Mirror, Mirror on the wall…..
If I gave you a mirror and gave you five minutes to examine your image, I would bet you would you spend those minutes examining what is wrong with your image. Why am I so sure you would do this?
Whether you believe CBS Sunday Morning news (2006) or the NY Times (2007), it is easy to see you are exposed to as many 3,000 – 5,000 ads a day. Do you see, listen, read all those ads? No. You’re exposed to them. We often fast forward through the ads on television or page through them in a magazine. We may see the logo of a product as we watch a television show or movie. Advertising companies spend millions to reach out to you at least on a sub-conscience level. Besides trying to sell you prescription drugs that can cure or assist you while exposing your heart, liver, and who knows what to who knows what, they also tell you what’s wrong with you. Have you ever seen or heard an ad that says “You’re okay. You’re fine. Just the way you are?” Ah no.
How do you combat the ads and all the other negativity that can come by you in a day? You affirm to yourself what you want to hear. What you consider about yourself. Quiet the negative voice in your head. (We all do this.) You’ve heard it. “I’m too old for this.” “I’m not good at math.” “God, I’m fat!” It could be you’ve been told something when you were little and you still believe it. “You’re not athletic, you throw like a girl.” “So and so is doing it, why can’t you?” It’s a shame but we do this to our kids all the time.
What could be wrong for you to tell yourself what you can do. Who you are. What you are. What you want to do. Jenna Wolfe suggests affirmations in the morning so her readers will stay on her 30-day plan to become thinner. (See my June 13 blog “Move!”) What’s wrong with looking in the mirror and saying, “Hey, I like the way you look today.” Or “I’m really smart.” Say what will feel good for you to hear. Or “I will find a new job this month.” (if you are actively looking for one.) This type of affirmation will keep you focused. “I can do this.” This type will keep stress at bay.
Affirmations will help balance the negatives that you meet up with every day. They will keep you from letting your human negative voice from stopping you from doing your best at whatever you are doing.
