I CAN

“On Saturday I’m sending my newsletter” - this is the affirmation I've been repeating all week.

Yes, I write my plans and goals in the present tense and read them daily. I call it the I-CAN-DO list. It’s a mix of planning and affirmation routine.

A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true. However, I often failed with that last step - taking action.

Lack of motivation to act upon my to-do list was a huge obstacle in achieving my goals. It wasn’t laziness, but rather doubts and a fear of failure… This long thinking about doing often led to undoing.

I needed an effective method to motivate, inspire, and convince myself to act upon my dreams. To get up and do.

This is exactly how affirmations and manifestations work. They help you believe in yourself and focus on your dreams.

 Affirmations for Planning

The huge “Aha” moment hit me when I started to write my goals as if they were affirmations, e.g., a dull goal like “Launch newsletter” became “I launch my newsletter to be less dependent on social platforms”.

This made a huge difference in my motivation to act on my plan. I became more positive about my goals, and more importantly, inspired to act. The laziness was gone.

Here’s a sneak peek of my goals for next month:

• I launch the course "Surviving Toxic Bosses" to help people and be proud of myself.
• I walk 10,000 steps daily to maintain my health and energy.
• I improve my English pronunciation to clearly express my thoughts.

So, how do I write those?

1  Positive

Always frame your affirmation’s goal from a positive perspective.

Instead of focusing on what you don’t want, your affirmation should focus on what you do want.

"I don’t want to work overtime" becomes "I’m home on time".

2  Present

Avoid writing in the future tense by using phrases such as, “I will…” or “I am going to…”. Use the present tense. 

“I do this, I learn… I read…”. Your brain needs to believe that “Yes, I can do this, it’s possible, I’m doing it”.

3  Personal

Affirmations and plans should revolve around you.

The way other people act or behave is outside of your control. If you want a promotion, don’t create a plan like: “My boss will give me a promotion” or “I get promoted”. You can do your best, but there are many reasons out of your control why you might not get it.

Create plans that are in your control: “I learn/improve X because that leads me to promotion”.

4  Reason

I also love to add the reasoning behind my goal. Why do I do this? How might it help me build a better life? 

For example, “I walk 10,000 steps outdoors because it helps to cope with stress”.

Daily Planning Routine

2024: “I publish my book.”

July: “I write 100 pages of my book”

July 7-14: “I write daily 3 pages of my book”

July 7 10am till 11 am: “I write 3 pages of my book”

Inspire to act