206: Afformations, not affirmations...

ACAST powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.

I'm Monica Reinagel, nutritionist, author, and host of the Nutrition Diva podcast. We dig into the questions that you are actually asking: if it's okay to drink coffee on an empty stomach, whether it's possible to retrain your sweet tooth, which ultra-processed foods you might actually want to include in your diet. We take a closer look at We dissect diet trends, fact-check sketchy claims, and track down the science so that you can feel more confident about what's on your plate. New episodes are released every Wednesday. Find Nutrition Diva on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening, and be sure to follow or subscribe so you don't miss a single episode.

Acast helps creators launch, grow, and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.

Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode of Canny Crystals the podcast. I hope that you're all well. As I'm recording this, it is Thursday the 25th of September.

September.

My TV show ended on Tuesday. I always call it my TV show. I was on a TV show. It ended on Tuesday, and I just want to quickly say thank you so, so much to everyone who has sent a message or liked a post or shared a post over the last 4 weeks. I really, really do appreciate it. I know I had a lot of like hateful comments the first couple of weeks, but honestly, like, the love for the last 2 weeks especially has just been immense. So honestly, thank you so, so much. I did have one person who messaged me, and I think she's just slightly confused about life, to be totally honest. But she messaged me anyway, and she's usually quite passive-aggressive in her messages. I don't even know why she follows us, to tell you the truth. But she does the same to Fran as well, so I know it's not just me. Um, but she messaged me and she said something like, "Oh my God, I am never listening to your podcast ever again. You're a horrible human being." Then the next day, liked one of my posts. And I was like, okay. Um, so I just went back to her and I just said, "Was there something in particular that I offended you by doing?" And she said, "Yeah, you lied." And I was like, yeah, it's a game show all about being deceitful to try and get one over on each other. That was the whole point of the game. I don't think she understood the concept of the game, you know. It was all about lies. It's like The Traitors. If you've ever watched The Traitors, it's like that. But yeah, it is what it is. Anyway, if she's listening, hello, this is all about you. But yeah, thank you so, so much from the bottom of my heart for everyone that has been supportive on that. Just want to share a quick funny story. Just before I started recording this episode, right, I've had such a busy week, I thought to myself, I'm gonna go and run a bath, I'm gonna get in me bath with some nice little bath salts, light some candles, blah blah blah. And before I did that, right, I had a knock at the door and this package arrived. Now, I've been trying out this new supplier for candles, and the reason that I wanted to try this supplier out is because they actually have crystals inside of them, right? So it's like a huge obelisk-shaped crystal that is actually a candle, but when the candle starts to melt, it obviously reveals this huge crystal tower inside. And I was like, these would be such a good buy, I love them. So I bought the green aventurine one. So this huge— it's like a kilo of candle— this huge green obelisk, I sat it in front of me amethyst on the dining table, lit it, and I thought, oh, when that melts, I'll see how big the crystal tower is inside, blah blah blah. Went off and had me bath. I fell asleep in the bath because I'm absolutely exhausted. Came back downstairs, oh my God, there is candle wax all over my table, all over the amethyst, right the way at the back of the table, and down the back of the table, down the wall, and it's all over the carpet. Now the only thing I can think of to do is to get a hair dryer melt the candle wax and maybe wipe it up with a bit of kitchen roll or a tissue or something like that. Oh God, it's going to be a nightmare. I've got that to look forward to, but I'm recording this podcast right now just staring at it thinking, how am I going to clean this up? Because it is absolutely everywhere. Oh, anyway, pray for me in that. Anyway, this week, let's get on with the podcast because I could just literally talk for England. You know what I'm like. Anyway, um, I hope that you're all doing well. I hope that you're feeling good and not just kind of living on autopilot because How many of us right now have had these mornings where you get up, you brush your teeth, you make a cup of tea, you scroll Instagram for a bit, and then suddenly it's lunchtime and you're like, "Wait, how did I actually get here?" I feel like that's what my life has been like the last 4 weeks. And most of the time I don't even remember eating breakfast, but somehow there are toast crumbs all over the counter and I'm the only one in the house. We've all been there, haven't we? And that is me purely living life on repeat. Like, my brain has just pressed shuffle on the same old playlist. And I'm going to be honest here, it's not even a good playlist either, is it? It's not Beyoncé, it's not Kylie, it's not Sugababes. It is the same boring old tunes of your own negative self-talk. And you know the ones I'm talking about here, so the ones that are like, "I'm always tired," "I never have enough money," "I'm rubbish at relationships," "Nothing ever works out for me," and it's just over and over again on spin cycle all day, every day. And this is the kicker, most of us don't even realize that we're doing this because we think that we are just thinking when actually we're reinforcing these little thought loops that then keep us stuck. So it's like putting the same coordinates into your sat nav on your phone every single day and then acting shocked when you end up in the same destination. Like, of course you're going to end up back in overdraft land if every morning you're asking your brain, "Why am I always skint?" So this is where it gets juicy because earlier this week I posted something on Instagram and I got so many messages off the back of it, and it was honestly, it didn't even do that well. I think I only got like 60 likes or something, but the amount of messages that I got off the back of it, I thought, this is what people want to know. So this is where it's going to get juicy, because I know so many of us have tried affirmations, right? I mean, I've even done a past podcast episode all about affirmations. You've read books, you've seen the TikToks, you've listened to my podcast. You stand in front of a mirror in your bathroom chanting, I'm abundant, I'm rich, I'm a money magnet. And meanwhile, your bank account is looking back at you like, "No, you're not. Overdraft alert." And then suddenly, the affirmation that you are speaking out loud, it feels more like a comedy sketch than a mindset tool. Does that kind of ring any bells with anyone? Okay, so this is the twist, and this is what today's episode is all about. I'm going to ask you, what if the problem isn't the fact that you're affirming, but that you're using the wrong format? Now, what I mean by that is, you know, it's not about saying statements at all. But it's more about asking your brain questions because your brain is really wired to answer questions. Honestly, that's its favourite game if you think about it. You will ask your brain something and it goes off like a little Miss Marple. It searches for clues, it pulls up files, it pieces together evidence. So if you're asking it proper shit questions like, "Why am I always unlucky?" or "Why do I never have enough?" "Why is my relationship always failing?" guess what it's going to do? It's going to collect all the evidence to prove that you are right, because that's what the brain does. It loves to prove that it's right, and it'll go, "Well, remember that parking ticket that you got last week? Remember that time that you dropped your phone down the toilet? That's why you're unlucky." But when you flip the script and you start asking your brain better questions, like more expansive questions, your brain still goes off on the hunt, but this time it's searching for evidence of good things. So for me personally, instead of saying something like, "I'm a magnet for opportunities," I've started saying things to myself like, "Why do opportunities always show up for me?" And suddenly I'll notice an email in my inbox that I might have ignored before, or I might have a conversation that day with a stranger that leads somewhere. So ask yourself like, "Why is money always finding me in unexpected ways?" And then suddenly you'll remember that refund from 3 months ago, or you'll find a tenner in your old coat pocket. That is the magic of affirmations. Not affirmations, affirmations, okay? With an O, not an I. And if you've never heard of them before, don't worry, because this is what this episode is going to be all about. I'm going to break it all down for you— what they are, how they work, and why they are so powerful, and how you can start using them as well right now to rewire your brain for success. And you never know, like, this might be the thing that finally makes those affirmations click for you without feeling like you're standing in front of the mirror just lying to yourself, okay? So, this is the thing. Affirmations are amazing in theory, yeah? You see people online swearing by them. You see the people writing on Post-its, sticking them on the bathroom mirrors, chanting them 108 times with the mala beads, and you think, "Right, that's it. That's the missing piece. I'll just tell myself that I'm rich and happy, and boom! Instant millionaire vibes, instant self-love, instant six-pack abs." No, doesn't really work like that because then you try it, you stand there in front of that mirror, you're staring at yourself, and you're like, "I'm wealthy." I'm powerful, I'm confident. And instead of feeling like Beyoncé on the Renaissance Tour, you start to feel like you're auditioning for Britain's Got Delusion. It just does not land, does it? And this is why, because if you're stood there chanting, "I'm rich," and your overdraft is screaming louder than your affirmation in your brain, your brain is going to call bullshit. Your subconscious is like that sarcastic friend that you have who doesn't let you get away with anything. So you're there like, "I'm abundant," and your subconscious is like, "Yeah, Whatever, you literally cried yesterday over your gas bill. And I think this is why so many people give up on affirmations. Not because they're bad, but because the way we use them, that often feels like we're forcing something that we don't actually believe. And when you don't believe it, there's a bit of friction there. So there's a bit of resistance, and you end up in this mental tug of war where one part of you is saying the words, but the other part is shouting back, "Nah, that's just not true." And to be totally honest with you, it's that inner heckler that usually wins. So you go away from that feeling worse than you did when you first started, because instead of building you up, the whole exercise just highlighted how far away you feel from where you actually want to be. So let us give you a personal example. So a couple of years ago, when I first started like really, really getting into manifestation, I would plaster me walls with affirmations. You name it, it was up there. I had on my computer screen, I had, "I am wealthy." 'I am magnetic.' I even had these little stickers printed that said like, 'You're unstoppable,' and stuff like that. I honestly thought I was turning my office into a shrine of success. But do you know what actually happened? Every single time I went down me office and I walked past those Post-it notes, or I sat and used me computer and I saw them stuck all over me screen, I would roll me eyes. And it felt fake. It felt really fucking forced, if I'm totally honest. And eventually, I just stopped looking at them, so they became a wallpaper. I just basically blanked them out, and I'd still be lying in bed at night thinking, "You're an absolute broke-ass bitch." That's exactly how I felt. Now, don't get us wrong, affirmations can work, but this is the truth that nobody really talks about: they only work when your subconscious isn't actively rejecting them. So they work when you've already got some level of belief behind them. So when you're affirming something that feels at least possible, And I think that's why subliminals work so well as well, because obviously subliminals are just those "I am" affirmations, but those audios are designed to bypass your conscious mind and drip-feed positive suggestions straight into your subconscious on repeat while you're relaxed or even asleep. So they're actually bypassing that part of you that's saying, "No, you're not, you're broke." They are just going straight under the radar there. So in a roundabout way, I'm saying affirmations can work if you just say like, "I am abundant, I am wealthy," but it's got to be in a way that works, that bypasses your conscious threshold. Okay? 'Cause I mean, for me personally, I think when you're trying to leap from that state of "I feel like shit" to "I'm the most confident person alive," that's too big of a jump and your mind just won't buy it. And this is where we end up in that cycle of disappointment. So we try, we force, we push, and then we wonder why nothing changes. And it's not that you're doing anything wrong, it's just that you're trying to force a square peg into a round hole. That's all it comes down to. So what actually changed things for me, and you know what my Instagram post was about earlier in this week, is if statements don't work because they create resistance, then what would feel lighter? What would bypass that little heckling voice in your head and actually get your brain on board? And I think for me, that's where affirmations come in. And I know this is going to sound weird because you're probably thinking, did he just mispronounce affirmations? No, Afformations, okay, with an O. They are a real thing, and honestly, they're a total game changer. Go and Google it when you come off this podcast. The word itself, when I've done a bit of research, it was coined by a guy called Noah St. John, uh, but don't worry, I'm not about to turn this into a history lesson or start reading you his Wikipedia page or anything. What I want you to take away is the simplicity of this idea, and it's so simple you'll wonder why nobody ever told you this before. So affirmations are basically affirmations flipped on their head. So instead of saying a statement like, "I am rich," which your brain might immediately argue with, you ask yourself a question like, "Why does money flow to me so easily?" And this is the magic. Your brain, it cannot ignore a question. It has to look for an answer. It's like if someone asked me if I wanted chips at midnight, no matter how tired I am, my brain's already looking in the cupboards for the mayonnaise. So, With a normal affirmation, you've got to battle that inner critic, but with an affirmation, you bypass the critic completely because that curiosity doesn't trigger resistance. So, if you say, "I am wealthy," your brain will just go, "Nah, it's not true." But if you say, "Why do I always find ways to make more money?" your brain goes, "Hmm, good question. Let me go and find some evidence on that." And that is the secret of affirmations. Affirmations, should I say. Questions are powerful because they send your mind off on a bit of a scavenger hunt for proof. So your subconscious becomes like your own personal private investigator. It starts snooping around for reasons to prove that you're right. Now think about it, your brain, it's answering questions all day long anyway. You spill your tea, you immediately go, "Why am I such an idiot?" You forget your keys and it's, "Why does this always happen to me?" You ask terrible questions and your brain happily provides you with the terrible answers to go alongside it. It's not trying to be mean, it's just doing its job. So what if we flip that? What if instead of asking those low vibe questions, you started asking empowering ones? Imagine walking around with questions like, "Why does everything always work out for me?" "Why do I attract opportunities without even trying?" Do you see how different that feels already? It's a totally different energy, isn't it? And this is the best bit, because it feels believable, because you're not forcing yourself to accept a statement that doesn't feel true yet. You're simply just planting bit of a curious seed, okay? You're saying to your brain, "Let's go and find the evidence." And guess what? Your brain will, because that's what it does best. Now, the first time I tried this, I was quite skeptical. I swapped out my usual "I am successful," which honestly made me cringe a little bit, and I replaced it with "Why is my business growing so easily and quickly?" And just within days, I noticed things I completely overlooked before. There was a message from someone wanting to book us as a speaker, there was a sale that popped through when I least expected it for about £350, and there was an idea that I had for another course that just suddenly clicked. Now, were those things always there? Probably, but me brain wasn't tuned into them before, so the question tuned me into that. And that is why affirmations are so powerful, because they're not about force and belief, they're just about inviting your mind to prove to you that good things are already in motion because This isn't just some fluffy idea where we're all just prancing around with crystals chanting into the void, although don't get me wrong, I love a crystal chant. This is actually about how your brain is wired. So quick bit of science without putting you to sleep. Inside your brain, you've got something called the reticular activating system. I've spoke about this a few times. I'm just going to call it the RAS because otherwise it sounds like a Harry Potter spell. But the RAS is basically your brain's filter. It decides what information is important enough to notice and what can be ignored. And I talk about this in my look limitless as well. So think about it like this, like if you were aware of every single sight, sound, smell, and thought happening around you right now, you'd probably be combust. Your brain would just go pfft. So the RAS, it just filters your daily life, and what it filters for is whatever you tell it to look for. So we did this little example, didn't we? I think it was like episode 7 of the podcast, 4 years ago, where I asked you all to look for a green car. Now, still to this day, I don't go a single week without someone messaging me saying, "I've just done this exercise, I looked for a green car. Guess what? I've been seeing green cars ever since." It's absolutely crazy. So, here's another example, like, say you bought yourself a new car. Say it's a red Ford Fiesta, first model that came into me head. Suddenly, the streets are full of red Ford Fiestas. So, you're like, "Hang on, has everyone in Newcastle just gone out and bought the exact same car as us?" No, it's your RAS. Your brain has decided, "Oh, this is important now," and so it starts flagging it everywhere. Now, your brain, it doesn't care whether what you're looking for is good or bad, so it could be empowering or it could be depressing. It's neutral. And if you keep asking, "Why am I always broke?" your RAS is like, "Ah, noted. Let me go and find you proof of that." And it does. It highlights the bills, the debt, the missed opportunities.

Boom!

More evidence, just like that. But if you flip that, if you ask, "Why does money flow so easily to me?" Your RAS, it doesn't roll its eyes and go, "Don't be daft." It just says, "Okay, let's find some proof of that." And suddenly, you'll notice that refund that you've forgotten about, or the discount code that saves you £20, or that side hustle idea that's been sat in the back of your mind for the last 10 years. Same brain, different question, and you get totally different results from it. I always say that your brain is basically like Google. If you type in a rubbish question into Google, you're gonna get rubbish search results as well. But if you type in something empowering, suddenly you're scrolling through answers that you actually want to see. So the trick is in what you type into your mental search bar in your head. And the best part is, the more you ask an empowering question, the more your RAS is gonna reinforce it. So it's kind of like training a puppy. At first you might ask, "Why does everything work out so well for me?" and your brain gives you a half-hearted answer like, "Well, you did get a decent parking spot this morning." But the more you ask, the more evidence it finds, and soon it's gonna be bouncing back to you like a Labrador with its tail wagging full of proof. And I actually tested this once, a couple of weeks ago actually, with a really simple affirmation. And I just said to myself, "Why am I always meeting the right people at the right time?" time. Now, just within a week of that— this is a bit crazy— but just within a week of me starting that, I got talking to someone in a coffee shop because basically she'd been looking down at me bracelets on my wrist, and then I told her, "Oh yeah, I sell them, blah blah blah." We got talking, and you know what? I'm going to get her on the podcast because she has a really interesting job. Now, was that a coincidence? Maybe. But because my RAS was switched on, I noticed it, I acted on it, instead of brushing it off as nothing. That is the difference there, okay? This is why affirmations are so powerful. They don't just sit on the surface of your conscious mind, they reprogram your subconscious filters. So you'll start to see new opportunities, new solutions, new reasons to believe, because your brain is literally hunting them down for you. So if you've ever wondered why affirmations feel like hard work, it's because you were fighting the filter. That's all it comes down to. With affirmations, you're working with it. So I always say like, for, with. Yeah, affirmations, working with it. So you're aligning with how your brain already operates. And I think that once you understand that, you will start to feel the shift because suddenly it's not going to be about force and belief anymore. It's going to be more about allowing curiosity. And that change in energy is everything because What— that's what it really comes down to, you know. It's all energy. The energy behind the words that you're saying to yourself. Now, if we think about how heavy it feels when you're trying to force an affirmation that just doesn't land. You're there, you've got a deadpan voice, you're mumbling, "I am confident. I am confident. I am confident." And the whole time your inner voice is going, "Well, clearly not, because you wouldn't be stood in your bathroom chanting this like an absolute weirdo." It's draining, isn't it? The energy feels heavy, resistant. And almost like you're pushing against a locked door. Now if you compare that to asking a question, say out loud right now, "Why am I so confident these days?" Do you feel the difference between that? Between "I am confident" and "Why am I so confident these days?" That is the difference. It's lighter. It feels kind of curious, playful, and cheeky. You're not declaring something that feels false. You're just inviting your brain into a little game. It's almost like you've taken the pressure off yourself, and you know that manifestation and you know, the Law of Attraction, it really, really connects with when you take the pressure off things, when you're playful with things, because you're not desperate for an answer. And here's why that matters, because when we are manifesting, it's not just about the words, it's about the frequency behind them as well. So the universe responds to your energy, not just your language. So affirmations can sometimes keep you stuck in resistance because you're just battling yourself, and that resistance sends out a mixed signal. But affirmations are curious and open, and they create a bit of a sense of possibility as well. And that possibility is exactly the frequency that you want to be sitting in if you're trying to attract something new. So I like to think of it this way: affirmations, like normal affirmations, they can feel like shouting at the universe, trying to convince it to listen. Whereas affirmations, they are more like leaning in with a wink and going, "Go on then, show us why this is true." You know, the energy is completely different. And the real powerful thing here is how it sneaks past that critical voice in your head. And it's that shift in energy is what makes affirmations such a game changer, because you start to feel different. And when you feel different, you show up differently. You notice different things. You make different choices. So I know a lot of you right now will just be sat there thinking, "How can I do this in terms of my own life?" So I want to make this real, because I know by now your brain's probably already trying to test this, like, "Alright, Mart, I get that, but what would I actually say? How do I swap out the affirmations for the afformations?" So this is the fun part because literally any single affirmation can be flipped into an afformation. And when you hear some examples here from us, you'll probably start doing this automatically without even thinking about it. So I've got me notepad and pen here for some that I wrote down as, you know, just a few little examples to get you started. So I want to start with money because, let's be honest, most people listening to this podcast wouldn't mind a bit more of money flowing in, would they? Wealthy. So traditional affirmation would be, "I am wealthy. I am abundant. I am prosperous." And when we flip this into an Afformation, it would be something like, "Why does money love flowing to me so easily and so often?" Can you hear the difference? So it's not you forcing yourself to believe something you don't yet. It's just you playfully asking your brain to go and find proof of that. Or how about instead of, "I am abundant," you could say, "why do I always have more than enough for everything I need and more?" That little tweak, it just shifts it from pressure into possibility. Now, next up on my list is love and relationships. So, you know, an affirmation would be, "I am loved." It sounds nice, but if you're sat there on your couch right now, single, eating Doritos in your pajamas, your brain probably just isn't even buying it. So if we flip that and we say, "why am I always surrounded by people who genuinely care about me?" or "Why is love always showing up in the most unexpected ways?" Now that lands differently, doesn't it? Suddenly it feels softer and lighter, and your brain starts scanning for those little moments of love and connection that you might have overlooked before. Next on my list was health and well-being. This is a big one, you know. Affirmation: I would say, "I am healthy." Again, it's lovely in theory, but if you're currently nursing a cold, you're living on Lemsip, that might not feel believable, you know. But when we flip it, "Why do I keep finding new ways to feel stronger and more energized every single day?" Or one of my personal favorites that I wrote down as well, "Why is it so easy for my body to return to balance?" I used that one in my, uh, meditation and mindfulness course not long ago on the Academy, and people absolutely love that one. You're just basically giving your brain an instruction to find reasons why your health is improving, instead of forcing it to accept something that doesn't feel true in the moment. And then last on my list as well, I think something that most people want is confidence. This is a good one. So the affirmation would be, "I am confident." We've all said it, haven't we? Stood there in the mirror hyping ourselves up before a presentation or a date. But instead, try, "Why do I always feel more and more confident every time I speak my truth?" Or, Why do people always respond so positively when I share what I really think? Now, straight away, that gets your brain searching for past memories where you were confident, and that's proof that you can build on. So, I want you to have some fun with this, okay? Affirmations, they don't have to be serious all the time. You can get playful. For example, um, why do free coffees keep showing up for me? That would be a good one. Why does the perfect parking space always appear for me? That's another one that we always use to try and manifest, isn't it? Like free coffees and parking spaces. Why am I always bumping into opportunities at the exact right time? Just play with it, because the sillier and lighter it feels, the more likely you are to actually use it. And once you start noticing even tiny bits of evidence, your brain goes, "Oh, hang on, maybe this is true after all," and that's when the momentum starts to build. So if you're sat there right now thinking, you know, "This is great, but I'm going to probably forget to do it straight after this podcast episode," Don't worry, I've got you covered. I'm about to give you some super practical ways to build this into your daily routine so that it becomes second nature. So this is where the rubber really meets the road, because it's one thing to understand affirmations, but another thing entirely to actually use them. And let's be honest, if you don't use them, nothing is going to change. Affirmations can't work for you if you're just going to sit them there in your notes app gathering digital dust. So we're going to talk about how to weave this into your daily life without it feeling like yet another chore on the self- development to-do list, because the last thing honestly that I want for you is for you to be like, "Great, now I've got to spend an hour chanting in my bedroom every morning while the kettle's boiling." No, this is about making it so simple that you can't not do it. So here's my go-to routine in the morning. At the minute, I'm picking one affirmation to carry with me for the rest of the day. Just one. I'm not going to overwhelm myself by trying to fix my entire life before breakfast, okay? That's not why we're doing this. I write it in my journal, I say it out loud, and I'm even popping it as my phone wallpaper for the day. Okay, that way every time I'm unlocking my phone, I'm literally reminding my brain to go hunting for that answer. That's the morning. During the day, whenever my brain tries to spiral into negativity, I'm going to use my affirmation as a pattern interrupter. So what I mean by that is I might catch myself thinking, "Ugh, I've never got enough time. There's not enough time in the day." Instead, I'm gonna stop and I'm gonna ask myself, "Why is my time always expanding to fit what I need to do?" So it's kind of like swapping a dodgy song on the radio for one that you actually like. And then evenings before bed, I'm just gonna repeat my affirmation again. I'm either gonna say it aloud or I'm gonna write it down. And this is sneaky but powerful because your subconscious, it keeps on working on questions overnight. That's basically, you know, what's happening while you're asleep. You're basically planting a little mental task list for your brain to work on while you sleep. And you can ask your affirmation anytime—while you're brushing your teeth, walking the dog, standing in the queue at Tesco. In fact, I recommend it. Yes, I mean, people might look at you funny if you stood there in the biscuit aisle muttering, "Why is money always flowing to me?" But honestly, just give them a wink and say, "Because it does." Let them think that you're eccentric. You'll be the eccentric one manifesting all the opportunities. So if you want to take it a step further, make it a little ritual. Write your question in your journal every morning and every night. Some people love to stick Post-its around the house. Others like to record themselves saying the affirmation and then play it back. Do whatever feels fun to you, because that is the key word: fun. If it feels like a slog, you're not going to stick with it. If it feels like a game, you'll actually start to enjoy it. Don't overcomplicate it either. Just start small. Like I say, one question, one week. Just ask yourself the same one question for one week, 7 days. Notice what shifts. The temptation is probably to try and fix every area of your life at once. So money, love, career, uh, health, body confidence, you name it. But that's just going to dilute your focus. So just pick one question, give your brain a clear instruction, and just let it surprise you with the answers that it brings. So that's your little challenge from me this week, okay? Choose your affirmation. Just one. Repeat it for a week. Play with it. Write it. Ask it whenever you remember, and just see what evidence your brain serves up. Because once you've experienced the shift yourself, you'll never go back to forcing affirmations again. And I think when you start seeing that shift, it's kind of like the final piece of the puzzle. It's just to remember the big picture because the real magic isn't in the words themselves. Like I said, it's in the way they transform the way that you see the world. Okay, most of us are walking through life on autopilot. Like what I said at the start, we ask ourselves those terrible questions and we're just going to get back terrible answers. That's all it's going to do. Okay, but what we've got now is a way to flip that script. You're no longer going to be battling your subconscious with statements that it doesn't buy into. So like I say, make yourself one affirmation for this week, one question that you're going to ask over and over. Make it fun, make it light, make it believable. And once you've got that and you are repeating it daily, I want to hear from you. Send me a DM on Instagram, tag me in your stories, tell me what question you're asking. Because when you share your affirmations out loud, you're not just rewiring your brain, you're sparking ideas for someone else who hears it as well. So imagine if all of us listening to this podcast right now asked just one empowering question this week. The ripple effect that it had would be massive. And you know what? If this episode has sparked something for you as well, if you've had a little aha moment or a little lightbulb moment, do me a favor, share it with someone that would love to hear this message as well. Text the link to a friend, pop it on your stories, leave a review on Apple or Spotify. Not just because it helps me, because it does massively and I'm very grateful, but because you just never know who in your circle might be quietly struggling, repeating affirmations themselves, wondering why nothing's changing. This could be the exact thing that they need to hear. So the final thought I'll leave you with before I go is that your brain is always listening. It's always searching. The only question is, what questions are you feeding it? Because the quality of your questions will determine the quality of your answers. Heard that saying before, you know, ask a silly question, get a silly answer. That is the quality of your life. So instead of asking, "Why am I stuck?" ask yourself, "Why is everything always moving forward for me?" Instead of asking, "Why am I always skint or broke?" ask yourself, "Why is money flowing to me so easily and so often?" And instead of asking, "Why don't I deserve this?" ask yourself, "Why am I so worthy of everything good in life?" So the real question is, what will you ask your brain this week. Okay, so thank you all so much. I hope that this episode landed exactly where it needed to for some of you. Like I mentioned earlier, tag me on your Instagram stories, let me know what questions you are going to be asking yourself this week, and I will see you all next Friday for another episode. Have a beautiful weekend, guys, and I'll see you next Friday. Bye!

ACAST powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.

Hello, American podcast listeners. Max Rushton here from The Guardian Football Weekly, which I think you should give a listen. It is good. It comes out 3 times a week. And the podcast delivers you analysis, news, both the good and the bad from the beautiful game, and maybe even the occasional laugh. He's angry about everything. He doesn't have a great poker face, does he? I would like to play cards with Bruno Fernandes. You can listen to The Guardian Football Weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Hopefully see you soon.

Acast helps creators launch, grow, and monetize their podcasts. Everywhere. Acast.com.