To turn something negative into a positive there are a few easy rules:

1) Put it into the present. ‘I am going to be good with money ’is not a positive sentence and it won’t work but ‘I, Sita, am good at managing money’, or ‘I, Linda, make sound financial decisions’ is much more likely to be effective.

2) Make sure it begins with ‘I’ and if you can also get your name in it can further reinforce it.  For example, ‘I, Mary, am comfortable around people I don’t know’

3) Make it truthful. For example, if you are trying to lose weight and you tell yourself that you are slim, and you’re not (yet), your inner voice will be saying ‘Oh yeah and who are you trying to kid?’ A more effective one would be, ‘I, Anju, eat healthy foods’.

4) Phrase it positively; ’I am no longer frightened of heights’ does not work as well as ‘I, Sue, am comfortable with heights’

5) To be effective positive phrases need repetition, quietly to your self several times a day- a good reason why it’s best to write them yourself. It has to be something that you are comfortable saying, otherwise it just feels false and silly. Some people find it helpful to write them down as well. Maybe you could try saying it to the mirror as you brush your teeth every morning and evening.

Work on a positive saying now and quietly repeat it to yourself several times a day. For example, it might be one about boosting your confidence to make a particularly difficult presentation. Tell yourself that you are good at making presentations and see what happens. I can guarantee that if you keep telling yourself you are rubbish at presentations then that will work! You’ll be hopeless. But the positive side is that the reverse is true. So why not give it a go! You have nothing to lose and lots to gain! Go for it and do let me know how you get on!