Affirmations

© Robin Edmundson, 'Yucca pod in snow'

One of the things I do in all my creativity workshops is have people write for a few minutes about what they want their best lives to look like.   Then I have them write for a few minutes about all the reasons they can't, all the things that are in the way, all their inadequacies, etc.

I'll be honest, it's not all sunshine and roses.  

It's common to see things like this:

• I can't be a professional singer because I'm too fat.  
• I can't go back and get that degree because I don't have the money.
• I'll never stand up to this person because I'm too chicken. 
• I can't have people over because my house is too small.

It's easy to get mired in the negativity, especially since a lot of these are based in a reality we have invested a lot of time and energy in.   It's hard breaking free of limitations.  It is.  

But we do it anyway.   And this is how:

Take that obstacle and turn it into a positive.

1.  I can't be a professional singer because I'm too fat.  

• I can be a professional singer.
• My curves make me attractive and dynamic on stage.
• Audiences love to hear me sing.
• I am so happy when I sing for an audience that I don't care what my dress size is.
• I have the friends and support I need to make the changes I want to make to achieve my dreams. 

2.  I can't go back and get that degree because I don't have the money.

• I have enough money to get that degree.
• I am a creative thinker and I can find a way to earn enough money to finish that degree.
• Abundance flows into my life with ease and grace so that I can get that degree.
• I have the friends and support I need to make the changes I want to make to achieve my dreams. 

3.  I'll never stand up to this person because I'm too chicken. 

• I stand up to this person because I have a lot of courage.
• I do not shrink, I do not puff up, I stand firm in my sacred ground.
• I am confident and skilled when confronting others.
• I am calm and courageous when I need to maintain my boundaries with others.
• I know what to say when I need to maintain my boundaries.
• I have the friends and support I need to make the changes I want to make to achieve my dreams. 

4.  I can't have people over because my house is too small.

• I can have people over because my house is big enough.
• My house is exactly the right size for me. 
• It is easy for me to find the space at home or elsewhere to socialize with the people I need to be with.
• My friends love me for me and not for my house.
• I have the friends and support I need to make the changes I want to make to achieve my dreams. 

Once you get the hang of it it's easy to write these.  The hard part is believing them. In every class, I see the worried faces of people who are willing to do the work, and who want to believe this is possible, but who just....aren't....there.  They say, 'Those affirmations are nice, but they're just not true, so ... um...why should I believe them?'

And I get it.   I really get it.  

For all of these years, you've lived in a reality that you can't achieve your dream, that dreams only come true for a select [wealthy, skinny, beautiful] few.  You're lazy, stupid, foolish, unattractive, untalented, undeserving, unworthy.

Well all of that 'reality' is crap.  It's not true!  It's black-and-white negative thinking that is no more based in reality than those wonderful affirmations above. 

And if you're willing to believe the negative [which we are because...cultural norms] even though it isn't true, then I respectfully suggest that now is a good time to start believing the affirmations even though they may not be true [yet].  

The thing about believing the affirmations is that it will make you feel better, which will allow you to think more creatively, which will make you more aware of opportunities, relationships and connections, which will help you live your best life.  

Believing the negatives will only keep you stuck.  

Believing your affirmations will help fill you with enough light to see your way to whatever changes you want to make to live your best life. 

Homework:  Spend 5 minutes writing your dream.   Spend 5 minutes writing what's in the way of your dream.  Turn those obstacles into affirmations.   Then tell me how it went.

I'm teaching a class on Affirmations for your Best Life, on May 19, 2018 from 9:00 am - noon.  If you think it would be helpful for you to spend some focused time in a small group with me to help you along, you can register for the class here.   I can't wait to see you!