As a kid, I grew up watching and laughing at Al Franken as Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live, the character with the self-help show “Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley.”
Do you remember his famous affirmations, gazing at himself in the mirror?
“I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”
Well, I certainly never imagined then, as I watched his satirical take on affirmations, that I would be practicing and advocating them as an adult!
However, I find them to be a powerful way of aligning my self-talk with who I want to be…to genuinely help me to combat certain reflexive patterns of thoughts I may have around insecurities and fears. To envision a future for myself that may feel just slightly out of reach as of yet. A lot of our values and beliefs can be crystalized and potentially manifested when we write and speak about ourselves positively.
For many of us, gratitude flows as soon as we begin to focus on affirmations. I think there is something about tapping into that which you are working to affirm in your life and in acknowledging with gratitude that which you already have. They really go hand in hand and complement one another.
Getting Started
We will start with first considering the areas in our life where we might want to challenge some negative self-talk, or fears, or where you would like to make some change. Perhaps you want to improve an area of work, in relationships, or in a personal characteristic. Write down a couple of specific areas that immediately come up.
Now consider a reasonable upgrade. It is important to find the right balance. On the one hand, you want to set forth a statement that pushes you into the direction you want to go into. On the other hand, you don’t want to leap too far into the incredible…the statement should be achievable.
For example, if you are just looking to tap into more creativity at work, but feel stuck, the statement might look like, “I give myself the freedom to create as I wish.” and “Today I open myself up to the flow of creative energy, and am filled with inspiration.” As opposed to, “I am a creative genius and I effortlessly produce on command.”
It is important for the language to speak to you, or else you will feel silly and “put on” saying them.
If you are looking to combat some negative self-talk, a good strategy is to go with the positive opposite. For example, if you often think, “I’m scared to try new things,” then turn it around to a statement that embraces you and moves you forward like, “I am strong and brave and open to trying new things.”
As much as makes sense, phrase your affirmations into statements in the present tense. “I am…” “I deserve…” “I choose… “I create….” “I attract…”
Finding Gratitude
Once you’ve written down your affirmations, notice in your body and yourself if there are any attending feelings. Do you feel excited? Nervous? Optimistic? As you begin to envision how you want to be, circle back around to what you already feel so grateful for. Where in your life do you already feel so full and abundant.
Connect to this and make it concrete by writing down statements of gratitude. Notice how one statement of gratitude flows into the next, as you find more and more things to be grateful for. Some may be very, very small things, and others may be huge! All expressions of gratitude are welcome here.
And in fact, this is how to begin the actual practice. First, read aloud, with meaning and sincerity, your statements of gratitude. As you are saying them, you may even find other things come up that you want to acknowledge. Allow yourself the luxury of making additions.
Then, from this place of abundance, gratitude, and humility, begin to read your statements of affirmation. Give each statement time to resonate, and you can repeat them two or three times if you desire.
At the end of this practice, take a few deep, slow breaths and finish with a simple, “Thank you.”
Join Me In Practice
If you would like to follow along with me in a gratitude and affirmation practice I made for the Women’s Nurture community, click below.
It gives you a general idea and structure, and you can adapt it to your needs and preferences, so that it feels true to you.