What you tell yourself matters

In the book Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill emphasizes the importance of affirmations as part of a success mindset. Hill provides guidance for using affirmations to spur desired change.

Perhaps you desire a career doing work you love making $100,000 a year.

Hill recommends crafting seven key affirmations around your specific goal. I’ll walk you through each and offer some sample language to give you a feel for his method.

Affirmation 1: Desire and Definiteness of Purpose

"I’m focused on building a career I love earning $100,000 annually. I have a burning desire to achieve these goals. I reaffirm these goals daily. I will persist until my dreams become reality." 

Affirmation 2: Faith

"I believe in my ability to succeed. By holding this faith in my heart and mind, I will attract the resources and people I need to achieve my goals. Faith is developed through repeated affirmations, creating a strong belief in my ability to achieve success."

Affirmation 3: Autosuggestion

"I continuously feed my subconscious mind thoughts of success, prosperity, and abundance. My subconscious works tirelessly to make these my reality. I use positive affirmations daily to influence my subconscious mind."

Affirmation 4: Persistence

"I am persistent in my actions and thoughts. I overcome all obstacles because I never quit until I succeed. Persistence is key to achieving success, even when challenges arise."

Affirmation 5: Mastermind Alliance

"I attract and work with a group of like-minded individuals who contribute to my growth and success. I surround myself with people who support my goals and can help me achieve them."

Affirmation 6: Positive Mental Attitude

"I maintain a positive mental attitude in all situations. My positivity attracts opportunities and strengthens my resilience. What I focus on grows. I choose to focus on gratitude to overcome difficulties and attract success."

Affirmation 7: Decision

I make firm decisions and act on them immediately. I do not waver or doubt my ability to achieve success. Indecision is a barrier to success. Develop decisiveness and act swiftly.

Hill suggests the following process for creating your own personal affirmations:

1. Write Down Your Goal. Be specific about what you want to achieve, the deadline, and what you’re willing to do to make it happen.

2. Repeat Daily. Recite your affirmation out loud twice a day, morning and night.

3. Visualize Success. As you say the words aloud to yourself, vividly imagine achieving your goals, engaging your emotions to reinforce belief.

By following these principles and using affirmations consistently, Hill believed individuals could train their subconscious mind to align with their desires, paving the way for achievement and success.

Here's the link to the book in the Georgia Library Talking Book catalog, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, if you want to investigate further.