Affirmations often make statements about things we want to happen in the future. Even though the events haven’t happened yet, we frame them in the present tense, as if they have already happened. Instead of saying, “I become the weight that is most healthy for me,” we say, “I am the weight that is most healthy for me.” If we frame the affirmation in the future, we put ourselves in the place of going in a direction but never arriving. Saying that the event has already happened creates the energy in the universe that manifests our goal.

This secret works for all the magic we create. Suppose we make the affirmation, “I acquire the money I need to buy a plane ticket to London.” Now we act as if we have the money, by scheduling our vacation, researching plane flights, and buying a London guidebook.

This secret also works for every magical skill we learn. Suppose we make the affirmation, “Writing in my journal is easy and fun.” For some of us that may be immediately true. For others it might feel almost like a lie the first time we say it. We might have unpleasant memories of journal writing assignments from school. Journal writing might feel like a chore at first. To act as if, we make the affirmation, and then pick up our journal and start writing, just as if we were excited and happy to be making journal entries. Over time the emotion we are pretending becomes more and more real. The skill we are practicing becomes easier and easier. Faster than we thought possible, the affirmation becomes a reality.

Affirmation

I can do anything I want to do.

Practice: Planning the steps
Reread the journal entry you made to answer the question, “If I could do anything I want, the thing I would do is…” If you have been answering that question every day as you write in your journal, pick one of the answers to work with in this practice.

Now think about the steps needed to make that thing happen in your life. For example, you made the affirmation, “I take a trip to London.” You have imagined the future and worked through any objections you have to the trip. You acted as if by buying a guidebook and researching the sights you want to see.

What specific steps do you need to take to make the trip happen? You might need to: apply for a passport, request your vacation days, and pick an airline. Each of these steps is an opportunity for an affirmation.

• “My passport application is processed quickly and my passport arrives on time.”
• “My employer approves my vacation request.”
• “I find exactly the right airline with a fare I can afford.”

Each small step takes us toward achieving our goal.