The Power of Positive Affirmations

“What we think about ourselves becomes the truth for us.” Louise Hay

I am strong.

I am brave.

I am beautiful.

I am enough.

I repeat these words with my daughters every morning. I encourage my 3-year-old to pick the one that resonates with her and shout it out loud. “I am enough!” she says proudly. Can we imagine the impact if we looked at ourselves in the mirror every day and declared those words to ourselves and the world?

What you choose to think is what you will get in your life. However, whether we realize it or not, the majority of what we think is quite negative. Self-deprecating thoughts about body image, career inadequacies, lack of money, aggravating relationships, not enough time, too much to handle, health concerns, people’s opinions of us, etc...the list goes on and on.

Yet, if we step back we can see these thoughts create our reality. You are creating your life experience with every word and thought. For instance, every time you get angry, you are affirming that you want more anger in your life. If you feel like a victim, you are affirming that you want to continue to feel like a victim. If you feel like life dealt you a bad hand, then you will not find peace, abundance and balance in your life. I certainly don’t claim to be great at this. In fact, I catch myself in negative loops all the time. But the first step is awareness. What am I thinking right now? Right this second? And is it setting me up for the outcome that I want in life?

As Louise Hay, author of You Can Heal Your Life describes, “The way you choose to think is a choice. Right now, in this moment, you can choose to change your thinking. Think thoughts that make you feel good. You will make positive changes in every area of your life.”

My first real-life exposure to the power of affirmations came when I was in college. I was dealing with acne and it was taking a toll on my self-esteem. “Ugh, gross. No one else is dealing with this. I can’t go out like this. It keeps getting worse and worse!” Those were the words I was replaying in my head. And of course, that’s what was being reflected in my reality. That's all I saw when I looked in the mirror, and I was having a pity party. I stumbled upon Louise Hay (dubbed the 'mother of positive affirmations') in a google search and started watching and listening to her videos while walking around campus. Her message was so simple, yet life-changing.

"I feel good about myself."

"I release the need for self-criticism."

"I am healthy, whole and complete."

I listened, recited, and wrote down these words. I put them on post-it notes on my mirror and around my apartment. By saying the words over and over, I truly felt a shift. An ease; a calming. There was no longer so much resistance to the ebb and flow of life. I was no longer at the whim of the ebb and flow of my skin. Do I still have imperfections in my skin from time to time, yes of course - I’m not a porcelain doll. But do I wrap my self-worth up in it? No. At least not 90% of the time...work in progress here, remember?!

Little did I know affirmations would continue to have such an impact in my life. I rediscovered their power with my husband, Chris (he totally needs to get all the credit here!!). He came across a book called The Morning Miracle and suggested that we read it together. It has been pivotal in my personal development (and I read it more than 5 years ago!). Every morning you start the day with meditation (more to come on this topic), reading, affirmations, journaling and exercise - all before 8am (well 7am now that I have kids!). I started reading this book at the same time I was taking on a new sales role that was really pushing me outside my comfort zone. Like “clenching tummy, sweaty palms, scared shitless” out of my comfort zone. I was tasked with learning and selling a healthcare technology that would assist executives in tracking physicians’ clinical performance. I had a territory across the entire East Coast and flew around to various healthcare systems to meet with C-suite executives to pitch and sell this product. These guys and gals had been in the business longer than I’d been alive. And as someone with a bucket full of limiting beliefs about myself (see post on “Authenticity is Always Worth the Risk”) this pushed the envelope for me big time. Reciting daily affirmations every morning elevated me to a high frequency. I was buzzing with excitement to take on challenges, crush my goals and face my fears. I almost didn’t recognize this version of myself - it was amazing. I literally felt unstoppable because I told myself I was unstoppable every.single.day. Here’s a snippet from my daily affirmations at that time:

“I am fearless. I am comfortable in the unknown and have faith in my greatness. I don’t take myself too seriously. I’ve got one life to live. I have fun. I show up. I’m authentic. I’m always learning. And most importantly, I’m not afraid to be a beginner and not afraid to fall and pick myself back up again. I never put energy into excuses why I can’t be freaking KICK ASS and be the best of the best - I use all of that energy to GO FOR IT instead. The biggest fear is INACTION and not doing something that makes me uncomfortable. This fuels my ACTION FOR GREATNESS. I am unstoppable and can achieve anything I put my mind to. I don’t tip-toe safely to death, but I seek new exciting adventures in order to grow and lead an exciting life so I can be a role model for others who want to rise up too.”

Try saying that to yourself everyday and see what happens...five years later, these words still light me up and motivate me to do more, seek more, keep growing and expanding. And again, they are words. So powerful is the language that we use. And you have the power and authority to choose them.

Here are some ways you can start to incorporate affirmations into your life:

• Take some time to design your affirmations. You can create them for any area of your life you want to advance. For instance, what kind of person do you want to be? How do you want to show up in your relationships? What do you want to accomplish? Be intentional and honest with yourself.

• What is your WHY? If you are clear on the motivation behind your affirmations, you will feel the impact much more deeply.

• Write down your affirmations and commit to repeating them out loud to yourself daily.

• Put positive affirmations on things you see or touch everyday: key chains, mugs, wine glasses, dishes on your nightstand (shout out to my girlfriend, Chelsea, who bought me this life-changing little dish. We remind each other of this phrase whenever we are feeling low or defeated). It seems so simple, but it’s so powerful.

• If you can’t take the time to write out affirmations or you are feeling uninspired, use an affirmation deck like this one: Power Thought Cards. Pull a new card every morning before you start your day.

I’ve used affirmations to not only advance in my career, but also to guide me to turn down a promotion, make new friends, experience unmedicated labor, show up as a better mom and wife; and be more vulnerable, compassionate and authentic in my life. This blog is a case in point!

And I’ll end with one of my all-time favorite affirmations...

“You are a badass!”

(Maybe this will be the next phrase on my daughter’s mirror :) )