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Many people practice affirmations these days.
Affirmations are short, positive statements that people repeat to themselves, often daily, with the intention of influencing their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. They’re commonly used in self-help, motivational practices, and some psychological or therapeutic contexts.
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“I am strong and capable.”
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“I attract positive energy.”
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“Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.”
Interestingly, since Trump got to power in 2016—especially—in 2024, affirmations have become a part of our daily lives.
The reason is that Trump speaks in affirmations.
And as the news constantly covers Trump and his statements (thank you, media), we are exposed to a constant stream of affirmations.
This normalizes the use of affirmations for all kinds of situations, even when they would be a blatant lie.
A blatant lie, the most amazing lie ever.
In this context, it’s almost impossible to talk about anything without hyperbole or exaggeration.
How can your measured, rational discourse compete with the most incredible and tremendous thing ever? Especially when we’re bombarded with the same communication style all over social media, which attempts to grab your attention in the first 3 seconds to avoid being swiped to oblivion.
Much has been said about the negative aspects of this phenomenon, but we are not in the business of fighting the tides. Tides come and go, and this shall also pass.
It may be interesting (and somewhat productive) to focus on the positive aspects of living in the constant stream of affirmations.
For one, what if we start using them more and more in our everyday lives?
This could be an interesting response to the entire situation. For those who like to adapt, it can be a great way to get into the flow and ride the ongoing wave. For those who don’t like where it’s going, it could be a strategic choice congruent with the concept of accelerationism, which proposes to amplify extreme tendencies in a system to drive it towards the imminent transformation as soon as it reaches its limit.
It seems like the most amazing idea ever.
Imagine the world where everything is incredible. The most amazing world ever. Everyone is doing very well. So well. Everyone feels incredible. This world is full of tremendous opportunities. Superlative at its finest. The world resonates with your expectations, you are doing very well, even incredible.
And let me tell you, folks, when everyone starts talking like this, it changes the whole game. You walk into a room, and suddenly it’s not just a room. It’s the best room you’ve ever seen. People aren’t just saying hello; they’re saying, “I am absolutely thriving, thank you very much.” Confidence goes through the roof. It is beautiful, it really is.
You start hearing things like:
“I make great deals. The most incredible deals—like a genius.”
“I wake up winning. Winning so much, I might get tired of winning.”
“I’m not just lucky—I create luck. Big, beautiful luck.”
And you know what? It starts to work. Because if you say something enough times—especially with passion, with charisma—it becomes real. That’s the secret. It’s not about truth or facts—who needs those, anyway? It’s about conviction. Total conviction. Believe it, say it, live it. Like a mantra or affirmation. That is what people do in many different cultures, religious traditions, all over the world.
Now look, some people — low energy people — they say, “That is delusional.” But one can also say that delusion is just early access to the future. You’re seeing it before the rest of the world catches up. You are ahead of the curve. The rest of the world is slow, folks. Very slow.
It’s also very different from “Fake it till you make it“. Because when you say this phrase, you accept that you’re faking it. But that is what Fake News is doing. And we don’t like Fake News. They are very bad, bad people. One has to believe first. So it is Believe it till you make it.
This is how you build momentum. This is how you build greatness. Not with doubt, not with hesitation—but with loud, proud, magnificent affirmation. We’re not whispering anymore—we’re shouting. We’re tweeting. We’re going viral, baby.
So maybe the best response to the chaos isn’t retreat. Maybe it’s leaning in. Maybe it’s time to say, “I am unstoppable. I am history in the making. I am the future—and the future looks fantastic.”
Because let’s face it—if we’re going to lie to ourselves, we might as well make it the greatest lie ever told. A lie so big, so bold, it becomes the truth. That’s not deception, folks—that’s leadership.
Now, just like any tool, it can be used for a very bad purpose. There are many people who do that, very bad people. They only think about themselves, not the others, and that is a very low level of existence. Imagine, however, all the good things that you can do with this approach if you take the well-being of those around you into account? The most amazing things can be done with some positive thinking as long as we believe that they can be done.
The same goes for accelerationism. Singularity is an affirmation of sorts. “It’s going to be the most amazing moment ever, the point where technology transcends human intelligence. Truly incredible. Tremendous opportunity.” No wonder that many in the Silicon Valley support Trump. The rhetoric is the same. Accelerating into the future in order to fast-forward towards the point of no return and transformation. This could be what the world needs, but it is also very totalitarian at its core. It is already decided for everyone and by somebody else. And maybe that is the biggest issue with this whole approach and also the biggest opportunity to steer it towards a more polysingular future.
Believe me.
To continue, please proceed to Trump’s Affirmations GPT and start with somebody else’s idea of what the good can be. Share it with them.
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References
(for those who don’t believe)
To understand the roots of Trump’s affirmation-like speaking style, one must look to Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking. Peale was a famous pastor and motivational author whose teachings became deeply ingrained in the Trump family. In the 1950s, Trump’s parents Fred and Mary were devout followers of Peale – they attended his Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan, where Peale’s uplifting, success-focused sermons were a weekly fixture [see politico.com]. Young Donald Trump grew up under this influence: Peale even officiated Trump’s weddings, and Trump later recounted, “I still remember [Peale’s] sermons. It was unbelievable… he would bring real-life situations into the sermon.” [npr.org]. The core message Trump absorbed was that faith and confidence can overcome any obstacle – a philosophy Trump carried into his business and politics. [demoinsregister].
“Repeated thoughts wear a kind of psychic groove in the mind. A groove that gets deeper with every repetition.” William James (functional pragmatist philosopher)