#396 Stop blowing smoke up your butt!

Affirmations are powerful tools for personal growth that work by rewiring mental pathways, but only when they're believable enough to counteract self-doubt and build confidence over time. Learning to use affirmations effectively can shift your mindset and transform your self-perception when paired with consistent action.

• Affirmations aren't magic spells - they require consistent, intentional practice
• Current thought patterns are like worn grooves in a road that your mind follows by default
• Effective affirmations create new mental pathways through repetition
• Make affirmations personal, present tense, and believable
• Align your affirmations with concrete actions for reinforcement
• Repeat affirmations daily, out loud, and with intention
• "Every thought we think is creating our future" - Lewis Hayes

Write down three affirmations that counter your biggest self-doubt. Say them out loud every morning this week. Pair them with action and watch as your confidence starts to shift. Visit growthinstigators.com to learn more about how I can help you or your team grow.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Affirmations
• 0:27 The Big Idea: Believable Affirmations
• 0:53 Mental Pathways Visualization
• 1:15 Three Steps for Effective Affirmations
• 2:09 Growth Challenge and Closing Question

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Have you ever had someone give you a compliment and you were immediately like, yeah right, man, stop blowing smoke up my butt. Unbelievable Like just you can't even believe it. Welcome to message 396 of the Growth Instigators hotline, where we ignite your personal and professional development. I'm Aaron Havens, your host and growth coach. Mindset Monday how to use affirmations effectively. Here's the one big idea I want to land today.

Speaker 1: 0:31

Affirmations only work when they're believable enough to rewire your mindset. They're not magic spells. You don't just chant something three times and become it. Affirmations are tools used daily and intentionally to counteract self-doubt and build confidence over time. Let me give you a picture. Imagine a groove worn into a dirt road. Every car is going to follow it by default. That's your current thought patterns. Affirmations are like digging a new path. It feels awkward at first, it's a lot of work, but with repetition the new track becomes the road your mind naturally follows. So here's how to use affirmations effectively. Make them personal and present tense. I am becoming more confident in my leadership works better than someday I might be confident. Align them with action. If your affirmation is I am disciplined, then follow it with one disciplined step.

Speaker 1: 1:34

Today, words and actions reinforce each other and the last thought repeat them consistently, daily, out loud and with intention. Neutral pathways don't form overnight. What do you put on repeat in your head? Is that what you want to become? As author Lewis Hayes puts it, every thought we think is creating our future. That's the power of affirmations. Not empty words, but intentional repetition that shapes belief and behavior. So here's your growth challenge today Write down three affirmations that counter your biggest self-doubt. Say them out loud every morning this week. Pair them with action and watch as your confidence starts to shift. Hey, I'm here for you. Visit growthinstigatorscom and let me know how I can help you or your team grow. Here's the question for today. What's one affirmation you need to start saying to rewire your thinking this week and, as always, keep instigating growth in all you do?