By definition, an affirmation is a statement repeated time and again either verbally or mentally -- or written down. The words of the affirmation statement - in themselves -when spoken, thought of, or written *without* a pictorial (visualized) or emotional connection -- make a very weak affirmation.

Affirmations, when worded correctly -- and when emotionally charged
- are able to tap into the unlimited creative power of your subconscious mind, and manifest your desires.

Affirmations are not all created equal.  Some are, of course,
better than others.  There are *power affirmations*  that have been proven again and again to work - and I'll reveal some of them in a moment.

When you examine the structure of these power affirmations, you,
too, can learn how to create your own powerful affirmations for your specific purposes.

Consider the following:

"I am what I choose to be."
"All my needs are met instantaneously."
"I love and accept myself exactly as I am." 
"_____________ comes to me easily and effortlessly."
(Fill in the blank with what you desire.)
"I am now perfectly healthy in body, mind and spirit."
"I now create my wonderful, ideal life."

What do the above power affirmations have in common?

1) They're stated in the present tense.
An affirmation is more effective when stated in the present tense.
For example; "I now have a wonderful job." 

Avoid affirming something in the future tense, e.g. "I am going to have a wonderful job" or the results will always be waiting to happen.

2) They express a positive statement.

Affirmations need to be stated in the most positive terms possible.
Avoid negative statements.  Affirm what you do want, rather than what you don't want. For example: "I am no longer sick." This is a negative statement.  

Instead, affirm:  "I am now perfectly healthy in body, mind and spirit." This statement is much more powerful as it is positive and reinforces your desired goal and doesn't confuse your subconscious mind with the mention of  the undesirable condition.

3) They're short and specific.

Short affirmations are easy to say, and have a far greater impact at the subconscious level than those which are long and wordy. Keeping them specific and to the point adds power as the idea is uncluttered by extraneous elements.

The mechanics that make affirmations powerful are:

* Repetition 
The importance of repetition cannot be overemphasized. It imprints
the affirmation into your subconscious mind.

* Emotions
Get involved, be passionate, and use your emotions. Think carefully about the meaning of the words as you repeat them rather than just writing, typing or saying them.

* Persistence 
Practicing affirmations with persistence achieves results much sooner than practicing them periodically.  
Successive sessions will have a compounding effect.

* Belief
You don't necessarily have to believe your affirmation initially, in order for it to work.  Belief will grow with your forthcoming successes. What you do need is the ability to *feel*
what it would be like when the desire you're affirming is fulfilled, or your need met. Every time that you have a need -- and that need is met -- a certain 
"feeling" is produced in you.  

You need to evoke that same feeling when you state your affirmation. In other 
words, you need to feel with every fibre of your being that what you desire has already happened.  Without this feeling, your affirmation is powerless.

* Impress Yourself
Personalize your affirmations. They must *resonate* with you -- feel right for you. The stronger your connection with the affirmation, the deeper the impression it makes on your mind, and the sooner you will experience 
positive results.

So there you have it - the simple formula for creating affirmations that work.  Based on the above, you can  easily create your own affirmations to manifest any desire or need you have in life.

From Jeff Staniforth