The power of positive affirmation

Ivy says:

I used to have a miserable life. I was unhappy with my marriage, my children, I was broke, and my house was a wreck. Seriously, this shining paragon of household knowledge you see before you once was completely miserable. I finally decided I had enough and decided to change my life, so I did.

It all seems overwhelming sometimes, and I have posted before about how you  have to control the things you can control, and allow yourself to be imperfect. That’s all fine and well and good, but you also have to help yourself.

2 things really made a huge difference to me- both are a matter of “fake it ’til you make it”.

The first thing I did was plaster a smile on my face nearly all the time. Lo and behold, it put me in a more positive mood. It sounds stupid and you feel like a big jerk going around grinning when you’re really quite depressed, but it really works.

The other thing was to use “positive affirmations”. But not that, “I’m good, and I’m smart, and people like me” crap- unless you think it would really work for you. Think about the kind of person you want to be, and tell yourself you already ARE that person.

I’ll give you an example. It’s my oldest affirmation and is one I have been using off and on since I was about 19 years old. “I am one of the 2 coolest people I know.” I used to be the hugest nerd- or at least I felt that way. But when I started telling myself I was cool, I started feeling cooler, until one day I overheard some people talking about me- and they were saying I was so cool. Hee!

So, tell yourself you are the kind of person you want to be. Then set yourself in the direction of becoming that person.  Like the saying goes, “God helps people that help themselves”. That’s exactly right.

Once your first positive affirmation starts working, start a new one, but keep telling yourself the old one. I’m on my third positive affirmation- I’m now working on “Money falls upon me like an avalanche”. It’s not working yet, but it’ll start, eventually.

Never give up. Never get discouraged. Dig in and get going, your life is awaiting you.

Tagged as: Waxing inspirational