Be grateful for your aspirations, as they’re giving you a window into your highest self. You have the capacity to see them because you have the ability to reach them. Draw them from the realm of theoretical to reality through daily, intentional action. Baby steps. You’ll get there.

Affirmations are a powerful tool in bringing your visions closer to reality faster. I can honestly say that my life changed because I found out a way to use affirmations that worked for me.

I’ve always been drawn to self-improvement. Speaking as a bona fide overachiever from childhood, I’ve always striven to constantly refine and perfect myself. Over the previous 15 years, I’ve gotten better at forgiving myself for being imperfect, understanding that perfection is not actually possible. I am a work in progress, as are we all.

Many people associate affirmations with people who lack a firm grip on reality, dismissing mantras and scribbled sticky-note statements as “wishful thinking.” Many affirmations don’t work for me because the logic centers in my brain are overly developed. It’s impossible for me to reconcile some affirmations because, on their surface, they openly contradict what my five senses are telling me.

For example, statements like, “I am wealthy” didn’t work for me in my 20s because at the time,

1. I still associated wealth as solely financial.
2. I was living paycheck to paycheck with no savings.

Other affirmations that didn’t reflect my actual lived experience were similarly blocked by my subconscious.

Somewhere along the way in my mid-to-late 30s, I began to understand how I could gradually shift the receptors in my subconscious so that affirmations could take root. The secret was to state any affirmation in a way that my brain accepted it as truth. So instead of saying, “I am wealthy,” I began to use the phrase, “I am taking ownership of my financial choices.”

This ownership perspective was reflected in the way I spent money, learned about money, invested money, gave away money, and asked for money. Through being mindful throughout those actions, building wealth was possible.

I also began to simultaneously shift my perception of wealth, and expressed gratitude for what I had:

• A healthy body
• A quick and curious mind
• Loving children
• A safe home in a good neighborhood
• Supportive network and friends
• Amazing clients
• Luxury of working from home

This list reflects just a small sampling of the daily things for which I am grateful. My point is that shifting the affirmation from “I am wealthy” to a statement that gave me agency to choose my actions began to recalibrate the way I measured abundance.

The secret to making affirmations work:

• Always state them in the positive and present tense.
• Never include a negative “I don’t eat chocolate every day.”
— Instead, say, “I enjoy eating chocolate in moderate amounts every day.”
• The use of “I am” to preface any affirmation will make it more effective
— I am learning how to…
— I am willing to…
— I am choosing to…
• Always reinforce factual information when you speak to your brain.
— I appreciate hot running water for my shower.
— I love hearing my child’s laughter ringing through the house.

How can you tell your affirmations are working? When your behavior mirrors the affirmation (without having to use the affirmation), then you’ll know that your mind has accepted it as truth. You will have reprogrammed your mindset. At this point, switch to your next affirmation (or behavior modification goal). NOTE: In general, the more positive statements you can impress upon your thought patterns, the easier it will be for affirmations to find purchase and to have an effect.

Within this post, I’ve used wealth as an example. If fitness is your goal, using affirmations like these can help:

• Drinking water helps my cells process energy (fact).
• Walking in the fresh air clears my head (fact).
• I am learning how to take better care of myself.
• I like the independence being healthy affords me.

Keep them simple. Keep them positive. You will change your life. I guarantee it.

P.S. Every Sunday, I publish a free weekly newsletter called the 3 Minute Reset, which includes life lessons, life hacks and treats. To subscribe, click here.