Why Affirmations Don’t Work – Part 6

“Amazing” and “Brilliant”

If a person lacks solidness of character and soundness of judgement, they might be inclined to think that they have to be brilliant at something and achieve something amazing. I don’t think there is ever a need for most people to do anything that could be considered amazing, or to be brilliant at something. For one thing, define “brilliant” and define “amazing” – they are just words and they represent standards which we enforce on ourselves and others.

Affirmations can be used to tell yourself that you achieve something amazing and that you are brilliant at this or that. This can lead to unrealistic expectations, which lead to frustration and a sense of failure.

“Good” and “Effective”

I think the key words here are good and effective: I believe that there is only ever a need to be good and effective in everything that you do. If you think about it for a moment, all you are ever expected to do in all circumstances of your life, is to be good and effective. This could apply to your job, relationships, hobbies – in fact, anything whatsoever!

If you are good and effective at something – the sky is the limit! You might find that as you prove your trustworthiness and capability in your current responsibilities – you are given increasingly more responsibility. Eventually, after some time, you might find that you have been promoted up the corporate ladder. After some time of being good and effective at what you do – you could find that what you are good and effective at now, is a lot more than what you were good and effective at a few years ago.

This situation reminds me of Byron Katie’s common response to the belief that we need more money. Katie often responds with, “How can you have more money that you already have?” She’s got a point – if you think about it. Similarly, how can you be better at doing a certain thing than you already are? Constantly telling yourself that you need to be better, or brilliant, at this or that will get you hoping for something you can never attain at that moment. Such thinking is a recipe for anxiety.