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Some people view prayer as the highest form of affirmation, while others simply prefer to call it positive self-talk. Whatever you want to call it, the methods used to practice positive affirmations are effective and reliable. The process is akin to working out. You have to exercise your positive self-belief to keep your mind and spirit in top condition. If I go a few days without practicing affirmations, I feel as though I’ve missed a few days at the gym. I don’t feel as sharp, strong, or focused.

In the early days of my affirmations, I’d make my statements simple but to the point, saying things like:

I believe in myself.

I like myself.

I believe in what I think.

I am a goal achiever.

As lame as those statements sound to me today, at the time I didn’t like myself. I didn’t believe in me. I was still wearing five earrings and had just gotten rid of my Mohawk. I was coming from years of doubt, lack, and limitation. You can plant a seed, but if the ground isn’t fertile, the seed may not grow. I needed to reprogram my self-image and self-esteem—big-time!

At Brian Tracy’s suggestion, I began doing affirmations on my way to work. I rode my 125 cc motorcycle and screamed at the top of my lungs for the entire ride, “I Like Myself!” “I Believe in Me!” and so on, over and over. By the time I got to work, I found that my day went by faster, I accomplished more, and I was building my self-image and my self-esteem.

Affirmations became even more important to me a couple of years after I went to work for my father, when I began working as a salesman for his company. I love the saying “When you know something but don’t apply it, it is as if you have never learned it at all.” I recognized the power of affirming thoughts because I got immediate benefits from doing my affirmations. For the first time in my life, I felt good. I wanted to do whatever I could to keep that feeling, so I upped my statements to reinforce my new role, saying “I am a powerful salesperson,” “I attract great clients,” and “People love to do business with me.” And even though I was met with rejection along the way, I continued to affirm the results I was seeking until I got them.

You can create affirmations for every area of your life. They can be about yourself, your family, your career, your finances, and even your spirituality. Affirmations are easy to do and can be practiced anywhere, anytime, and as often as you need them. You want to make sure you can visualize the desired outcome and feel the emotion, as if you are already what you see in your mind’s eye. Research has shown that your subconscious mind reacts most positively to from ten to fifteen affirmations at a time, but don’t worry about overloading your brain if you have more statements than that. The goal is to retrain your thoughts to help you see life in a better, more positive light.

Affirmations can either be written down, repeated silently to yourself, or said out loud. A written affirmation is a list of positive, precise, present-tense statements that should be definitive and reflect your exact vision or desired outcome. They are short and powerful statements such as:

I attract new accounts every day.

I weigh 145 pounds and love my body.

I am a powerful and decisive leader.

I am the best (father, mother, swimmer, cook, partner, marketer).

Hold on for a minute. I know some of you might be thinking I sound like Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live. I hear you because I have those same thoughts. But after twenty years of practicing affirmations, and witnessing thousands of clients go from a negative spiral to being back on track, I must tell you something. If you want to live By Design, affirmations are a must. Why? Because they work!

Choosing your words By Design will help you release from the past and the drama that surrounds your life. Why? Because you will declare everything you want in the present tense as if it is already happening.

Another effective method is to read your list to yourself or out loud. Hearing your statements cements their validity