(What follows is the outline I wrote in advance of recording the video. They’re my talking points. Not a regular post or article. Just an outline.)
Until now my video posts have been focused on the short-form courses I’ve created over the last 12 months. These are the topics that have been generating the most questions, so that’s where I have been focusing my attention.
But… it’s time for a little variety.
I’ve dusted off a question about an ebook I wrote several years ago – Affirmations for Freelancers.
I answered the question by email, back when I received it, but thought I’d share what I said.
Here’s the original question, from Richard:
“Nick, you don’t strike me as a woo-woo kind of person. So when you wrote a book about positive affirmations, I couldn’t help wondering if you really believed everything you wrote. Did you? Do you?”
I love that I was challenged on that. It would be fun to challenge every author on whether they truly believe in everything they write.
In my case, I came to positive affirmations by a roundabout route.
And Richard was right, in a sense.
I do have a large inner cynic.
So… here’s what happened.
In myself I became very aware of the power of NEGATIVE affirmations.
In common with a lot of other freelancers – I think – I was prey to pesky thoughts like, “I’m not good enough,” “There’s too much competition these days,” “Companies won’t hire me unless I reduce my prices,” and so on.
Just lots of negative stuff swimming around in my head.
And I had absolutely no doubt that NEGATIVE affirmations had a big impact on my outlook and on my business.
So… if negative affirmations work, doesn’t it follow that positive affirmations would also work?
I did some digging into the work of leaders in the field of positive psychology – people like Martin Seligman, Daniel Kahneman, Daniel Gilbert, Shawn Achor and others.
And it turns out that not only do both types of affirmation exist and work, but that negative affirmations are naturally more dominant in our minds and in our lives.
That means we have to be more deliberate about using positive affirmations, and we have to use them a lot more often.
So yes, Richard, I do believe in positive affirmations.
I particularly believe in them for freelancers, because I think as a group we are very susceptible to negative affirmations… and it’s all too easy to drown in them.
That’s why I wrote the book.
To help myself, and to help other freelancers.
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