From the day we are born and for many years during which we are unable to critically process the things being told to us and about us, we are bombarded with statements by our parents, our siblings, in general, our environment, which contribute to our understanding of ourselves and to the formation of our self-image. If these statements are mostly negative and disapproving, we end up with a negative or ambiguous self-image, a self-image that will carry us through our whole lives, nevertheless!

But you can reverse that reality using the power of affirmations. Affirmations are sentences you craft which describe the state you want to achieve. You will notice that they are in the present tense. Our subconscious, which these special phrases target, does not understand the difference between now and later. It can manifest any state you desire instantly. If you place your desired outcome in the future, your powerful subconscious only...postpones your desired outcome for...a future time.

Affirmations are one type of self-hypnosis. The secret with crafting these sentences is:

a) make them positive

The subconscious does not deal with negatives. It understands only positives. So if you say for example: I don't want to be shy, guess what your subconscious understands or hears: Shy!

b) Make them in the present tense

As I mentioned earlier; or if they seem too ambitious, say: I am becoming XYZ, in the sense that you are on the path but not yet there.

c) Repeat them often

That's the only way they can work; if you don't repeat them, their effect will fade. Repeat them in any way that is convenient to you e.g. by writing them down, pasting them on your bathroom mirror and reading them every morning while you shave. Or record them and play them back to yourself while you are jogging.