31 Daily Affirmations for Professionals

Do you believe that you are what you think?  Do you talk to yourself or write things to improve yourself and think more positively?  We cannot rely entirely on thoughts or words but to constantly review these in the form of affirmations can create possibilities.  You begin to believe the words and put them into action.  We manifest our dreams and ambitions to make our words become reality.  

Affirmations are like exercise for our brains.

According to the article Self-Affirmation Improves Problem-Solving under Stress, a study revealed that self-affirmation improved problem-solving performance in chronically stressed participants.  Affirmations raise the level of feel-good hormones to relieve stress and improve problem-solving abilities.

I am determined to break the pattern of negative thought.  The constant self-criticism associated with an overachiever where nothing is good enough.  I have come up with 31 self-affirmations for the professional to repeat as often as necessary until the negative speech becomes a positive speech and in turn, positive actions.  I want to turn the words “I can’t” into “I can” and use the positive energy to my benefit.

The following are daily affirmations for 31 days of a month.  You can read them all at once or read one every day.  The important thing is repetitiveness.  You want them embedded to change your thoughts.  I use Post-it notes on my mirror.

1. I have energy and am highly motivated.
2. My body is healthy, and my mind is brilliant.
3. I am superior to negative thoughts and low actions.
4. I have been given endless talents and will utilize today.
5. I forgive those who have harmed me in my past.
6. I have compassion and love for my fellow human being.
7. I am guided in my every step toward what I must do.
8. I possess the qualities needed to be extremely successful.
9. My business is growing, expanding, and thriving.
10. Creative energy surges through me and leads me to new and brilliant ideas.
11. Happiness is a choice. I am happy.
12. My ability to conquer my challenges is finite; my potential to succeed is infinite.
13. I deserve to be paid well for my time, efforts, and ideas. 
14. I am courageous, confident, and I stand up for myself.
15. I set standards for myself and utilize firm boundaries.
16. My thoughts are filled with positivity and my life is prosperous.
17. Today, I abandon my old habits and take up new, more positive ones.
18. Many people look up to me and recognize my worth; I am admired.
19. I am blessed with an incredible family and wonderful friends.
20. I acknowledge my own self-worth; my confidence is soaring.
21. Everything that is happening now is happening for my ultimate good.
22. I am a powerhouse; I am indestructible.
23. Though these times are difficult, they are only a short phase of life.
24. My future is an ideal projection of what I dream of.
25. My dreams manifest into reality before my eyes.
26. I radiate beauty, charm, and grace.
27. Obstacles will be moved out of my path to experience greatness.
28. I wake up today with strength in my heart and clarity in my mind.
29. My fears of tomorrow are simply melting away.
30. I am at peace with all that has happened, is happening, and will happen.
31. My life is just beginning.

Repeating affirmations can turn thoughts into action.  Changing your thought process is the easiest and most efficient way to self-improvement.

Mentors - Who is holding me accountable?

Starting a company is hard, so you're going to need a lot of advice along the way.  If you are like me, you have constant ideas flowing about a new idea for a product or service.  You cannot stop thinking so what should you do to execute at least one of these ideas.  

The answer is finding good mentors.  

I have had some excellent mentors that have held my hand, called my bluff, and gave me pros and cons of ideas.  These people are my personal board of directors that know me and can tell me the holes in my ideas.  Is it a good idea or not?  Is the idea profitable?

I recently read Keith Ferrazzi’s Who’s Got Your Back.  This fantastic book offers the advice to build more supportive relationships.  Ferrazzi provides a nine-step approach to creating what he calls “lifeline relationships,” an inner circle of trusting support peers who serve as advisors, cheerleaders, and accountability watchdogs. These mentors respect you enough to tell you like it is.  Ferrazzi invites you to “let others help.”  Your professional development means more when you let others help.

I have one mentor in particular that I hold a phone call with every two weeks to see how my progress is going.  He holds me accountable for my goals and especially my progress on these objectives.  We discuss strategic tactics and whether these goals are still working or whether we need to change the direction to adjust to changing environmental issues.  I trust him, respect him and he holds me accountable and we work through ideas and execution of those ideas.  In turn, I discuss what is going on with him, and we have a win-win situation where both of us profit both economically and personally.

Without my mentors in my defense contracting business, DynaGrace Enterprises, I would never have known how to organize my accounting records in preparation for a DCAA audit.  My mentors helped me prepare several technical and cost proposals for competitive solicitations and also helped me market my business to government clients.

Because of mentors I have been able to achieve my goals and make them faster because of my personal board of directors.  I suggest you start building that board sooner rather than later and your success knows no limit.