Do you ever create and write down affirmations in order to change your mindset? I do it sometimes. And I often recommend positive affirmations to my financial coaching clients. A few weeks ago, I interviewed life coach Cristina Roman for the Money Circle podcast (keep an eye out for her episode in the future!). Affirmations weren’t the main focus of our conversation, but they did come up. And something really poignant that Cristina said was that affirmations won’t be very useful if the person using them doesn’t believe in what they say. If they are so beyond what you believe to be true, then they are pointless. That’s why it’s so important to create affirmations that you can actually believe in. Here’s how you can do that with your money affirmations:

Start Small

You don’t have to try to from zero to 100 immediately. In fact, I’m a big fan of setting incremental goals and taking steps that lead up to your bigger ultimate goals. This approach makes things feel more achievable. This can be helpful when it comes to creating positive affirmations too. You can’t go from thinking you’re the world’s worst money manager to believing that you own your money shit and can do anything you want. In fact, trying to tell yourself that might make you feel more frustrated and alienated. So start small. Maybe eventually you want to believe that you’ll never overspend again, but for today, tell yourself that you’re capable of tracking your spending.

Use Language You Believe

The thing that really caught my ear during our conversation was when Cristina mentioned that affirmations aren’t helpful if we don’t actually believe what we’re telling ourselves. And that’s something I’ve struggled with myself. If I don’t believe the affirmation I’m writing down and repeating, then I tend to mentally scoff at it. Chances are you feel that way too. So use language that you actually believe in! Or at least language that you see yourself believing eventually. Just like the advice above, you have to start small and build from there.

Use Positive Language

One of the keys to affirmations is to use positive language. That means that instead of saying, “I won’t overspend”, you can say something like, “I am capable of spending within my budget”. Using positive language helps to shift your mindset into a more positive light. Since you’re trying to change your mindset to be more focused on abundance and confidence, using positive language will help shift you away from the idea of scarcity.

Remind Yourself Often

Affirmations can be wonderful and transformational, but they won’t be very helpful if you don’t remind yourself of them often. Once you come up with a few that motivate you and make you feel good, put them in places that you’ll see them. Perhaps that looks like a sticky note that goes on the wall by your computer. Or maybe you’re writing them down in your journal or planner every day or week. Regardless of what it looks like for you, make sure that you’re regularly repeating them to yourself.

Not sure where to start with your own affirmations? Here are a few to inspire you:

Do you have your own affirmations that work for you? Share in the comments!