This post is from staff writer Sierra Black. Sierra writes about frugality, sustainable living, and getting her kids to eat kale at Childwild.com.
This morning, I did something unusual. After I brushed my teeth, I looked in the mirror and recited:
- “People love to give me money!”
- “I am rich and wonderful.”
- “I am now earning a great big income doing what satisfies me.”
I admit, I felt silly. I love a lot of New Age spiritual practices. (I’ve written before about using a money spell.) But talking to myself in the mirror was a little weird — even to me — never mind how silly I felt repeating these affirmations about my finances.
But can doing something as simple (and silly) as repeating daily affirmations make you richer? Chellie Campbell thinks so. Campbell is the author of The Wealthy Spirit, a book of daily affirmations on money. I spoke with her this week about the link between money and spirituality.
The Emperor’s New Clothes?
Campbell recommends doing these affirmations every day. In fact, she has a list of 50 that she uses daily herself. She told me a story of how her publisher initially wanted to strike them from the book, and Campbell dared her to try them out. A month later, the publisher was an affirmation convert and the book stayed as it was. Campbell believes that affirmations not only make you feel better about yourself, but also will make you richer.
“The positive affirmations really help you. They juice up your energy,” Campbell says.
How is that supposed to work, exactly? Well, for starters, we all want to be around people who feel good about themselves. Our managers, clients and friends all feel the same way. So when opportunities arise, they tend to go to those with sunnier dispositions. This is why happier people make more money and have more successful careers, according to Gretchen Rubin in The Happiness Project [J.D.'s review]. If doing a morning affirmation reminds you to let a little more sunshine into your smile, it really might help you roll in more dough.
Campbell also sees daily affirmations as a way to set intentions for your day. To her, the affirmations are a part of getting dressed and ready to face the world. “You’re dressing your energy,” she says. “After the outer is dressed, I want to dress the inner.”
You can’t stop at affirmations, though. Campbell stresses that an affirmation is only the first step; it has to be followed up with actions. If you want good luck to befall you, you need to put yourself in the way of opportunities. That means networking, working hard at your job, and maintaining professional relationships. You also need to be willing to let some failures come and go, and not get bogged down thinking less of yourself because of them.
Continuing with her clothing metaphor, Campbell says, “Doing the affirmations is just like getting dressed for work. Then you have to go to work and do something to earn your paycheck.”
She says the changes should be apparent immediately, and describes the effect as “a little magical”. She shared stories of old debts being paid and money coming in from unexpected quarters. Whether you believe there’s a link between the money affirmations and good financial luck or not, you can rely on the reality of a positive attitude to bring you improved “luck” in the form of more energy for your work and better networking opportunities.
Getting Started with Affirmations
Want to try some affirmations of your own? Here are half a dozen from Campbell’s personal list that might be particularly well-suited to those of us aiming to ” get rich slowly“:
- “People love to give me money!”
- “I am now earning a great big income doing what satisfies me.”
- “All my bills are paid up in full and I still have all this money.”
- “My affirmations work for me, whether I believe they will or not.”
- “A lot more money is coming into my life. I deserve it and will use it for my good and others.”
- “I am a money magnet!”
If you want to try this, but prefer to write your own affirmations, Campbell says there are a two important rules to follow.
- For starters, you want to phrase affirmations in the present tense. Not, “I will pay all my bills” but “All my bills are paid” or “I pay all my bills”. It’s important to tell yourself you do these things now, not in some imagined and possibly distant future.
- You also want to be sure to put all your affirmations in positive language. Your mind can’t think about a “not something”. Negatives disappear when talking to our inner selves (or our children). My husband and I observe this in parenting all the time. We call it the “ruckus problem”. One day we were in a cafe watching a young mom with her son. The boy was playing quietly by himself until the mom said, “Remember what I told you: NO RUCKUS!” Hearing the word “ruckus”, the kid immediately began creating one. Now, when we need to be reminded to put things in a positive framework, we just look at each other and say, “ruckus!” Similarly, you may want to say, “All my bills are paid” as an affirmation, not “I am not in debt”.
Following those rules, I’ve made up a few affirmations I plan to use this month, including:
- “I am skilled and successful at my work.”
- “I spend within my means.”
- “I feel relaxed about my finances.”
Campbell more or less dared me to try a month of affirmations. It’s impossible to talk to her and not feel some of her enthusiasm for the practice catch on. So I plan to give it a shot and see how it goes.
Building a Habit
The trickiest part will be making the affirmations a habit. Anyone who’s ever tried to adopt a new habit or mindfulness practice knows how hard it can be. For me, the best way to add a practice or activity to my life is to use a “hook” from my existing routine. For example, I meditate mid-morning when my computer reminds me it’s time to take a typing break. Before I used the wrist break software, I found it hard to make time for meditation. Now, that time is built in to my day. For the affirmations, I’m using toothbrushing, and saying them in the mirror after I’ve brushed my teeth.
Campbell recommends printing your affirmations and attaching them to the wall near your computer, or putting a copy on the dashboard in your car. I can speak to the power of having written reminders of your intention. I tend to surround myself with inspirational quotes and verses from my favorite poems. Mine all focus on love, not money, but they’re powerful reminders to be more present and loving in my daily life. I may spend some time this month seeking out quotes on abundance as well.
If you’re interested in reading more of Campbell’s affirmations, she’s blogging a page a day from The Wealthy Spirit at her website. You can also learn more about her workshops and other books there.
More Than Words
I don’t believe for a moment that affirmations alone will make you wealthier. In fact, if all you do is affirm your good intentions, you’re doing yourself a dangerous disservice. The key is to couple an affirmation or intention with action. Without action, an affirmation is no more effective than a drunken New Year’s Resolution. Empty words won’t help you pay your bills.
Often, having some kind of ritual or affirmation to link your intention to strengthens your commitment to doing it. That’s where the magic happens. It doesn’t come from the words you say. It comes from what you do after you’ve said them. You can use affirmations like these, or any other mindful personal ritual, simply to charge up your intentions. Whether you’re looking for a job or struggling to live within your means, you need to constantly support yourself in the hard work of walking your talk. Ritualizing that support with a daily pep talk or inspirational practice can be a powerful tool for staying committed to your goals.
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You can only think one thought at a time: choose a positive one! Affirmations are helping me right now — I feel less anxious about money, and actually money is starting to flow to me from expected and unexpected places! It’s funny how that works.
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Pamela @43 – you just made me smile
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Nicole wrote:
“Since this is something for which there is actual empirical evidence on efficacy (Stuart Smalley was popular decades ago),”
Just for the record, you know Stuart Smalley was a fictional character, right? He was a recurring sketch on SNL (Saturday Night Live), played by Al Franken, who is currently a Senator for the state of Minnesota. He did not represent any sort of “empirical evidence on efficacy.”
As far as the affirmations go, if other people think they’re helpful, then who am I to throw cold water on their ideas? I don’t think they hold any value for me, personally, but if they’re working for you, then go for it. “Do what works for you,” right?
I will point out, however, that these “affirmations” are a common tactic employed by shady Multi-Level Marketing schemes to lure naive suckers into their little pyramid schemes. They have entire books of these nonsensical affirmations to keep their lemmings drinking the kool aid. Things like, “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail (nevermind that 99% of MLM-ers fail)?” and “If you live your life as though you were already awash in abundance, then abundance will be attracted to you (along with aggressive debt collectors).”
It’s the same nonsense that sold a million (or whatever) copies of “The Secret.”
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If you’re gonna highlight #37, which is a mixture of information and misinformation, it would be nice to highlight #11 (a person who claims to be someone who studies this subject) which tells people how to get to the actual science if they want to do the research themselves.
You can argue about opinions and philosophy but that won’t change what kind of affirmations work and what kinds do harm. It won’t change which kind lead to action and which lead to inaction. There’s a big difference between opinion and empirically tested evidence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_restructuring
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-affirmation
@52 You’re aware that Stuart Smalley was SATIRE reacting to something that was prevalent in popular culture, right? SNL makes fun of things that are current. This affirmation crap was current decades ago and has been studied since. It’s been a long time since I’ve taken a psychology class, but it’s covered in textbooks. The specific kind that Sierra is talking about does more harm than good. Cognitive restructuring around things that are *true* and *realistic* does help people with negative self-talk.
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@Aspiring Millionaire:
“I decided a little while ago to be a millionaire and focusing on that goal and doing what I can when I can has meant I will be able to achieve my goal.”
I forget where I heard it, but there’s a quote I heard at a young age that has always stuck with me:
“Becoming rich is actually very easy, if that’s all you care about.”
I took that to mean if you’re willing to sacrifice your free time, a family, integrity, joy, and whatever else it takes, then it’s not actually very difficult to amass wealth.
The truly difficult challenge is to become wealthy while still having a family, enjoying down time, living a balanced life, giving to charity, and so on.
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Sorry for the repeated comments, but I just remembered another very apropos quote:
“You can’t build a reputation on what you say you are going to do.” - Henry Ford
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Affirmations are a waste of time (most of the time for most people).
They sound like my old witch friends who cast spells each morning for success and such. They do nothing and cost the individual time (and effort and possibly money depending on the spell).
However, I would grant that it is possible that a affirmation/spell can work like a short meditation to relax a person; focus on a single problem, or something similar I suppose.
Still, much better to spend that AM time flossing or actually brushing your teeth for the full 2 minutes (instead of the 35 sec average that most people do).
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@sfkiddo Actually, I knew Pascal had written about his wager, and that’s why I was sure it wasn’t the same writer. The person I was thinking of was Robert Merrihew Adams and his “practical belief in God”. I finally found it after some digging.
And here’s the Wired article on placebos: http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/magazine/17-09/ff_placebo_effect?currentPage=all
I’m pretty sure JD has mentioned Ramit over at IWTYTBR. Ramit advocates the same kind of restructuring of the way we think that I was talking (or, at least attempting to talk) about. Everyone has the same 24 hours a day, but some people believe they can achieve more in that 24 hours than others.
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There’s nothing wrong with positive thinking, as long as it is accompanied by action. I got a good laugh out of reading “The Secret”. (Actually I was enraged at how ridiculous it was and wanted my money back!) In that book the author suggested you just choose an amount of money that you want to have and focus on that, and you would eventually get it. I still don’t have my $250,000. I suppose the authors would say that’s because I don’t really believe it can happen…which I don’t. I don’t expect to just sit back and watch checks roll in. I’m not going to win the lottery because I don’t play. But I can work hard, get a higher paying job, and improve my situation that way. I think that’s the route I’ll take!
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I use affirmations, but maybe not in the sense the critics here perceive them. My affirmations are not unfulfilled wishes or desires for the future a la The Secret or some attempt to draw “energy” from the universe my way. I use them as reminders to myself of things I believe about myself and situation and the goals I am actively working towards shifting. I prefer to call them mantras, I guess.
I am three years into a five year debt-free payoff plan. That’s a long time to be sticking with it. Even when you automatize all the payments and plan carefully it is hard to stick with any goal for that long. Occasionally I have been disheartened that debt free day will never come. My resolve has weakened at times. I have found myself repeating in my mind “I will be debt free in 2013″; “You will be debt free”.”One day I will owe no one.” “I will be free to pursue to my dreams.”
I say such things until I believe them again and my resolve is renewed. They have helped me maintain my “gazelle like intensity” (Dave Ramsay) in paying down debt.
I am not waiting around to be saved or rescued by mysterious forces in the universe, or let off the hook. But I am reminding myself daily of my intentions. That’s what I think affirmations are. And they can help.
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While affirmations and visualization can be helfpul, they are best when used with a strategic plan which identifies goals, measures of success, and short-term action items which outline the steps necessary to achieve the goals.
Thank you for the reminder of an Amazon review on the book the Secret (a book of similar “affirmation will get you there” garbage) posted by Ari Brouilette. It was the funniest single Amazon review ever. Amazon took down the review, but you can google & find it on several blogs. Go ahead and google, you won’t be sorry.
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I think it’s interesting that the posts about affirmations and J.D.’s reminders to himself to help his memory hit my inbox this morning.
Call me crazy, but isn’t one action simply the other side of the coin for the other?
J.D. uses various methods to remind him to stay on track. Sierra uses affirmations. Whatever works….
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I agree with #37 and with JD (and may others)that positive thinking is different and does work. That is – “I will get a raise this week because I have worked hard and deserve it” but that “affirmations” or saying to yourself something is true when it isn’t are bad. Lying to someone else isn’t acceptable, why is lying to yourself?
The few exceptions I find are things like “Today IS a good day” (even if it’s rainy and you feel a headache coming on) or “I AM happy with my life”. These more vague sayings can help bring out positive thoughts without tricking yourself into a lifestyle you don’t have.
But as far as money, stick with “I will pay all my bills on time” or “I will have money saved for my trip” and as long as you realize it’s future (“will”), you should be good to go. Give yourself a goal, don’t pretend you already did the goal though.
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I’ve found that collapsing the present and future can be powerful. Knowing that what I want has already happened, that it’s inevitable, frees me from energy drains like doubt, impatience, second-guessing, discontent and discouragement. Now, instead of having to strive to hopefully achieve my goals, my life is an effortless realization of what already is. And this allows me to be patient and happy in the moment and easily weather frustrations and setbacks.
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Oh, C’mon. Yes, this is a bit silly, but hardly harmful. Some of the folks commenting here should lighten up a bit. There is definitely an “oust Sierra” vibe going on, when all you really need to do is stop reading a post if it’s not your thing. I do it all the time. Instead, you read on just to build your argument (also a waste of your time).
I am a money magnet! That is silly. A little funny, too. I might try it. The worst it can do is get my mind focused on a goal first thing in the morning.
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J.D.-
This is beyond nitpicky–but can you PLEASE change your description of Sierra Black? Every time I read “getting her kids to eat kale” the image of an unpleasant screaming person with New Age pretensions forcing vegetables down her children’s throats comes into my mind. It’s very distressing–
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Also–the whole question of affirmations reminds me of that episode of “Friends” where Chandler is trying to quit smoking (I think) and is falling asleep to taped affirmations–only they are meant for females and contain statements like “I am a strong independent woman…” He ends up unconsciously incorporating “womanly” behavior into his daily life –such as walking around the apartment with a towel draped on his head after showering–it’s very funny–
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Anyone who is familiar with the Lizard Brain concept (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/01/quieting-the-lizard-brain.html) shouldn’t find it a stretch to use affirmations.
When addressing your lizard brain, you do need to speak the words out loud. Your whole brain is then able to process the messages you are giving yourself, and no part of it (reptilian or otherwise) is able to hide from your words.
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I am a clinical counsellor and it seems to me that this is an example of self-hypnosis in a way, or at least something like it. You make statements about how you see your ideal self, goals in other words, and repeating these goals teaches our subconciousness where we are going and drives our actions, hopefully. I have known many people who have said this works for them, and many who said it doesn’t. Take it or leave it. In my workplace we word the goals of counselling by asking how will things be different when you reach this goal. This gives the person a chance to imagine themselves solving the problem or without the problem which often provides motivation to get there especially when someone is feeling particularly hopeless. I really like it. It provides a visual of how we might be (and feel) when our goals are achieved.
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Affirming your way to wealth: bunk;
Affirming your way into a changed mind: there is something to it.
I’m going to do my best to be kind about this post. There are many things that reinforcement can do for you and many it can’t.
Feeling down about your money situation? Maybe you should try some more well rounded affirmations.
I make the best decisions. My natural qualities allow me to be great. X is my most important value.
Why money? Why not be content being happy and making the best possible decisions every day using your natural gifts. you might be rich from that, but shouldn’t your bank account be a side effect of being an awesome person? Don’t focus on what others hold or think. Only what you can do. The decisions you make and the attitudes you hold.
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The value in being positive is that you willfully choose to align your thinking with the goals that you consciously want to achieve.
If I’m going to bother with reprogramming my internal monologue, it seems much more practical to me to repeat my values rather than bunk about how others want to give me money.
“I am content with what I have and don’t need the newest iPhone or gadget or whatever” is quite a bit more useful than “random strangers will give me money today!”
One focuses on practical actions and values – the other on blind luck and dependence on a benevolent fate.
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Thank you for posting this article. I have a wonderful life, and I am so grateful for my good fortune. I attribute much of the abundance in my life to positive thinking. Affirmations and positive selftalk have really helped me be open to and aware of wonderful opportunities that I may have otherwise overlooked.
I enjoyed reading this immensely and plan to look for Chellie Campbell’s book. Because it’s true, the more wonderful things (people, experiences, resources, ideas) you allow into your life, the more will follow.
Just wanted to let you know that not all of your readers are naysayers!! Thank you again!
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“Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” – That’s how the Bible sums it up. Our words do matter – but so do our actions. I agree with Sierra’s point that it’s not enough just to talk – you have to take action. Reminding yourself verbally of what you want and where you want to go can help you stay focused on taking the right actions to achieve your goals.
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There is research to indicate that, when done properly, affirmations and visualizations are very effective.
What I’ve read, includes these stipulations:
1-You see things as you wish them to be (as Sierra explained).
2-You put it in positive language because our brains don’t process negations (as Sierra explained).
3-It is about you. I can’t say affirmations for my husband to pick up his socks.
The gist is that our brains want everything to be consonant. If you believe yourself to be a clumsy person, you will trip over nothing. If you can convince your brain that you are not a clumsy person, your brain will do what it can to overcome the dissonance — and the clumsiness goes away.
If watching a 30-second spot on TV can effectively make you want to buy/eat something, why wouldn’t you advertising yourself to yourself change your mind?
This is addressed in part in the book “The Brain That Changes Itself” which is a fascinating read all around — the parts that deal with this and the parts that don’t.
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I use affirmations all the time, but not the kind Sierra used as examples. More the kind that sarah referred to back at comment, oh, #12? or something? That is, affirmations that are TRUE … not wishes.
“My financial plan is working.”
“We are saving money.”
“My yoga practice is improving my health.”
“I am becoming a better dancer.”
“I am becoming a better teacher.”
These are all true statements, and bringing them actively to mind reinforces the behavior that is making them true. It’s self-reinforcement. Sometimes we need to consciously (even vocally) remind ourselves of what we are achieving or have achieved, because the process can be a slog sometimes.
That said: I think affirming ANYTHING that isn’t true is self-destructive, even if the affirmative message is a positive one. Why would you want to establish pathways in your brain leading you from point A (real life) to point B, when point B is fantasyland? Why would you want to inhibit your reason in such a way?
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Holly crap Shalom #2, I just came here to present a TED talk about this!!!
Check out Keep your goals to yourself.
Probably is the same research you commented.
I just want to point something here.
There is a concept of archetype.
This means we have to build the base of what we want to acomplish or change on our selves.
Building the base causes us to identify to whatever we want, thus by helping us to stay connected with the goal.
It’s like the subject in the University you loved. Didn’t you enjoyed the way professor taught it either?
That is the best example of identification I can imagine.
Since you like the subject, it’s almost sure you will like the professor. The opposite proves to be true too.
That’s something to be taken into consideration.
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@5 Sierra. Ok. I challenge you to put together the actual research that “actual cognitive scientists” you talk about are doing showing that what you’re saying, specifically that making positive affirmations that are UNTRUE, is not harmful and is in fact, beneficial.
If you had done that, then your post would have been much better, and worth reading, and worth posting. That’s what the other regular GRS posters do when they are writing about something outside of their immediate personal experience. They’re also willing to do the time-consuming research and change things when they’ve made a mistake or comments have caused their thinking to change.
I doubt you’ll find anybody who has done actual peer-reviewed published empirical research that finds that saying “People want to give me money” or “My bills are paid in full and I still have all this money” results in anything positive. You will, however, find a lot of hucksters trying to make a buck.
I could put together an article myself showing the opposite, but I charge $500/article when I do freelance that requires research time.
You can look it up yourself, heck, you can even read the brief Wikipedia articles. Cognitive restructuring works when the affirmations are REALISTIC. Not when they’re garbage. Check out the TED talks and Google cues people on here have posted about how the bad kind of self-affirmations you’re talking about hurt goals. Or check out a textbook on cognitive behavioral therapy. Look the terms you’ve been given up in PubMed.
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I find it disconcerting that some of the comments are so venomous. Civility is a mainstay of GRS that I’ve come to value and appreciate. People are actually angry that a post appeared on a relatively public forum that they did not enjoy. Wow!? It happens. The fact that people, including myself, rarely encounter content on GRS that they don’t like is a testament to how hard JD works and how enduring the GRS brand is. To suggest for someone’s ouster or to infer that the GRS brand is so fragile or completely dependent on always producing content that you like is unrealistic and naïve.
I for one enjoyed the post. I found the title intriguing. This post reminded of a Bible verse that says “call those things that are not as though they were…”. To internalize a truth that is yet to manifest can subconsciously start to embolden you and impact your behavior, you begin to act in a way that increases the probability of achieving your goal.
Human behavior is nuanced and complex. Every human being has a different family of origin and different aptitudes. Some people have crippling self doubt, negative self-talk – some people come from dysfunctional backgrounds they have to reconstruct their self esteem and self-worth on a daily basis. For someone who is self-actualized and winning in life – to look down on strategies to get people who are less fiscally, intellectually, or emotionally endowed is sad. Affirmations can be a part of a holistic and integrated plan to build confidence and eventually wealth.
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I’ve heard good things about saying affirmations to yourself in the mirror. I don’t know if they really work though. I’d feel silly too. There is something to say about “putting it out there” though. It’s the power of the mind. The law of attraction.
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