"I am rich"

"I am loved"

"I am confident"

"I am successful"

How many times have you stated affirmations like these without any result?

What if the affirmations you've been repeating day in and day out are the very reason you're not seeing any shift in life?

There are millions of affirmations online — YouTube, Spotify, or other platforms filled with coaches and gurus promising a shift and the dream life.

When I first learned about affirmations, I wrote down everything I could think of and wanted out of life:

• Being rich.
• Living my dream life.
• Having my dream body.
• Being with my dream partner.

I repeated them day in and day out.

Result? Never followed.

I tried ready-made affirmations created by others, hoping they would work.

Guess what? Still no result.

You probably recognize the frustration and hopelessness of putting in the mental work without any shift in life.

You’re not alone.

Most people struggle with affirmations due to the shallow power behind them. They repeat sentences with no internal shift because the words used only target the surface.

What follows are hours, days, and months spent on mental work, only to be met with frustration, doubt, and fear.

Reading success stories online makes you question if the law truly works for everyone.

Thoughts like:

• "This isn’t working for me."
• "Manifestation doesn’t work."

...are more common than you think.

The good thing is — you are not alone.

The frustration you feel is a common experience among people trying to shift their reality.

But if you don't change your approach, you'll stay stuck in the same pattern of unfulfilled desires, frustration, and the belief that affirmations and manifestation don’t work.

I've been there. I found the missing keys.

I'm writing this to tell you:

Affirmations work.

Manifestation is real.

You just need to learn how to use them in the right, most effective way.

The most common reason for shallow repetition and failure is that affirmations don't target the root of your beliefs.

There are three levels of affirmations:

1. Desire level
2. Belief level
3. Identity level

In later sections, we'll go over how to use affirmations in all three layers to create lasting shift and change.

The three layers of affirmations

Most people listen to affirmations written in a way that doesn’t resonate with how they speak or think.

For affirmations to truly click, both the words and the feelings behind them must resonate with you.

There's a difference between:

• "I am the architect of my destiny, and I wield the power to manifest boundless opportunities and unparalleled success in every facet of my existence."

and

• "I create my own path and attract success in my life."

Do you see the difference?

The wording, length, and depth all play a role in whether your affirmations click into your subconscious or not.

It’s less about the words themselves and more about the feeling of already being what you desire.

The whole point of affirmations is to help you shift into the emotional state of your wish fulfilled.

You could do that by just feeling yourself into it. Affirmations are just a tool to help you induce that feeling and shift you back into a state of fulfillment and abundance.

Everyone has their own preferences for what resonates with them, and it’s important to find what works for you.

The goal is to reprogram your subconscious mind at its core, addressing the root level of your beliefs.

Let's start with the first level of affirmations: Desire.

This is where most people get stuck. But if you stick with me, I’ll show you how to turn a simple desire into something more powerful.

When combined with an aligned self-concept, everything changes.

Level 1: Desire

Some time ago, I was in a position where I felt that my income wasn't enough.

I knew about the power of affirmations and manifestation, so I picked up my notebook and started to write down how much I would need to feel financially stable.

Just for the sake of this example, let say that the desired sum was $2500 a month.

I turned my desire and sum into an affirmation:

"I have a stable income of $2500 per month"

That was it.

Repeating this affirmation everyday, induced a feeling of stability and safety.

However, whenever I went to the store buying groceries, I felt resistance paying for it.

I had this underlying fear of the sum in my bank account decreasing, not having enough savings, or worrying about the next month.

Thats when it hit me, I was focusing on my desire but my subconscious beliefs said something else.

I was trying to manifest $2500, but my beliefs reflected a deep fear of not having enough.

Focusing on a desire while holding an underlying belief that contradicts it is like having a specific destination in mind but rowing the boat in the opposite direction, it simply doesn't work.

That's where the next layer of affirmations comes into play: Belief.

To bridge the gap between your desire and reality, you must uncover and address the beliefs that are holding you back.

Without this step, affirmations remain surface-level, unable to create lasting change.

Let’s dive into how the belief layer works and why it’s the key to aligning your subconscious with your desires.

Level 2: Belief

If a desire is the seed of what you wish to manifest, beliefs act as the soil. They determine whether the seed (your desire) can grow.

Let's say your desire is to have more money, $2500 a month.

An underlying belief could be that money is hard to earn.

It doesn't matter if you affirm daily and feel like a person who has $2500. If your beliefs contradict that desire, you will stay stuck without any shift.

To truly shift, you need to:

1. Be specific about your desire: $2500 a month.
2. Uncover your underlying beliefs by asking yourself:
   1. How do I feel about earning this amount?
   2. Do I believe it's possible?
   3. Do I believe I deserve it?
   4. What do I feel when I think about having this amount?

Uncovering beliefs can be applied to all your desires, not just money.

Let's say you now want a specific partner and relationship. You start to ask yourself questions and notice answers like:

• I don't feel I deserve x.
• I don't feel worthy of love.
• He/she is too good looking for me.

Do you see the pattern here?

It's more than just a desire. It's the underlying beliefs around it.

If you wanna row your boat with the current, you have to do the underlying work.

But don't worry, I will show you how to master your mind in simple steps, reprogramming your mind from the root to top level and make a shift that will turn your life around completely.

Now that we know how beliefs are holding you back, the next step is to shift your self-concept.

This is where real transformation begins, when you start to see yourself as the person who naturally embodies the reality you desire.

Level 3: Self-Concept

Your Self-Concept is the root cause of everything you experience. It’s the sum of your beliefs about the world, love, money, success, and yourself.

Your self-concept is the foundation for all your desires because it determines:

• How you view yourself.
• How you believe the world and people perceives you.
• How you feel about yourself in relation to your desires.

Think of manifestation like growing a tree:

• Desire: The seed.
• Beliefs: The soil.
• Self-Concept: The gardener.

They all work together. If your self-concept isn’t aligned with your desires, no matter how much you shift beliefs or repeat affirmations, the seed can’t fully grow. It all starts with how you see yourself.

Most people stay stuck because they’re unaware of their deeper beliefs and self-concept.

Uncovering what you truly believe about your desires can feel uncomfortable, but if you're tired of watching others manifest their dreams while yours feel out of reach, it’s time to go deeper.

When you break it down into simple steps, it’s easier than you think.

The Key to Unlocking Your Desires

This process can be applied for any desire you have and the idea is to create affirmations that directly impact you and your reality.

If you feel stuck while identifying beliefs, that’s fine. You can always return and refine your answers when you gain more clarity.

The key is to sit with the process and reflect.

I like to keep things simple in all areas of my life, including how I reprogram my mind.

I suggest you do the same, start small. Focus on one desire and its connected beliefs at a time. You can expand later.

1) Clarify Your Desire (The Seed)

Pull out a notebook or digital tool and write down:

• What you truly want in life.
• How you would feel if you had this desire.

Don't rush this step. Take 10-15 minutes to reflect deeply on what you truly want.

Sometimes, surface-level desires hide a deeper truth.

For example, wanting $10k/month may not be about money but the freedom to travel, work on your terms, and feel secure.

When setting affirmations, don’t just focus on what you think you want. Dive deeper. Ask yourself: What is my heart truly craving?

If you focus on ego-driven desires instead of those aligned with your heart, you’ll likely feel unfulfilled or stuck.

In my experience, the desires that manifest most effortlessly are those deeply aligned with your heart, the ones seeking to express themselves through you.

The clearer your desire, the more powerful your affirmations will be.

To make it easier, I’ll do the exercise with you.

If you struggle to connect with the feeling, ask yourself:

• How would I feel?
• How would I think?
• What energy would I bring into my day?

That’s the emotional state you want to anchor into.

2) Identify Your Beliefs (The Soil)

You must become aware of the beliefs you carry before you can rewrite them.

Most of our beliefs come from childhood, society, and past experiences. They aren’t necessarily true, but they still shape how we think.

Write down every reason you believe your desire isn't possible.

Challenge each one: Is this true, or just a story I’ve accepted as fact?

Continuing with my example:

Underlying beliefs I noticed:

These are just examples. Take a moment to reflect on your own beliefs as you go through this.

It can feel uncomfortable to face limiting beliefs fully, so be patient.

Write them down, reflect, and give yourself space to process.

3) Align Your Self-Concept (The Gardener)

This is where real transformation begins.

Your self-concept shapes your beliefs, desires, and how you show up in the world.

Beliefs are surface-level symptoms of a deeper identity you've accepted about yourself.

Here’s the key: When you shift your self-concept, many limiting beliefs dissolve because they no longer match who you believe yourself to be.

Here’s how to shift it for good:

1. Identify: Look at the beliefs you wrote down and ask, What version of myself do these beliefs reflect?
2. Rewrite: Choose a new identity that matches your desires.
3. Reinforce: Use affirmations that reflect this new version of yourself.

Continuing my example:

Let’s rewrite the limiting beliefs:

• Old Belief: I don't have the experience for that many followers.
  • New Belief: I have the experience needed to attract a massive following.
• Old Belief: I'm not skilled enough to grow a large audience.
  • New Belief: I have the skills to grow a massive audience with ease.
• Old Belief: If I grow too much, people will judge me.
  • New Belief: The bigger I grow, the more people admire and respect me.
• Old Belief: Success like that is only for certain people.
  • New Belief: Success is meant for me, and I am deserving of it.

As you can see, aligning my self-concept with the new beliefs is all about changing the way you think about yourself, how people and the world sees you, in regard to your desires and beliefs.

4) Affirm Consistently (Repetition & Emotional Alignment)

Affirmations without repetition and emotional alignment are just words.

To fully embrace a new self-concept, you need to:

• Stay aware of your inner dialogue.
• Affirm persistently.
• Follow this process over time.

It could take weeks or months, but the key is consistency.

Here’s how to make it practical:

• Repeat your affirmations mentally throughout the day.
• Record them and listen to them on a loop.
• Write them down and read them regularly.

I personally start and end my days with affirmations and stay mindful of my self-talk during the day.

Whenever doubt creeps in, I repeat my new beliefs.

If you want to learn how I rewrite my limiting beliefs, record affirmations, and stay consistent with daily practices, download my free guide here.​

Beliefs don't shift overnight, it's like staying clean by showering daily. Make repetition a habit until your affirmations feel natural.

To sum it all up, here are the steps:

• Clarify Your Desire: Identify what you truly want and the deeper feelings behind it. Go beyond surface-level goals and connect with your core desires.
• Identify Your Beliefs: Write down every belief that contradicts your desire. Question whether they are facts or stories you've accepted as truth.
• Align Your Self-Concept: Shift how you see yourself by rewriting beliefs into empowering statements that match the version of you who has already achieved the desire.
• Affirm Consistently: Reinforce your new identity through daily affirmations, repetition, and emotional alignment until the beliefs feel natural. Make sure to include your desire affirmation with the beliefs.

I’ve prepared a template inside Kortex where you can map out, edit, and refine your desires and beliefs in one place. It’s the same tool I use to write all my posts and newsletters because it allows me to easily capture and update my beliefs as they evolve.

You can sign up for free (if you haven't already) and duplicate my template to start working on your belief shifts today: Template​

In the next newsletter, we’ll go deeper:

• A Mental Diet practice to stay aligned with your desires.
• How to identify and rewrite hidden beliefs as they surface.
• How to create self-concept affirmations that influence every area of life.

You can now find it here: Transform Your Reality: The Hidden Power of a Mental Diet.​

That was all for now.

-Tomas