The most effective way to write affirmations
Updated on March 15, 2026
Affirmation writing is most effective when there’s a deeper understanding of the lingering feelings behind the situation or circumstance you’re writing about.
Exploring your lingering feelings is definitely easier said than done, but it’s not impossible when you have a roadmap.
If you’re serious about learning how to make your affirmations more effective at helping you take action, keep reading!
Here’s a quick overview of what we’ll cover in this article...
Use an affirmation writing method
Determine your goal for writing affirmations
Make your affirmation feel real
Get unstuck when writing affirmations
If you don’t know where you are right now, it’ll be really difficult to get to your desired destination.
USE AN AFFIRMATION WRITING METHOD
Knowing where you are right now in your affirmation writing skills will help you course-correct to make your affirmations more effective.
To understand exactly where you are right now, ask yourself these questions:
Did you use a writing guide, method, or cheatsheet when previously creating affirmations?
Were you focused on one specific problem or troubling situation when writing the affirmations?
Did you deeply explore why the topic matters to you before writing the affirmations?
Did you verify whether the final affirmations made you feel seen and understood when read back – as if the world stopped and focused solely on you for a moment?
If you answered no to all the questions above, you are not alone!
Most people who try to write affirmations for the first time have no idea where to start. And this is totally understandable because there aren’t very many people (on the internet at least) teaching others how to write affirmations.
Thankfully, I’ve been writing affirmations for years now, and as a result, I’ve developed a few methods you can use to output a sentence that’ll help you feel empowered enough to take action (i.e. highly effective affirmations).
[[ My "Easy To Write Affirmations Mini Course" is a quick, easy method for creating your own affirmations anytime, anywhere. Click here to request 90-day access. ]]
PRO TIP: Start with a beginner-friendly affirmation writing method. Then, if you want to get even better results, progress to a more advanced method and commit to using the advanced strategies that enhance your affirmation writing practice.
Now, that we agree on using an affirmation writing formula instead of throwing random words on the page and hoping for the best... let’s talk about the thing that will fuel your affirmation writing – your personal, professional, or entrepreneurial goal.
DETERMINE YOUR GOAL FOR WRITING AFFIRMATIONS
When I first started writing affirmations, my goal was super simple; to start being a kind voice of encouragement instead of a loud, all-consuming voice of self-doubt and unworthiness.
I wanted to become the woman I could see myself being in the future – but at that time, showed zero signs of being on path to living the life that woman loves living. So, I decided to align my current inner voice with that of the woman I felt led to become.
At the time, I had NO idea what I was doing! I literally only knew my why as it related to my huge personal goal of becoming!
(I'm chuckling as I type this because I honestly cannot stress enough that stumbling upon affirmation writing was a total shot in the dark that just happened to be the secret ingredient I needed all along... like seriously mind blowing stuff... but I digress.)
In hindsight, having a goal and knowing my why behind that goal was the perfect place to start my affirmation writing practice.
So, ask yourself:
Why are you here, reading this article right now?
What was the last thought you had before deciding to write affirmations?
Is there a version of you that you want to be in the future, but you’re nowhere near being her right now?
Are you wanting to reframe your mindset or build a more encouraging inner voice so that you can accomplish a goal?
The sooner you get clear about what your goals is and why that goal matters to you, the sooner you’ll be able to use that answer as fuel to not give up on your affirmation writing journey.
Transparent introspection is the key to writing effective affirmations.
MAKE YOUR AFFIRMATION FEEL REAL
If the affirmations you’re writing feel fake, it’s gonna be hard for them to be effective at moving you toward accomplishing your goal.
Your affirmations MUST feel real to you if they’re going to be effective for you.
So, how do you make them feel real?
...by making them specific to a situation you went through
...by making them specific to the future life circumstances you desire
...by making them highly specific to you
Here’s an illustrative example to bring my point home...
Let’s say you want to become a chef-level home cook who knows how to make almost anything using whole and raw ingredients only...
If you fail to accept the realities of who you are currently... a microwave queen who only shops the center isles of a grocery store because convenience is king in your busy lifestyle... it’s gonna take you a long while to reach your goal
If you refuse to accept the truth about your current skillsets... a knife shy girly who never learned to chop, dice, or julienne because you saw your older sibling slice their hand open when you were 5... it’s gonna take you a long while to reach your goal
The microwave queen trying to make a 4 course meal in 30 minutes using zero boxed, jarred, or bagged ingredients for the first time in her life will likely end in utter disappointment...
The knife shy girly trying to julienne 10 veggies for a homemade soup but she doesn’t own a slicing appliance with a julienne attachment...
I could go on and on in this scenario, but I think you get my point – knowing exactly where you are right now (skillsets, life circumstances, etc.) helps you chart YOUR necessary path to get to YOUR destination.
Your current destination is writing effective affirmations that feel real and true to you. So that means you’re going to have to be honest with yourself about your fears, hopes, dreams, strengths and weaknesses; even your unmet expectations and unrealized desires.
PRO TIP: If being this transparent feels scary, just remember that these affirmations are for your eyes only. No one else has to see them, so there’s no looming danger of being made fun of, belittled, rejected, or dismissed.
If you choose to share your finalized affirmations, my suggestion is to only do so with a trusted friend or loving partner. But, remember, in no way, shape, or form is it mandatory to share – it’s a choice.
GET UNSTUCK WHEN WRITING AFFIRMATIONS
Sitting down to write anything can be a challenge.
Between busy schedules and good ol procrastination, once you finally do sit down to write, it would be nice to NOT get stuck figuring out what to say!
My theory on why we get stuck while writing affirmations, and honestly anything, is two fold: premature self editing or perfect life projecting.
Premature self editing is when you’re editing in your head instead of on the paper. Solve this by word vomiting everything onto the page (i.e. all your thoughts, feelings, and desires). Then, read it back to determine what stands out to you the most.
The quicker you get the words out of your head and onto the page, the quicker you'll see which words are more encouraging to you.
Perfect life projecting is when you think about what would be super awesome to say (because it sounds nice), but it’s totally not true about you or the life you’re currently living. Solve this by being radically honest with yourself about ALL the things. Yes, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Loving yourself has a lot more to do with facing and embracing the ugly, more disappointing parts, than smiling bright about what you already totally agree with.
So, how do you get unstuck when writing affirmations?
...by editing on the page, not in your head
...and by being fully transparent about the imperfect and disappointing parts of your life
Remember, you’re not writing an affirmation so it can be perfect. You’re not turning the affirmation in for a grade. You’re writing your affirmations so they can help you achieve your goal.
An affirmation that’s not specific to you will not be as effective for you.
MORE FROM COCO LOVE
Make your affirmation writing practice super easy to do by grabbing my beginner-friendly Easy To Write Affirmations Mini Course.
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