Affirmations Are Not Enough
New beliefs require new feelings and behaviours
As originally published in In Fitness And In Health on Medium.com.
Photo: francescoch on iStock
Affirmations can be a powerful tool for personal growth, but they often fall short when used alone. While repeating positive statements may help the conscious mind, creating lasting change requires more than words — it demands aligning feelings, thoughts, and actions.
The Limitations of AffirmationsFor a long time, I relied on affirmations to reshape my self-perception. The idea behind affirmations is compelling: if we repeat something often enough, it becomes a belief. After all, a belief is just a thought we think over and over again. And the mind learns by repetition.
However, in my experience, affirmations on their own have limited success for two reasons.
The first is that when we recite positive affirmations, we engage only our analytical mind, operating in beta brainwaves. While our words may say “yes,” our body and deeper subconscious often resist, silently saying “no.”
The second is that affirmations without corresponding action remain hollow. To create a new belief, we must go beyond mere repetition and integrate new behaviours. Without action, affirmations become little more than wishful thinking.
New Beliefs Require New FeelingsSimply standing in front of a mirror and repeating positive affirmations won’t transform our beliefs on its own — but it can be a starting point.
It took me a long time to uncover the deeply rooted belief that I wasn’t enough. On a conscious level, I always thought I believed in my worth, but life has a way of reflecting our true, subconscious beliefs — and my life was far from what I wanted it to be.
Looking back, it’s almost startling that I didn’t realise this sooner. Knowing all I know now, it’s clear that the belief of “not being enough” is one of the most pervasive struggles many people face. Today, I can easily spot its symptoms in everyone I meet.
Determined to rewrite this narrative, I placed post-it notes throughout my apartment, each bearing the message: I am enough. I read them every day.
But as time went on, little in my life truly changed. Although I felt a slight improvement, clawing my way out of depression and despair to reach a place of insecurity and unworthiness, it was far from the meaningful transformation I was striving for. Affirmations alone, it turned out, weren’t enough.
Image: Adaptation of Abraham Hicks’ Emotional Guidance Scale
It wasn’t until later in my self-evolution journey that I truly understood the importance of feeling the emotion of the wish fulfilled.
Affirmations are powerful tools for engaging our conscious mind, but to adopt a new belief, we must embed it in our subconscious. And since our body is a reflection of our subconscious, feelings — felt deeply in the body — are the key to lasting change.
Telling myself, I am enough, was a good start. But it was not until I began feeling enough that I started to believe and truly know it. Our imagination plays a pivotal role in this process. It helps condition our body to a new mind.
I asked myself: What does my life look like when I am enough? What do I want? Why do I want it? What do I experience? These questions, whether explored through visualisation, meditation, journaling, or any practice that activates imagination, will help direct our imagination.
The belief of “not being enough” impacts so many areas of life, and I’ve found it’s best to address one facet at a time. For me, a lifelong love of animals shaped one of my greatest desires — owning a dog.
After my childhood dog passed away, I spent 20 years longing for another. Initially, there were valid reasons for waiting, but eventually, fear and self-doubt were the only real excuses. I questioned myself: What if I’m not responsible enough? What if I can’t bond with him? What if I fail to meet his needs?
Eventually, I asked myself a pivotal question: On my deathbed, would I regret having a dog or never having one? The answer was clear. My desire to have him, and therefore to change, clearly outweighed the comfort of staying the same.
And so I began to imagine life with my future dog. I felt all the feelings. Over and over again. Until there was no doubt in my mind that I was enough and would have my dog. The how and when were unknown, but the ‘if’ became a certainty. I knew exactly what he would look like, and a dream I had gave me his name.
New Beliefs Require New BehavioursAffirmations helped my mind get to the right place. Imagination helped my body align with that new mind. Energetically, this pulls my desire towards me.
But to create the reality I want, I must also move towards my desire. And that requires inspired action.
Image: Revival Health GmbH
Once my thoughts and feelings aligned with my desire, I took action. I started researching shelters and breeders, eager to find my boy.
I immersed myself in preparation, reading books on how to welcome a dog into your home and raise a puppy. I researched dog schools, which are mandatory in Switzerland, and sent out applications, attended interviews, and gathered as much knowledge as possible.
At every step, people told me to prepare for a long wait. Shelters didn’t have Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and breeders had extensive waiting lists. But I chose to ignore what others said. Deep down, I knew my dog was on his way.
True to my belief, within five months, I received the call I had been waiting for. A beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy was available for me to meet. That moment marked the beginning of an incredible journey, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Image: Revival Health GmbH
I Am Enough. And so Are You.It certainly hasn’t been all rainbows and butterflies — life rarely works that way.
Raising a 42-kilogram hunk of muscle and bundle of energy came with its challenges: 18 months of sleep deprivation, bumps, bruises, breaks and scars. It required time, patience, and unwavering persistence.
But I embraced it all. Because I could. Because I knew I was enough — at least in my role as a dog mom.
And the love? Oh, the love. Every time I look at Boris, I can’t decide if my heart is melting like butter or bursting with fruit flavour — probably both, all at once.
Throughout my life, I’ve made a lot of poor decisions rooted in the belief that I wasn’t enough. Boris, however, has shown me what life can be like when decisions are made from a place of worthiness. And let me tell you, there’s nothing else quite like it.
So, as challenging as it may be, I will continue working on believing I am enough in every area of my life. Because I’ve seen what’s possible when I do.
Everything.
Wherever you are on your journey, always remember that YOU ARE ENOUGH.
