Former Olympic athlete and life coach, Michelle Griffith Robinson shares the eight affirmations she swears by and why she believes they set her up for success every morning.
As a life coach and admittedly a very upbeat person, I always reinforce that we must do what’s within our control and ‘control the controllable’. That’s where positive affirmations come into their own and I am a firm believer that if they are practiced on a regular basis, they will play a big part in giving you a more positive life.
For the last decade, in my opinion, more and more people have spoken about the impact of using positive affirmations and the affect they can have on you. I must add that they played a massive part of my journey as an elite athlete when I was competing.
What are positive affirmations?
Positive affirmations or positive self-talk has been used in a way to improve confidence, overcome fear, reduce self-sabotage, and to build you up when you are going through challenging or difficult situations or simply as a routine to set the tone of the day.
Positive affirmations are made up of phrases or short sentences that you can say out loud, or write down and use as visual tools.
What does research say about positive affirmations?
Research has said that positive thinking can rewire the brain and get you to focus on positive outcomes and aid in getting rid of the negative noise. For these reasons I tend to implement them into my morning routine daily.
When I first started it didn't feel very natural, but over the years I have formed a routine and a habit that feels good and is now part of what I do.
I've also found that positive affirmations can help you when you are feeling stressed or, like I mentioned above, when you are in a challenging situation or maybe going into unknown territory, like an interview or a room full of senior leaders etc.
How do I set or choose an affirmation?
The truth is I have a bank of affirmations that I can draw upon. Like I always say, one size doesn’t fit all, so go and build up your toolbox of affirmations.
Here are a few examples that I use and of course you can explore ones that suit you and your circumstances:
- I am in control of my journey
- I am the captain of my ship
- I am the author of my story
- I create my endless opportunities
- I am strong
- I am deserved
- I am enough
- My past will not define my future
I hope that you will start to see the benefit of using positive self-talk and affirmations as beneficial as I have. Remember you are unique, and we are all on our own journey of self discovery.
My final tip, If you are planning on going away over the summer months, why not write up a few post cards with your favourite affirmations on them and pack them with your Symprove, and your favourite book.
Would love to know how you get on!
