There are essentially two types of people in the world: those who believe that positive affirmations hold an immense strength to enable us to reach our goals and lead fulfilling lives, and those who believe that all of that is just a bunch of nonsense. As a reasonable skeptic, I never found myself to be completely swayed by either camp. I understand where both sides are coming from. Maybe it was true that saying the same positive lines to yourself again and again could have some positive effect. But I also understand how maybe that just sounds too much like magic or at best wishful thinking or living in a fantasy world. After all, isn't it actions, not the lines we speak, which make a real difference in our lives?

This was until I realized the power of negative affirmations. It first became clear to me when I saw someone who said they didn't like tomatoes. "I don't like tomatoes." I had heard them say so many times. And, I never saw this person eat tomatoes for years, always requesting their food without tomatoes or picking them out of any dish that contained them. This individual had developed an aversion to tomatoes in childhood, and had gone through their whole life without eating them. I realized that through this consistent negative affirmation, "I don't like tomatoes", they had created a life in which they would never eat tomatoes. Maybe the person actually would like tomatoes, or at least some dishes including them, if they bothered giving it a try now, but this single affirmation was strong enough to shape their life to be tomato-less.

Once I noticed this, I started seeing how negative affirmations really did shape people's lives. I hear phrases like this all the time: I'm not good at sports. I'm not good at languages. I'm not musically talented. I'm not good at tests. I don't like speaking in front of people. Every time we say such a line, it takes away another opportunity to do something which might make a change. It is just a sentence, "I'm not good at sports", but then what this does is shape the reality because this person now doesn't show up to sports activities they're invited to, they don't put forth effort if they ever do participate, and they don't believe it's worth trying to get good at them.

In other words, I observed that negative affirmations really are powerful and can determine the path that your life takes. It made me think maybe it's not so far-fetched that positive affirmations could do so too.