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I don’t like affirmations.

The point of an affirmation is to repeatedly reinforce something we want.

The only affirmations that ever feel authentic to me are the ones I already believe. I say these ones with conviction and they feel good. But, I don’t need to affirm these because I already believe them to be true.

But what happens when I want to change something and try to affirm it?

As soon as I complete the affirmation, I immediately hear my head and feel my body reply. “No, that’s not true.” It feels like total b.s. to me.

If what matters most is how we feel about something, then doing affirmations in this way can have the opposite result. Not only do I reject what I am saying…but I am reinforcing the belief that it’s total crap.

Not good.

But — I do believe in the power of words and I do believe we can change our beliefs through feelings.

Several years ago, someone shared a powerful spin on affirmations. Iffirmations. This is when I pose the affirmation in the form of a question – usually beginning with the words “What if…”

Now, this works on two levels. First, my brain still hears the important part which is the thing I want to change. And second, and my feelings change when I say it. Instead of negating the idea, I start to feel curious. My brain likes to look for evidence of things. So if I pose the affirmation as a question, my brain starts to look for ways to find that.

What if I am a successful writer? What if my body is extremely healthy? What if everything is working well for me?

When I use an iffirmation my brain and body reactions are completely different than if I try to tell myself something I simply do not believe to be true.

Give it a try. See what you think. If nothing else, you’ve done something different today.

What if you love it?