Seinfeld has long been one of my all-time favorite television shows. And one of the best episodes, in my humble opinion, is Serenity Now.
Admit it. You clicked on the link, didn’t you?
Serenity now….Insanity later. There’s some truth to that.
And here it is. Affirmations work. But they’re not a magical spell. Sometimes you’re just angry. And it’s ok to be angry. Pretending you’re not angry when you are is not going to work very well. That’s not what affirmations are for.
Affirmations are about working to change core beliefs. And core beliefs usually exist in the subconscious mind. Walking around bellowing “Serenity now,” while amusing, is not likely to lead to much except, well, insanity. At the very least, it’s creating quite a lot of cognitive dissonance.
Someone I know who works with affirmations regularly once likened the use of unbelievable affirmations to putting sprinkles on dog poo. If you can’t make rent, repeating “I am wealthy” is really not going to do you much good at all. Putting a few sprinkles on the dog poo might pretty it up a little, but it still stinks. We’ve all been there.
Any affirmation that you decide to use is going to be more effective if you find it at least 50% believable to begin with. So, for example, if you are working to improve your finances, perhaps “My wealth is increasing” is a more believable option.
I’d love to tell you that you can change your life overnight. The truth is that real change takes patience and dedication. But the rewards span your lifetime.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu
Take the first step today.
