It’s not woo-woo. If you think affirmations in general, or subliminal affirmations in particular, are in the outer edges of reality, prepare to be surprised.
Subliminals have a long history of use in marketing, and many scientific studies have validated their effectiveness. Positive thinking and affirmations have the power to transform thought patterns, lower stress, improve health.
Most importantly for business owners, it also increases productivity, critical thinking, and decision making. Many top performers in sports and business use affirmations. As Jennifer Lopez says, “your thoughts create your life”, and subliminal affirmations can help entrepreneurs achieve the mindset and confidence to succeed.
What are affirmations?
First, let’s clarify what I mean by affirmations. Affirmations are really just statements, or sentences, that are used to reinforce a message. Affirmations are meant to be empowering and encouraging. These can be general, like “I am successful” or “I have what it takes”. They can also be very specific, to address whatever challenge an individual is facing. So if there is some public speaking coming up, then a good affirmation is “I am capable of speaking in front of an audience and what I have to say is valuable.”
I will resist the urge to share the whole backstory of positive affirmations – which is tough for me, because I am a history geek. What is important to know is that this isn’t new, or New Age. Many people first learned about positive thinking in 2006 with the explosive popularity of “The Secret” documentary about the law of attraction. But 50 years earlier, Earl Nightingale recorded an essay called The Strangest Secret about the “truth” that “we become what we think about”. Fun fact – this album is the first to reach Gold status by selling over a million copies. Even earlier, Napoleon Hill published “Think and Grow Rich” in 1937. The power of positive thinking has ancient roots, seemingly discovered anew by each generation.
The Power of Positive Thinking
The books I mention above are just a few of the countless ones written over the years about the power of positive thinking. Many share anecdotal stories of high achieving individuals who credit affirmations for their success.
Mindset doesn’t just impact productivity and creates success in business – it makes a difference to our physical health. Studies at Johns Hopkins in the US show that among people most at risk for heart disease, those with a positive outlook are 13% less likely to have a heart attack. In fact, there is a growing body of science supporting the link between our internal dialogue and outlook, with brain function and physical health.
The most successful entrepreneurs I know are optimistic. It’s part of the job description.
Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe.
Whether you think you can or you can’t, you are right.
Positivity breeds positivity.
What are Subliminals?
Subliminals are messages directed for our unconscious mind to absorb. These may be a single image included in a video which our eyes don’t see, but the brain detects. Most commonly, subliminals are communicated through sound. Though the conscious brain hears music or nature sounds, the unconscious brain picks up messages being spoken in the background. This allows the information to bypass the logical, rational mind and access a deeper part of our brain processes.
So subliminal affirmations are positive messages that are in the background, masked by music or some other soundtrack. But your brain is capable of absorbing the information, which makes this a powerful and effective way to transform attitude and outlook.
How Subliminal Affirmations Can Help Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurship can be lonely and isolating. Carrying all the responsibility and financial risk is a weight that can easily take its toll on our energy level. Which is why maintaining good health through self care, nutrition, and exercise must be a priority for every entrepreneur. But being fit and having vitality doesn’t mean that there are no doubts or insecurities. Being a business owner means dealing with many challenges, problems, and complaints. These carry their own weight and easily create uncertainty and indecision. This is how subliminal affirmations can help entrepreneurs. It is a passive way to transform our inner dialogue and support a healthy outlook.
5 Ideas for Using Subliminal Affirmations
Listening to subliminal affirmations on a regular basis can help guide thinking towards a positive mindset. Repetition is key. After all, you don’t expect to get fit after one visit to the gym. And you don’t learn a new skill by doing it once. So with consistency, over time, subliminal affirmations can transform your mindset. Here are 5 ideas for how to incorporate this into your daily routine.
Don’t listen while driving! These can have a very relaxing effect, and you want to be fully alert when behind the wheel.
- Listen while falling asleep
- Use headphones and listen when walking outside or on treadmill
- Play in the background while working
- Listen during touring tasks like dishes, meal prep, laundry
- Include in a mindfulness or meditation practise
Conclusion
There are no absolutes in this world. Yes, positive thinking is powerful, and it works. Subliminal affirmations are effective for helping to align the internal dialogue of our brains to the goals and actions we want to achieve. But the reality is that we all have crap days. And affirmations can’t erase challenges to our physical and mental health. Nutrition, sleep, and other aspects of self-care are critical for everyone – especially entrepreneurs who have big plans for their business.
