Affirmations are something that I had always scoffed at. The vision of a man standing in front of a mirror in a drab business suit with a bad haircut telling himself “You’re motivated, successful, and good looking,” over and over again comes to mind. However, having recently read in The Miracle Morning in which affirmations are highly recommended, I have decided to give them a chance. I’ve always had difficulty falling asleep at night, and I wanted to see if a few affirmations would help calm my mind and make it easier for me to drift off. I thought it might even help me wake up in the morning. So, these days in the evening I read a little index card that reads “I am loved and will wake up full of energy in the morning.” Thus far, I can’t say if I have felt any change—but it’s only been a week.

There are many very successful people who tout the benefits of affirmations and visualization (including the one and only Tony Robbins. If you can’t tell, I’m a fan), and I have used similar techniques with students in class. The effects are mostly subjective, but I thought it might help to provide you all with a few affirmations for speaking beautifully as so many of my students complain about confidence being a major obstacle to their speaking well in English. If you don’t feel confident about an act, you can never truly do that act to your full potential. Here are a few affirmations that you could to tell yourself when you have to speak in English:

I speak very well in English.

Everyone understands what I am saying.

I understand what everyone else is saying.

I have great pronunciation.

I speak beautiful English.

People are impressed by my ability to speak many languages.

I sound intelligent in English.

I sound confident in English.

My mistakes don’t matter.

Nobody notices my mistakes.

People appreciate the effort I make.

My English is impressive.

I have nothing to worry about.

I am relaxed and happy when I speak English.

That’s it. I suggest saying them every day until you internalize their message. If you don’t believe the words yourself, then how can anyone else? Perhaps the affirmation feels false to you. Well, that’s the point. You say it until it feels real. Until the day when someone asks what your English level is, and you instinctively answer, “I speak very well in English.” You fake it until you make it. Most things in life are a matter of perception, including human interaction. The biggest thing holding many second-language speakers back is confidence. Using a little affirmation is one way of working towards building your confidence. Good luck and remember: no one is giving you a “funny look” while you speak; you’re doing a great job.