My best friend makes amazing chocolate chip cookies. Instead of adding the recommended quantity of chocolate chips, she adds tons of them so that every bite is overflowing with the taste of chocolate. Sweet! I much prefer these cookies to store bought ones where there’s a lot of cookie and hardly any chips; after all, why skimp on the chips when those are the best part of the cookie?
Life can be like a chocolate chip cookie. Sometimes there is a lot of cookie and only a few morsels of sweetness; the chocolate chips are few and far between. Maybe your career isn’t going as planned. Maybe a relationship has hit hard times or has ended. Maybe there’s a time of injury, illness or disappointment.
When life lacks the sweetness we crave, we can make the conscious choice to respond with positive affirmations. Affirmations are whatever we think or say. Whether we realize it or not, we are always practicing affirmations. After I first learned about affirmations, I realized many of mine were negative. Maybe you can relate. Do you ever think or say things such as, “how could I be so stupid,” “I’m such a loser,” or “life sucks”?
Our thoughts and words have tremendous power. As Buddha said, “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts.” We create what we habitually think about. If we are angry, stressed out, or frustrated, we are affirming we want more anger, stress, and frustration. If we are happy, loving, and peaceful, we are affirming we want more of the same. We can create a better life and break through self-imposed limitations through the power of affirmations. When said repeatedly over weeks and months, our feelings about ourselves and our lives will start to change.
Author Louise L. Hay has some tasty affirmations which I have included below. Think of them as chocolate chips which add sweetness to your life.
My life gets more fabulous every day. I look forward to what each new hour brings.
I am neither too little nor too much, and I do not have to prove myself to anyone.
I love myself exactly as I am. I no longer wait to be perfect in order to love myself.
I have the self-esteem, power and confidence to move forward in life with ease.
I have unlimited potential. Only good lies before me.
I radiate success, and prosper wherever I turn.
Each day is a new opportunity. Yesterday is over and done. Today is the first day of my future.
I encourage you to write out your own affirmations and post them where you can see them (such as on your bathroom mirror). Read them, write them, or say them at the beginning of each day. Then, throughout the day, fill your mind with positive self-talk. I have a piece of paper with affirmations written on it that I keep in my car, I often read them when I’m at a red light. It is also powerful to look at yourself in the mirror and say your affirmations out loud. Over time, this will reprogram your subconscious mind with a new way of thinking. After saying your affirmations, let them go and do not worry about how they will materialize. Life will provide you with everything you need.
Keep in mind that results will only occur if you practice your affirmations consistently over a period of time. Changing your thoughts and beliefs is like exercising. Just as physical exercise requires time and effort to develop strength and endurance, so too does building your mental muscles take dedicated training. For many of us, most of our thoughts and words are quite negative, judgemental, or critical. Being aware of what you’re thinking and making a conscious effort to change is the first step in your mental training program.
Choose today to add flavour to your life by adding a dash of these sweet affirmations. Doing so will change the way you feel about yourself and your life. It will help you feel more empowered, confident, and peaceful. It’s a guaranteed recipe for success. Give it a try; you have all the necessary ingredients and no baking is required!
