It has been a year since I started to use a daily planner.
I would say it’s not a standard planner but rather a mindset planner: the High-Performance Planner by Brendon Burchard.
It helped me a lot to go through the season of being at home when COVID-19 shut the world down. I was working from home with 2 children, and my husband was in shock as he lost his job from one day to the next.
We were confused, and I was so glad I went to this event of personal development by Brendon Burchard in San Diego less than a month ago, still feeling the energy and the power of being extraordinary. With the difference, nothing seemed extraordinary around me.
The whole situation was not so good, we were not prepared to be in that situation. So I decided to follow what I was just learning, build a new routine.
My routine was already filled with some intentionality, like exercising and planning the day.
So what else?
I decided to buy this mindset type of planner.
Well, it takes some time to fill it. What I needed was to shift the focus from the negativity and fear around me, and start to operate to a mode of solution and creation of something new.
During the day I had now to combine my children’s needs with work. This was when the naps became sacred time!
But in this planner, it was the mindset part that really made a difference. My work schedule is in Outlook, so the tasks manager part was less important to have them in the planner.
The mindset questions were really the key to put me in a state of service to my family and my team. Also, giving me some grace during the day was really important while I was learning a new routine.
From all these, I have to admit I couldn’t keep up with the every day full planner, but there is something I still keep. And I do it every day!
Today’s message to myself:
This message is the feeling I want to feel or the message I need to hear and believe for the day. It is known as positive daily affirmations.
I did some research and I found some point very interesting from the researcher Catherine Moore:
What are Positive Affirmations? A Definition
Fortunately, positive affirmations are almost as easy to define as they are to practice. Put simply, they are positive phrases or statements used to challenge negative or unhelpful thoughts.
Practicing positive affirmations can be extremely simple, and all you need to do is pick a phrase and repeat it to yourself.
You may choose to use positive affirmations to motivate yourself, encourage positive changes in your life, or boost your self-esteem. If you frequently find yourself getting caught up in negative self-talk, positive affirmations can be used to combat these often subconscious patterns and replace them with more adaptive narratives.
Is There Science Behind Them?
Science, yes. Magic, no. Positive affirmations require regular practice if you want to make lasting, long-term changes to the ways that you think and feel. The good news is that the practice and popularity of positive affirmations are based on widely accepted and well-established psychological theory.
The Psychological Theory Behind Positive Affirmations
One of the key psychological theories behind positive affirmations is self-affirmation theory (Steele, 1988). So, yes, there are empirical studies based on the idea that we can maintain our sense of self-integrity by telling ourselves (or affirming) what we believe in positive ways.
Very briefly, self-integrity relates to our global self-efficacy—our perceived ability to control moral outcomes and respond flexibly when our self-concept is threatened (Cohen & Sherman, 2014). So, we as humans are motivated to protect ourselves from these threats by maintaining our self-integrity.
The reason I went a bit deeper on this topic is that I am using it for ONE year, just now.
And it is working. I feel better! I feel more confident and in control.
I know some of you are a bit reluctant to jump on this practice. Also, I assure you, if you are doing this in writing or/and saying out loud won’t feel very natural for the first time!
So don’t beat yourself down at the beginning, give it some time.
It is turning ONE year, I am doing it!
To help you, I took some of my daily affirmations from the planner and transcript here for you.
If I wrote it here, it is because I used it.
If it resonated with you, feel free to use it.
Mine is very basic. I am now completing sentences with more than 3 words. I have some friends who have paragraphs, so it really depends.
There is one rule: You can’t use NOT, NO, or another form of negative to positive affirmations.
Example:
I am not fat. It is not a positive affirmation, instead, you should use something like I love my body.
35 of my positive affirmations. Those are yours. No judgment, only acceptance.
- I am powerful.
- I am capable.
- I can put myself out there.
- I work hard and I know what I do is good.
- I am a visionary and I am up to try new things.
- I am strong.
- Everything will be ok because I believe in it.
- I am brave, and I do things I am uncomfortable with.
- I love my body and I nurture myself.
- I choose joy.
- I am enough, and I believe in myself.
- I choose to be positive, and good things happen.
- I am living my Dream.
- I can calm down, and create a positive attitude.
- I am the queen of productivity.
- I am badass, powerful, and kind.
- My 1% chance is my 100% opportunity.
- I have the courage to speak up and make myself heard.
- I give myself permission to do what is right for me.
- I am confident in my ability to be a successful woman.
21. I give myself space to grow and learn.
22. I listen to my intuition and trust my inner guide.
23. I accept my emotions and let them serve their purpose.
24. My drive and ambition allow me to achieve my goals.
25. I trust that I am on the right path.
26. I am creatively inspired by the world around me.
27. My mind is full of brilliant ideas.
28. My energy is my superpower.
29. I am becoming closer to my true self every day.
30. I am grateful to be a mom.
31. I am learning valuable lessons from myself every day.
32. I am at peace with who I am as a person.
33. I stand by love.
34. I lead by significance.
35. I can do hard things.
Do you have a favorite positive daily affirmation? Share them with us in the comments below. I would love to know yours!
Ana
