I Am

"I am... " is an amazingly small but powerful statement. If you become aware of your spoken words and unspoken thoughts, you will find that you and these two words are very intimate. This small statement is so powerful because it is a declaration. When you say, "I am... " you are declaring it so! You are making a proclamation to the world, to the Universe, to your higher power, to others and to yourself!

Unfortunately, most of the "I am's" are derogatory. Do you believe me? How about you pay attention to your thoughts and words for an hour and see if I am right. I bet you will say or think at least one thing negative to or about yourself in that time. Here are just a few examples: I am so fat. I am stupid. I am never on time. I am confused. I am not good enough. I am so mean sometimes. I am really behind on the housework. I am not a good cook. I am so forgetful. I am scared. I am sick. I am not good enough. The list goes on and on. Do any of these statements ring true to you? Do you find that you are constantly badgering yourself? Sometimes these statements are simply feelings, and not actually spoken or thought, but they are still a declaration of who you think you are!

Consider this:

What if you used your words to empower yourself?
What if you caught yourself using the "I am" in a negative way
and immediately turned it around so that you were not putting yourself down?

Let's use a little example here: You are doing the dishes and you accidentally drop and break one. These words immediately fly out of your mouth: "God, I am so clumsy!" While you are cleaning up the broken glass, you say and think, "I am so stupid! Now, I am going to be really late! I am so dumb!" Think about how all those negative words are declaring who you are. Is that what you want to project about yourself... that you are clumsy, stupid, late, and dumb? I don't think that is a picture we want to paint of ourselves. These "I am's" will follow you around all day!

What if we looked at the same situation through different glasses? Let's see what that same scenario would look like with a different set of "I am's": You are doing the dishes and you accidentally drop and break one. These words immediately fly out of your mouth: "Wow, I am so quick with the dishes, it flew out of my hand and I didn't even realize it!" While you are cleaning up the broken glass, you say and think, "I am so efficient, I will clean this up quickly so I am on time. I am so great at cleaning." So... same situation... healthier words and attitude... Now you are projecting that you are quick, efficient, on time, and great at cleaning.

Which scenario feels better to you? Which proclamations help your self esteem and self concept? Which words feed your soul and which words take away? Is your face light and happy or scowling and angry? What is your breathing doing? What about your heart rate and your adrenaline? Are you releasing poisonous toxins into your body by being mean with yourself, or are you smiling and releasing healthy endorphins? Are you being judgmental or loving? Are you blaming or being accepting? No matter what your reaction is, the event is still the same... just an event... how you respond is where the power is.

When you say mean things to yourself, those words have a tendency to hang on and follow you through your day... even your week... and sometimes even longer. When you say nice things to yourself, it gives you the freedom and permission to move forward and to not dwell on the circumstance that you just braved through. You get to "let it go". Being nice allows you to laugh at yourself, to forgive yourself, and to be kind and loving to yourself. Doesn't that feel better than berating yourself?

When we make these "I am" statements, we need to ask ourselves if we are breathing truth. I believe we are really ultra critical of ourselves, we are our own worst critics... and we need to stop! Saying nasty things to ourselves is not nice, and we allow it for some reason. We would never allow someone else to speak to us the way we do, and that's the truth! (If you do allow others to speak to you in a mean way... that's a whole other issue!)

Take Action: This week and moving forward, let's monitor the way we think and talk to ourselves. When we say mean and demeaning things, let's immediately replace those hurtful words with kind and loving truths. "I am" is so powerful, but let's use our power for good and not for evil. We all deserve it!

Because Together is Better,

Source