A –Z Challenge: BELIEVE

I think this is truly my favorite word. I love the definition from Dictionary.Com “to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or thereliability of something, although without absolute proof thatone is right in doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.”

I would also like to recommend a great book that deals with Positive Thinking. “Beyond Positive Thinking: A No-Nonsense Formula for Gettingthe Results You Want” By Robert Anthony.  I was gifted the audio version and listen to it quite a lot on my commute to and from work. The audio book is almost like having your own cheerleader in the car with you! I knew I had to purchase the Kindle version to be able to reinforce what I was hearing. (I hope I am not violating any copyright laws here, but I really do want to recommend this book for anyone wanting to boost their self-confidence.)

Chapter 3 “ What Are You Telling Yourself”, was really informative for me. Two points that I remember well are how children from the same family and growing up with the same experiences can perceive those experiences differently and this quote “Other people can hand us opinions about ourselves.”  This chapter really goes into detail and discusses several important topics such as : Building a Self-Image, Increasing Performance, Attitudes, the importance of Self Talk.

Chapter 4 “Believing is Seeing” discusses concepts for helping you to see the person you want to be and Chapter 5 discusses “Write Your Own Script”.

As we grow into adulthood we are conditioned into believing things about ourselves that are simply not true. These are the perceptions of other people and if we are not careful, they can become how we perceive ourselves. I wish I had had this book in my twenties to explain some of the ingrained self-beliefs I grew up with.  As a child, being compared to siblings or cousins even if at times somewhat favorably can be detrimental. I have one sibling, a sister that is two years younger, and she was referred to as “the pretty one”.  I can laugh at that now, (therapy does wonders lol) but imagine the effect it had on me as a teenager. 

Today, I BELIEVE things like: I will finish my Work in Progress, I will not only skate my 25 laps but make it to 27. I BELIEVE I will make it through all 26 letters because, after all, there are way more than 26 wonderful things to discover and write about!

The A-Z Challenge: Affirmations

Graphic from: Finerminds.com

Can you count the times during the day when you have been told something positive about yourself by another?  How often through the day do you tell others something positive about themselves?  

Affirmations are statements that declare truth within it. Take a moment to think about the things you said to yourself today. Were they positive or negative? Removing negative statements about ourselves from our thoughts is extremely difficult. Keeping a journal and recording those random thoughts will help as we learn to reprogram the negative into a positive experience.  I firmly believe we can be our own worst critics when in fact we should be our best cheerleaders!

How often have you heard someone say, I wish I had more money or I wish I had a better job? The key to making these wishes happen is to believe in our words and to go out there and use the resources available to make these wishes come true.  I have personally experienced affirmations that came true. I believed that they would happen and trusted that somehow the money would appear to make them happen.

I am passing on some links here that have been meaningful to me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg – This little girl knows who she is and I hope she keeps this confidence throughout her lifetime!

http://affirmart.blogspot.com/2009/05/power-word-for-action.html - Awesome affirmations and motivational art.

http://www.thewellnesswarrior.com.au/2012/02/are-you-positive-how-and-why-affirmations-work/ - Jessica Ainscough from the Wellness Warrior and her story of how affirmations have helped her.

http://www.kindovermatter.com/2010/03/kind-over-matter-spring-collboration.html - This is an awesome free collection of printable affirmations along with a printable envelope.