Affirmations

Every day I write out my affirmations. These positive statements help me challenge and overcome my self-sabotaging and negative thoughts and behaviors. Repeating them reinforces them, helping me be the person I want to be. My affirmations have power to me and have evolved over time. You’ll want to find the ones that speak best to you. Oh and bonus points if beyond just writing out your daily affirmations you reflect on how you can/will and have applied them.

• Igor’s Affirmations
  • Do It Anyways: Deliberate. Disciplined. Daily
  • An essentialist: Know Essential. Provide Context. Prioritize Ruthlessly.
  • A class act: First Understand. Appreciate. Isn’t that Curious
  • Calm like water: Be Present. This too shall pass. Work the problem
• How to use affirmations
  • Level 1: The bare minimum - Write ‘em out
  • Level 2: How Will I Nail This Today?
  • Level 3: How Did Past Me Do?

Igor’s Affirmations🔗

Do It Anyways: Deliberate. Disciplined. Daily🔗

Discipline is being proactive, it’s the path to success.

It’s so easy to lose your discipline. That’s why you need to apply self compassion. As part of your compassion, don’t feel bad, just restart the next day.

History:

• 2025-05-03

  • I had ‘Always Improving’, but it just didn’t sound like me.
  • ‘Do It Anyways’ better captures my grit and recommendation.
  • Cracked this owrking on my TikTok for the video

• 2025-02-01

  • I used to call this pay myself first, but it wasn’t what it was about.
  • I really like Seth Godin’s idea of Drip/Drip/Drip, every effort adds up.
  • I also like growth mindset
  • Playing with: Better Than Yesterday, Every Day, Always Growing, Always improving was my favorite.

An essentialist: Know Essential. Provide Context. Prioritize Ruthlessly.🔗

There are so many choices, you need to choose, spend time finding the essential.

As you do this, begin with the end in mind.

People have no idea what I’m talking about. Think about the story that will make it clear. Practice the story, refine it, repeat till it lands. The best practice to achieve this is to write it out.

Prioritize Ruthlessly is a core aspect of essentialism, but it’s also rule #3.

• 2025-02-01
  • I think what’s missing here is the ruthless prioritization, or first things first.
  • Adding Cut Ruthlessly, Prioritize Ruthlessly.

A class act: First Understand. Appreciate. Isn’t that Curious🔗

People want to do their best and are rational. Seek first to understand, and only then be understood.

It takes 7 times to hear something positive about ourselves to make up for 1 negative thought.

Appreciation is also very important because all humans have anxiety and impostor syndrome.

Doing this will strengthen your compassion

And most importantly, turn you into a class act.

Think about the sublime states

• 2025-02-01
  • I think what’s missing here is a word around compassion/grandmother mind/isn’t that curious
  • Perhaps isn’t that curious is the best, as it’s both applies to my triggers, and my interactions with others.

Calm like water: Be Present. This too shall pass. Work the problem🔗

Every day can be full of joy, but if you’re not paying attention you’ll miss it. Being present will also let you appreciate others which also brings satisfaction.

There is good, and bad. While we wish the bad will turn into good, we need to remember the good isn’t permanent, it’s just as transient.

How to use affirmations🔗

Think of affirmations like a video game - you start at Level 1 and unlock new powers as you progress. Most people never get past the tutorial!

Some fortune cookies to remember as you level up:

• “Repetition births ritual. Rituals become sacred. The sacred commands power.”
• “First you lose a day, and the day becomes a week, and the week becomes a month and before you know it you’ve lost the year.”
• “At the point change is obvious it’s too late - it means the need for change is long since past.”

Level 1: The bare minimum - Write ‘em out🔗

Tutorial mode: Yes, you actually have to write them out. Thinking about them while brushing your teeth doesn’t count. Pick a consistent time (morning works great) and write out your affirmations by hand - there’s something about the physical act that makes them stick better than typing.

Achievement unlocked: When you can do this 7 days in a row without forgetting, you’re ready for Level 2.

Level 2: How Will I Nail This Today?🔗

Power-up activated: Now you’re connecting affirmations to real life! Ask yourself:

• How can I apply my affirmations today?
• If I lived my affirmations, here’s how I’d handle this situation…

Boss battle examples: “I’ll be present during my 2 PM meeting by putting my phone in the drawer” or “I’ll prioritize ruthlessly by saying no to that optional meeting.”

Easter egg: Bonus points if you can predict which affirmation you’ll completely forget about by 10 AM (spoiler: it’s usually the one you need most).

Level 3: How Did Past Me Do?🔗

Master level: Did you actually live your affirmations yesterday, or did you just survive Tuesday? Time for honest assessment with kindness.

Health check: Self-compassion checkpoint - if you bombed yesterday, that’s data, not a character flaw. The goal isn’t a perfect score, it’s continuous improvement.

Score review:

• For times you lived your affirmation: celebrate, ask yourself how it made you feel
• For times it didn’t work: be compassionate, adjust strategy, and respawn tomorrow

Final boss: When you can do all three levels consistently, you’ve basically become your own life coach. Congratulations, you win at being human! 🎮