that may be slowing your progress.
When it comes to directing your energy, mental barriers are more serious than you think. Ong argues that we behave in accordance with our self-perceptions, and our beliefs create our reality. Therefore, any negative self-beliefs you have will manifest in how the world reacts around you. To counter this, Ong writes that you need to identify and challenge your self-limiting beliefs and replace them with more empowering ones. You can do this step-by-step by learning how to write affirmations for yourself through journaling. This way, you can root out and reexamine your beliefs, countering them with positive self-talk to boost how your energy expresses itself. Speaking to yourself with compassion and encouragement will shift your energy and your outlook on what you can achieve.
(Shortform note: Unveiling and replacing long-held beliefs isn’t easy. They were likely shaped by your childhood, the people around you, and your lifetime of experiences. In Goals, Brian Tracy sets out a process to address them as Ong recommends. First, assess any areas where you believe your abilities are limited and ask friends or family to help point out your blind spots. Next, choose only the beliefs that will help you and make sure your actions going forward are consistent with your new conceptions. Lastly, keep engaging in visualization—picture the person you want to become, then act as if you’re already there.)
But do self-affirmations really work? Ong says “absolutely.” By consistently repeating positive statements, you realign your brain toward success and happiness, raising your energetic levels in the process. In addition to adopting positive beliefs about yourself, Ong goes a step further and suggests you adopt the belief that the world itself is working to help you—an attitude that will help you maintain your positive energy and overcome obstacles. Even if such a belief isn’t literally true, a hopeful outlook on life can be a strong placebo, and psychologists have demonstrated the near-miraculous power of the placebo effect to better people’s lives and make the seemingly impossible come true.
| The Power of Energy Attraction and Placebos Ong discusses positive energy’s “frequencies and vibrations” in terms very close to those of Vex King in Good Vibes, Good Life. King asserts that thoughts and feelings have vibrational frequencies, and that positive thoughts have higher vibrations that attract more positivity back to you. Scientists insist that’s not how vibrational energy works and point to the misuse of scientific jargon to add credibility to pseudoscientific mood-boosting practices. In Happy, philosopher and magician Derren Brown takes particular umbridge with “law of attraction” proponents who suggest that your thoughts attract the things you want, arguing that they overpromise on results while downplaying the importance of random chance. Nevertheless, it may not matter if believing that positive mental energy attracts good things is irrational. In Alchemy, Rory Sutherland argues that since people are fundamentally irrational anyway, then irrational—and even magical—thinking can offer paths to creative solutions to modern-day problems. Science has shown that human perception differs from objective reality, so believing in the power of positivity can change your perception of reality more easily than you can change reality itself. This shift in perception triggers the placebo effect that Ong mentions, and Sutherland argues that placebos work even if you know they’re placebos. Therefore, positive belief can be very effective, even if not for all the reasons Ong cites. |
However, no matter how hard you wish against it, life will throw hardships and curveballs in your way. Ong suggests that this isn’t a bad thing, because obstacles and challenges can be transformed into sources of energy and growth. If you keep an open, positive mindset, you’ll recognize that every problem or failure contains a hidden gem of opportunity that you might turn to your advantage, if only by learning to overcome it. What’s important is to focus on what you can control, which is largely your own response to events. If you respond in a way that’s self-empowering, then what greater boost could your energy receive than the knowledge that you faced adversity and beat it?
(Shortform note: Though “stoicism” may not be the first concept you think of in association with Ong’s positive energy, the approach he describes here is very much in line with the writings of the ancient Stoic philosopher Epictetus. In his Discourses, Epictetus argues that hardships are opportunities to become stronger and to prove yourself. Avoiding them is actually bad for you—it cheats you out of the chance to grow. What matters is that you don’t waste energy assigning blame for your misfortunes, and that you think before you act in response. Epictetus suggests that when something goes wrong, imagine that it’s happening to someone else instead. Consider what advice you’d give to that other person, then try to follow that advice yourself.)
Persistence and Action
Ong reiterates that you’ll inevitably run into challenges on your way toward success. Optimizing your energy can help you persist through hardships and adapt to meet your struggles. Doing so doesn’t just help you reach your goals, but it also transforms your identity and self-perception. When you’re able to overcome your fears and persist beyond what you thought were your limits, you’re not only building momentum—you’re also learning your true motivations for pursuing your ultimate goals. The struggles you face as you do the daily work to move closer to your dream help to clarify why your ambitions are worth the effort.
What’s important is that you take action toward your goals instead of waiting for the perfect time to begin. Ong insists that even small, consistent steps lead to progress over time. Don’t fall for the common misconception that you have to be an expert before putting your energy into your dream, whether that’s writing a novel, starting a business, or bucking for a promotion. What we rarely realize is that everyone else is learning as they go as much as we are.
When trying something new, you’re bound to be nervous, but Ong says you can use your fear to drive your progress, rather than letting it be a barrier. Maintain your positive-energy mindset, and you’ll be surprised what new chances the world will bring your way.
