Afformations is a powerful self-help technique developed by motivational speaker and bestselling author Noah St. John. This method of asking empowering questions can help you change your habits, mindset and get better results in life.
The Limitations of Traditional Affirmations
Affirmations have been used in the self-help world for decades. The basic idea is that you repeat positive statements like “I am confident” to reprogram your subconscious mind. However, many people find that traditional affirmations don’t work. Noah explains that research shows 75% of people end up more frustrated when trying to use affirmations.
Why don’t affirmations work for most people? Noah says it’s because when you make a statement that you don’t truly believe like “I am rich”, your brain responds with doubt and says “yeah right!”. He calls this the “yeah right response”. Even though you consciously want to believe the affirmation, your subconscious sabotages it.
Introducing Noah’s Afformations Method
Noah recognized the limitations of standard affirmations and invented a better approach. His afformations method bypasses the “yeah right response” by asking empowering questions instead of making doubtful statements.
For example, instead of saying “I am confident”, you would ask yourself “Why am I so confident?” or “How has becoming more confident improved my life?”. Your brain can’t say “yeah right” to a question, so it goes searching for an answer.
Noah explains that questions activate the “embedded presupposition” factor in our brains. When you ask a question, your brain automatically tries to find the solution. So you engage the full power of your mind to make positive changes.
The Science Behind Afformations
Some people think afformations sound like wishful thinking or magic. But Noah is quick to point out that there’s real science behind how afformations work.
Asking empowering questions stimulates your reticular activating system (RAS), which acts like a filter in your brain. When you ask “Why am I so confident?”, your RAS starts screening for evidence and experiences related to confidence. You prime your mind to notice more confidence-building opportunities.
Of course, afformations aren’t magic. Noah stresses you still have to take action to get results. But transforming your habitual thought patterns with afformations creates a solid foundation for personal growth and success.
Creating Effective Afformations
The great thing about afformations is you can tailor the questions to your unique goals and needs. But Noah recommends keeping these best practices in mind:
- Use the words “why” or “how” – Starting your afformation with “why” or “how” prompts your brain to start problem-solving.
- Phrase as if you already have the result – Imagine that you already achieved your goal and ask from that empowered viewpoint.
- Focus on the positive change – Don’t highlight what you want to move away from, but what you want to move towards.
- Keep it simple – Don’t overload your brain with long, complex questions. Short and sweet is best.
- Be consistent – Ask your afformations daily to reinforce the neural pathways and thought habits.
Noah’s Journey From Skeptic to Inventor of Afformations
Noah is the first to admit he was initially skeptical of personal development concepts like affirmations. He grew up poor and thought all the self-help books were just hype.
But he had a desire to improve his life, so Noah started reading every self-help book he could get his hands on. He studied authors like Louise Hay, Deepak Chopra and Jack Canfield.
After immersing himself in this knowledge, Noah realized much of it was recycled ideas and lacking something powerful. There were key elements missing from the mainstream advice that people desperately needed to succeed.
This insight led Noah to develop his afformations methodology in 1997. Once he tested afformations on himself and others and saw the dramatic results, he knew he had discovered something truly original.
Afformations In Action: Real-World Examples
Afformations might sound abstract, but Noah has seen this technique create remarkable transformation for people in the real world. Here are some examples:
- A 69 year-old woman tripled her income in just two weeks with Noah’s coaching using afformations. She gained the confidence to enter her first bikini contest at age 69 and placed third!
- A business owner had been stuck at the same income level for years despite attending every seminar guru event she could find. After learning about afformations and Noah’s power habits system, she increased her earnings by 600% in under 12 months.
- An entrepreneur had written a book but kept the manuscript stuck in a shoebox for 15 years, crippled by self-doubt and fear. She finally published multiple books after working with Noah to overcome her mental roadblocks.
Bringing Afformations To The Mainstream
Part of Noah’s mission is to spread afformations to a wider audience beyond the self-help industry. He teaches this game-changing technique to CEOs, entrepreneurs, professionals, and anyone wanting more success and fulfillment.
Noah has written multiple bestselling books explaining the afformations method, including The Book of Afformations published by Hay House. As the world’s premier self-help publisher, Hay House gave Noah the distribution power to bring afformations into the mainstream.
But Noah emphasizes that anyone can learn and apply afformations on their own. By transforming your conscious and subconscious thought patterns with these empowering questions, you pave the way for lasting positive change.
