The Perfect Gentleman Issue 2 - April 2016 | Page 39

Thoughtful Gentleman
The Mirror, You and Positive Affirmations
When I learnt these skills through
experimentation as a teenager, my first port
of call was the mirror. Everyday I would stand
in front of it for ages, looking at myself,
smiling and repeating affirmations. I did this
solidly for 5 years, it changed my life, my
attitude to myself and certainly the attitude of
others to me. I basically coerced my
subconscious into self love, self assurance and
a great sense of self worth. So, the mirror is
your friend; it only reflects what we perceive
it to see and our perceptions can be changed
and re-engineered.
Firstly, come up with some positive
affirmations about yourself, they have to be
personal, relevant and they must resonate
with you. They can be anything from ‘I am
getting leaner every day” or “I am as
confident, charming and smooth as George
Clooney”. Whatever works for you.
Firstly, come up with some positive
affirmations about yourself, they have to be
personal, relevant and they must resonate
with you.

They can be anything from ‘I am getting
leaner every day” or “I am as confident,
charming and smooth as George Clooney”.
Whatever works for you.
Stand in front of the mirror and look into
your eyes. Now comes the tough part, you
need to feel like you believe the things you
say. Now I am not saying that at the moment
you have to actually believe it, what I am
saying is that you have to feel like it’s real.
Think of yourself as an actor getting ready for
a role and the person in the mirror is the
idealised version of you - the role you are
playing. You are trying to get into ‘character’
by reciting phrases. It will feel funny at first,
but you need to persist. It will become easier
and easier and then something strange will
happen - You will begin to actually believe
them. The person in the mirror will be you
and not an act anymore.
One final trick, every time you pass by a
mirror flash it your best smile and, either out
loud or using your inside voice, say
something like “Looking good”; “Loving me
today” or a similar phrase.

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