Brian Goodell Olympic Gold Medalist: Golden Guidelines for Using Effective Affirmations

I’ve had the good fortune to work with some amazing people in my life including some of the greatest coaches and athletes in the world.

Of all the mental toughness techniques I’ve learned, the guidelines below represent a small but very powerful piece of the puzzle of how we can literally change our minds to be more successful.

GOLDEN GUIDELINES FOR USING EFFECTIVE AFFIRMATIONS

By BRIAN GOODELL– THE MENTAL TOUGHNESS COACH!

We become the person we want to be on the inside first and then work it out to the outside world.

It is imperative to keep your self-talk, that constant conversation going on inside your mind, positive and reinforcing.

Your self-talk is like a double-edged sword that keeps pictures of your glorious future, or your miserable failures, front and center in your mind. These pictures show your subconscious mind what you want to make happen for you and they trigger powerful emotions that drive the lasting change you seek! Dr. Barbara Fredrickson (www.positivityresonance.com) says that the healthy and productive ratio of positive to negative thoughts is three positive thoughts to one negative thought (3:1).

Change happens from the inside out. You must change the dominant picture that you hold in your mind FIRST using daily affirmations bolstered by vivid imagery of your future personal accomplishments.

Here are my Golden Guidelines for writing powerful affirmation statements:

They are Personal: you can only affirm for you. Use “I” and “me”.
They are Positive: Describe what you want rather than what you don’t want.
They are stated in the Present Tense: Describe them like it’s happening right now.
They Indicate Achievement: Use phrases such as “I have, I am and I do.” Envision your goal as if it is already accomplished.
Make No Comparisons: Picture your own change and growth instead of comparing yourself to others.
Use Action Words: Create images of yourself performing in an easy, anxiety-free manner.
Use Emotion Words: Emotion is the fuel that runs your engine. Imagine exactly how you want to feel when the goal is achieved. The more emotion the better!
Be accurate and specific, just like your goals.
Be Realistic: Can you see yourself achieving it? If not, perhaps you need to back off of the goal a little bit until you can truly see yourself achieving it, then adjust your goal as you approach it.
Keep them Confidential: Only share your goals with those who can and will help you achieve them. Avoid naysayers and the push/push back syndrome: when you push on me I push back harder.
Write them so they are only one sentence long, yet are powerful statements of fact.
Read your affirmation statements twice a day, morning and night, and use your imagination to feel all the emotions, sense the smells, see the colors, and feel the joy and sense of accomplishment that you feel when your goal is accomplished.

I’ve written some sample affirmations to help get you started:

I am powerful in my integrity and I live up to my commitments to myself, my teammates and others.
I bring extraordinary value and energy to the lives of my teammates, family and friends every day!
I love living my life in healthy balance with good nutrition, ample sleep, effective work, a rich social life, and excellent health and fitness.
I live stress-free because I make realistic daily action plans that move me towards my goals.
I have a positive expectancy of the future and I consider all setbacks as temporary.
When something doesn’t go right for me I examine what happened, I acknowledge the mistake and learn from it, and shift my thinking to how I want to be the next time. (I say, “That’s NOT like me!” and then define what IS “like me.”)
I feel great knowing that I am free to make the decisions that move me towards my goals and that I am accountable for the consequences of my decisions.
I easily achieve my goals.
I am always prepared to perform my best and I have confidence in my athletic ability.
I build strong and effective relationships with my teammates, classmates and coaches (teachers, superior officers, etc…)

I encourage you to write down your goals, put them up where you will see them daily, and recite your affirmation statements on a daily basis.

When you change the dominant picture you hold in your mind by repeatedly reciting your affirmations and visualizing your success over time you will change your dominant picture and begin to automatically act like that dominant picture. You will be amazed at how easily you adopt new habits when you change the dominant picture you hold in your mind.

You just might surprise yourself with how much you can accomplish when you put your whole mind into it!

Brian Goodell is a real estate development consultant, a City of Mission Viejo Community Services Commissioner and candidate for City Council.

Brian was a two-time Gold Medalist in swimming at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, and is highly respected for his mental toughness as a legendary distance swimmer. He won the 1500m and 400m Freestyle Gold Medals in Montreal. He also worked with many of the medalists at the 2012 London Olympics to help them develop their GOLD MEDAL MINDS, and has shared his secrets with thousands of athletes and business audiences around the world. He can be reached at goldspeaker[at]goldmedalminds.com.