“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
Some of us may have heard this expression, perhaps as a way to ease the hurt caused by things we’ve heard, or to empower us with the knowledge that words can’t necessarily physically hurt us.
While it may be true that words won’t hurt us unless we let them hurt us (a topic for another day), what this expression fails to acknowledge, and what we all know by now, is that words have tremendous power.
Not just the words themselves, but the meaning within the words has the power to change the world immensely. An exchange can leave someone floating on air, cause heartbreak, or can even create revolutions, wars, important laws, and even countries (think the Declaration of Independence).
You may have even heard of experiments with two plants; one was given water that was told kind words and another that was given water that was yelled at. (Yes, people talking to water.) The plants with the happy water lived, the one with the angry water died. We know that there are many things beyond our realm of vision or complete understanding (atoms, speed of light, sound frequencies), and the energy that imbues words may be one of those things, as well.
While these may be some dramatic examples, if we know how much power words have in the course of the world, we can also harness their power to create whatever we want in our daily life; one way we can do this is with affirmations.
Affirmations are expressions, and are often things that we want, stated in the present. “I am healthy and loved,” for example. Similar to a prayer, when one may ask for something, an affirmation is a statement as if that thing is already true. A bit of a “fake it ’til you make it,” if you will.
There are several ways we can use the power of affirmations to create what we want within our lives. Affirmations can be used for anything you may want, be it health, happiness, success, love, family, money, friendship, or anything else. The trick with affirmations is to say them with feeling, and to really believe they are true. Try saying them in the morning to start off your day, as well as journaling; saying them at night or whenever feels good to you.
You can add them to your vision board if you have them, or keep them in a journal or on a piece of paper that you keep in a safe place.
Many wellness retreats have their guests pull a card from an affirmation card deck to set your wellness theme for the day; any way we can incorporate more practices from wellness retreats into our daily life is a good thing!
Some classic, simple affirmations are:
“I like myself.”
This may sound silly, but accepting ourselves with all our flaws is a huge part of our wellness journey.
“Thank you.”
This can be a thank you to the universe, to life, to your experiences, to challenging situations, you choose! This affirmation helps cultivate gratitude.
You can create as many affirmations as you want, update them, and add new ones as you see fit. Feel free to personalize your affirmations with as much detail as you want, and create several topics.
For happiness, or life purpose, you could have:
“I am effortlessly and graciously living the life of my dreams, helping others achieve optimal health, helping animals live a joyous life, and being a light to everyone around me.”
For finances, or career, you can say:
“Money flows freely and effortlessly into my life, as I provide incredible value for others. I am in high demand, and at the top of my field.
I’m a regular guest on Oprah’s show.” (Go big or go home!)
For love:
“I am in a wonderful relationship with a caring partner who loves dogs, food, and travel as much as I do. We have the same sense of humor, care about the same causes, and enjoy talking about the books we read. I can’t wait for our next romantic trip to Greece.”
Affirmations are simple, easy practice that anyone can do. If we can create more goodness in our lives simply by saying these phrases, why wouldn’t we? We can all use as much positivity as possible in our lives, and affirmations are a great way to show ourselves some love. Get creative with your affirmations, and have fun with it!
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