I just heard something really cool about affirmations and I knew you’d be blown away by, too.
I just heard an interview by Brendon Burchard, a popular high performance coach, who talked about some of the research he’s concluded on peak achievement. In a small section of the interview he talked about the surprising things he and his research team discovered about affirmations.
We’ve all heard that affirmations need to be in the present tense, need to be positive, and need to be “I” statements. You and I debunked a little of this when we talked before about how negative affirmations can be just as powerful as positive ones, such as Scarlet O’Hara’s statement at the end of Gone with the Wind, “…I’ll never be hungry again!”
In speaking to thousands of high performing international business people and world-class athletes from around the world, Brendon Burchard’s research has debunked another “truth” about affirmations: they must be “I” statements. He and his team concluded that affirmations are more powerful when they are stated in the second or third person, instead of the first person.
For instance, here is a positive statement in the first person: “I am so lucky to be doing work I love. I am honored to be helping others. I feel great when I have a positive impact on others, helping them improve their lives.”
Here is that same statement in the second person: “Brendon, you are so lucky to be doing the work you love. You are so honored to be helping others. You feel great when you have a positive impact on others, helping them improve their lives.”
Here’s the same statement in third person: “Brendon is so luck to be doing work he loves. Brendon is honored to be helping others. He feels great when he has a positive impact on others, helping them improve their lives.”
Which new technique feels more comfortable for you, statements in the second person or in the third person? I think I prefer second person.
I’m going to give this a try and I’ll let you know how it goes. Join me and let me know how it goes for you! Thanks!
Your Friend and Pep Pal,
Lauren
Yes I Can Pep Talks 