Success affirmations are statements that one makes to oneself in order to encourage a successful and happy life. Such statements may be said aloud, deliberately thought, or written and placed in prominent places that one sees on a daily basis. While making one success affirmation, such as "I am happy and fulfilled" or "I am an example of success," may not have any particular effect, repeating such affirmations many times each day is believed to exert a subtle influence on one's subconscious that will promote daily success. The overall idea of success affirmations is that constant and deliberate positive thought enforced by often-repeated success affirmations will lead to success and happiness in life.
To be effective, success affirmations must be stated with certainty, or they do not actually "affirm" anything at all. Saying "I hope that I will find future success in my business life" is not nearly as effective as stating "I will find future success." The first statement is a simple truth with no affirmative power — the fact that one hopes for future success is seldom in doubt. The second statement, however, is an affirmation that one will, indeed, find future success. Some people even believe that affirmations must always be in the present tense to be effective, as in "I am successful" or "I learn from each and every situation."
Outside of a few metaphysical theories, success affirmations are generally not believed to have any efficacy in and of themselves. Instead, through force of repetition, they prompt an individual to maintain a positive mindset at all times and to believe in one's capability to succeed. Constantly affirming one's success and value exerts a subtle influence over one's subconscious mindset that may influence many aspects of one's life. If nothing else, success affirmations serve to keep one focused on one's goals in work and in life.
Success affirmations are not only useful for career success. People use the same techniques when seeking success in personal life, in art, or in just about any other pursuit. The method of uttering repeated affirmative statements remains the same whether one seeks a promotion or success in one's love life.
One important element of success affirmations is belief. Practicing affirmations while in a state of doubt or saying them in a sarcastic tone will likely result in failure. Their primary benefit is the positive mindset that they encourage, so if one approaches affirmations with a negative mindset, failure is almost certain.