Abundance of Affirmations
What we tell ourselves over and over again becomes true for us. If you tell yourself you suck at something then you will continue to suck at whatever it was that you were complaining about. Our inner narrative has so much power over our behaviours that we subconsciously continue the same narrative over and over in our heads until we consciously decide enough is enough and begin to make conscious changes to our inner narrative.
My inner narrative was always, “I am not good enough at …” whatever the ending was at that moment, this inner narrative prevented me from trying so many things that I wanted to try. It wasn’t until I began to learn about the power of affirmations that the feeling and inner narrative of not being good enough began to change. Even if you are not currently “good” at something you have the power to change it. You can achieve it by changing your inner narrative to I will try or I am learning.
In the classroom, I hear so many students say, “I am not good at math,” or “I am not good at reading,” or “I am not good are writing.” Even if those statements has some basis for how they are feeling in this moment. They have the power to change it by simply saying to themselves, “I am learning to write” or “I am starting to understand multiplication” or “I am enjoying different types of books.”
Sometimes, all we need is a little bump to shift the narrative going on in our heads. So whenever I hear a child say something like, “I suck at ….” I shift it to “I am learning to…” or “I am beginning to understand…” This is a powerful tool for children to begin to realize the power they have within themselves to improve in any area of their lives. Adults have this power too!
What is something you currently tell yourself over and over again that may be holding you back? How could you consciously shift your self-talk to a learning or growth mindset. There is power in learning the power of “yet.” This concept encourages a growth mindset, by adding “yet” to acknowledge that current limitations are only temporary.
When you learned to ride a bike you may have rode on a tricycle, then a bike with training wheels, then advanced to two wheels and maybe even eventually to a unicycle for those determined enough to try (if you have never tried a unicycle they are way harder than they look). I cannot say that I can ride a unicycle but I am sure if I was determined enough to learn I eventually could. Right now, I just can’t do it yet. The power of yet helps you to realize that whatever you put your mind, effort and determination to you will eventually be able to do, within reason.
Affirmations help us to consciously have a positive outlook which can have many health benefits such as lower stress levels, improved immune function and just a general sense of happiness and overall well-being. What affirmations do you need in your life? Take a few moments to think about places where you are feeling stuck. How could you shift your mindset in that area to a positive growth mindset affirmation?
Louise Hay talks a lot in her books about the power of affirmations and our ability to consciously create a new and better life for ourselves. Why not start today and challenge yourself, write out three positive affirmations for yourself to read throughout the day as often as you can and take notice of how your mindset shifts throughout the week.
