State affi

  rmations in the present tense. Avoid saying, “I want to 

quit smoking.” Th

  is states your desire, not your intended result. In-

stead, state, “I enjoy the lifestyle of a non-smoker.”

Affi

  rmations  must  be  positive. Avoid using negative words. For 

instance, “I don’t want to gain more weight” should be phrased as, 

“I look great in my new suit.”

Th

  e next important point of affi

  rmations is that you must repeat them 

aloud several times a day. You must drive this message deep into your 

subconscious and replace the other thoughts that occupy your brain with 

it. Th

  e most eff ective way to do this is through repetition. Th

  e more of-

ten you repeat an affi

  rmation the more your subconscious goes to work 

to produce it and make it become a reality.

Here is an example. When I was in my thirties, I decided to quit smok-

ing. I created several affi

  rmations that refl ected the outcome I imagined. 

“I am a nonsmoker.” “I enjoy a smoke-free life.” “I live the lifestyle of 

a nonsmoker.” “I enjoy living as a nonsmoker.” I repeated these affi

  r-

mations several times a day, long before the deadline I had set. A few 

months later I did quit, almost fi ve months sooner than I had original-

ly intended. I also continued to repeat these affi

  rmations for the fi rst 

month or two afterward to help me get through the withdrawal period. 

Affi

  rmations helped me picture myself as a nonsmoker. Th

  ey helped my 

subconscious mind make it a reality. For someone who smoked for more 

than twenty years, this was a challenging picture to create. 

You can use affi

  rmations to develop self-confi dence in selling. Create a 

variety of affi

  rmations such as

“I am a successful salesperson”

“I am confi dent and comfortable on sales calls”

“I enjoy selling”

“I like helping people make buying decisions”

“Selling is a rewarding career”

“Selling is an honorable profession.”

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