The Secret Power Of Affirmations No One Talks About
Hey friend, thanks for hanging out with me today. I am going to start with a couple of Bible verses.
The first one is Proverbs 18:21 - the tongue has the power of life and death
Listen to that. I will say it one more time. The tongue has the power of life and death.
Proverbs 15:4 - kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
This deserves a repeat as well. Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
I love these two Bible verses. They really speak to the way we speak, right? You're probably very familiar with speaking positive affirmations over yourself and that is what I want to talk about today. I did this a lot and I still do this a lot, using positive affirmations. I think they're just so helpful.
Positive affirmations give you a quick little boost to your mood. They can help reset your perspective and like I've said before in other episodes, combat the lie with the truth. Speak the truth. That's what affirmations really are, it's speaking that truth. Affirmations are great, but I want to share a way for you to take this idea a step further and the impact it can have on your belief is incredible.
We are told what we think and say about ourselves matters but I have found, what we think and say of others is a critical step in recovery as well. It's a tool for positive thought, it really is.
For example, I'll take a positive affirmation that I use, and many of you have probably used. The affirmation is: my body is a good body. This statement or affirmation is true. My body is a good body. This positive talk works and it's really great. It has helped me bash that inner critic. Are you ready to learn how this affirmation can transform your life even further?
To do so, try changing one word of this affirmation, “my body is a good body”. The next time you walk by someone, the next time you pass someone in a hallway or on the sidewalk or in a grocery store aisle, wherever it is, don't say it out loud but say this to yourself when you walk past someone, “Their body is a good body. Their body is a good body.”
Here's why. I had never thought about changing the way I viewed others and how it could benefit the way I viewed myself. I had myself convinced my self-worth was dependent on the way I looked. Many of you may relate. It was probably something that when you were a kid you formed the belief that if you were thin that you'd have more value. Maybe as a child you perceived the mainstream messaging on beauty as you’d have to look this way, you have to wear certain types of clothes. Whatever it is. But it really is very vain and it really revolves around the belief your self-worth was in the way you looked.
To uncover all the different lies about your self-worth, you have to speak those affirmations. But it wasn’t until I started speaking affirmations over other people that it became second nature for me to speak them over myself. It became so much easier for me to accept my self-worth and to believe I was valued and that I had self-worth. After I started identifying the value and the worth of those around me, I could identify it in myself.
This idea is similar to the concept of, when we look outward, when we're not so focused inward and it's a hard truth. It is. We get so focused inward especially when we are struggling with mental health. You can get super wrapped up in how you're feeling and how bad things are, that you forget to look outward. Don't get me wrong, there are times to go inward because there's so much inner work to do and there's undeniable value there.
Yet there are times you need a break. Because here's the truth, aren't you tired? Don't you ever grow tired of constantly self evaluating and constantly looking inward? That's a good way to get stuck too. When you're just beating your head against the wall, looking inward and trying to figure out a way to view yourself differently and to see your self-worth and your value. It’s a clear sign. When you're just bashing your head bashing and you can’t reach a breakthrough, that is the sign that you need to look outward. You need to start speaking affirmations over other people, because once you start seeing positivity in other people, it becomes second nature to see the value in yourself.
With affirmation practice, it’ll become easier to identify positive attributes in others and yourself. It will take time. So remember, when you walk by someone, say in your head, “their body is a good body”. Or if you don’t want to focus on physical attributes, say, “they are so valued. They give so much to this world. They have such a great purpose”.
I don't know most of the people I speak these affirmations over and that's the beauty of it. The beauty of it is, I'm speaking this over them while I'm passing them. Over time you will believe the words you are speaking. You’ll think, “yes I do believe their body is a good body, that they are more than their body, they have so much value, they have so much purpose in this world”. Once you believe these affirmations are true of others, guess what, the next time you pass yourself in the mirror it's gonna be a lot easier to see that reflection and say, “hey, that body is a good body, they have so much self-worth, they have so much purpose”.
It really is a tool for positive thought. Increase your positive thoughts everywhere. Increase your positive thoughts where you can by focusing on others and saying those positive affirmations over them, increasing positive thoughts there, will seep out into how you view yourself. It really does.
I hope you try it because it's quite magical. Think about it too in this way, what a gift you're giving that person. Remember, “the tongue has the power of life and death.” And, “kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body”. Even though you're not saying those words out loud you are thinking them. You are putting that energy, that vibe, outward. It's reaching those people and that is a gift.
You're putting that positivity out into the world and you better believe you're gonna get it back. Because that is the way it works. It took me a long time to understand that but it is true. It's the same concept of, if you look for the negative, if you focus on the negative, whatever you focus on, that is what you get. If you focus on the negative then that is what you're gonna get. So that's why I'm saying focus on the positive.
Focus outward, if you can't focus on the good within you. Look to other people. Focus on them. Start saying affirmations over them and then you will start receiving it back. You will be gifting yourself back that positivity, those affirmations, that self-worth, that self-acceptance, the self-esteem that will come back. And it will become second nature and then when you have those days where you're just really struggling, those affirmations will be in your toolkit.
You will have tools for positive thought. When negativity creeps in, you’ll be capable of saying, “nope, I've already identified the worth and purpose in others. I know I too have purpose and worth”. When your inter critic says, “hey, you better get on the treadmill” or “you better not eat that because you're looking a little….”. You can tell that voice to shut up because you know the truth and you have the positive affirmation that comes back to you. And it comes so naturally.
Honest to goodness, I'm asking you to do this over the next week or however long you want to do it. It's fun. I just keep doing it 'cause it's just so great. It feels good to put positivity out there and to have that kind of impact on the world. It's almost like you're staying a little prayer over these people walking around you and you gotta believe they're gonna feel it. They will feel it. Doing good for others, it's gonna come back and do good for you. Go out and do this.
Let me know what came up for you while you were doing this. Was it easy? Was it harder than you thought? What affirmation did you choose to say? Let me know. Email me. Send me a message on Instagram. Let me know how it went for you. I’m really curious. And get other people involved in it. Ask a friend to try it. Better yet, say an affirmation over a friend for some time and then let them know what you've been doing. Ask them to join you in it. Get people involved 'cause everyone needs a pick me up. Everyone needs to smile more, focus on positivity and shift perceptions a little bit.
This is a small way to do that and it's such a blessing and it's going to be such a blessing to you. I really believe that this is something that can have a great impact on your life and on others. So get out there and put good into the world, friends. You never know when someone's walking by you, what little prayer they're saying over you as well. Keep that in mind. Have a great day! I can't wait to hang out with you again, bye.