Back when we were still living in Quezon City, my mom was into things like opening your third eye, going back to your past life, and exploring your auras (among many others). Every Saturday, she had regression sessions with clients where they would meditate and “regress” so they’d discover their past lives. I tried it once and it worked for a while, but then my concentration was broken, so I wasn’t able to finish regressing. I did find out that in one of my past lives, I was working for my mom (who was somebody else – I don’t remember who exactly anymore).
Anyway, one of the (other) things that mommy taught me was creating affirmations. These are positive statements that challenge you to improve and conquer negative thoughts (and fears). These statements are like “I CAN DO ITs” – words that inspire you to look at the brighter side of life and, in the process, create positive actions and events.
Of all the things I learned from my mom, this – creating affirmations – is the one that I treasure the most because it has helped me overcome a lot of difficult moments. So instead of writing New Year’s resolutions, I write affirmations – and I have a special notebook/journal for this. Since 2016, however, I have been creating monthly affirmations. I started by using my CBTL (Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf) planner and eventually, I graduated to using a special journal for these positive statements.
I don’t really write affirmations in long sentences or paragraphs. I just write down positive words – those that pertain to what I want to happen to/in my life. So words like love, life, happiness, good health, travel, and financial stability are found all throughout my journal. Actually, I started my affirmations journal by writing Dear God letters. Those were the times when I felt no one was willing to listen to me. The letters helped a lot, but I realized that they belonged to a class all their own. So now I have a Dear God journal in addition to my affirmations journal.
But let’s go back to affirmations.
What makes affirmations work? Hmmm….that’s a difficult question. For me, it depends on the person. Affirmations are supposed to be repeated several times or written on something or somewhere that you can easily see. If you write down your affirmations and then just leave that list anywhere and you have no plans of opening it ever again, nothing good will come out of it. Your affirmations will remain as is – written words. Remember, affirmations are positive statements intended to challenge and overcome the negative thoughts that are so easily wired into your brain. Therefore, you have to find a way to make your affirmations “reframe your mindset”. This is the reason why a lot of people read their affirmations aloud every day.
In my case, I don’t read them out loud every day, but I do keep writing them down. It’s like they come alive every time I see them on paper. And I don’t just scribble, mind you! I use my colored pens and try to create as lively and colorful a list as possible. Also, I don’t write statements; I use words – beautiful, positive words. And these words are what I repeat to myself whenever I feel like the world is turning its back on me.
My mom also told me that when I write or make affirmations, all the statements have to come out as if it’s happening already. So you cannot say, “I will be fit this 2017”. Instead, you should say (or write), “I am fit”. Also, your positive statements should be in the present tense. Here’s an example:
This is my affirmations journal. I write ALL my affirmations here as regularly as I can:
And here are examples of affirmations I made back in August 2017 and Christmas 2017:
For this year, I haven’t written my affirmations yet, but I will soon. I have to be ready when I do it because I don’t want it to be halfhearted. I want to feel everything that I write.
To give you an idea of what your affirmations should be like, here are several examples:
1.I am open to new and exciting challenges because life gives me a lot of good experiences.
2.I am fit and healthy because I value myself and my life. I workout regularly and I eat only what’s good for me.
3.2018 is a prosperous year for me. I am financially fulfilled because I work hard and give my best in everything I do.
4.I am healed of all (physical and non-physical) aches and pains because I have a lot of joyful experiences.
5.I make the right (and best) decisions for myself – for my family and loved ones.
Or you can choose to do what I do; write down positive words and phrases and read them aloud as often as you can.
The best thing to remember when writing affirmations is to be in the “NOW” moment. Forget about what has been and what was. Live for the now; live for your affirmations. And enjoy!
Happy New Year, everyone!
(Featured Image/affirmations photo from Pixabay Creative Commons)