Be careful with affirmations.
If you don’t construct them well, they can backfire. Repeating one-sided fantasy affirmations over and over has a way of encouraging the opposite, just like an extremely low calorie diet has a way of encouraging a binge.
For example, if you tell yourself:
I am kindness and love, the embodiment of compassion, a river of pure light energy that flows without end.
This is a fantasy. If you cram such one-sided stuff down your psyche day after day, it may backfire by drawing out your inner beast. So, relax. You are a person. Don’t play teeter-totter with your mind. When you create an affirmation, be real.
Here are some realistic and healthy affirmations to consider as the new year gets under way.
If you rehearse and live up to these, your new year is bound to be extraordinary.
1. I am coming to know and accept myself more.
Strange as it may seem, self-knowledge is a process that takes a lifetime. Often those who claim to know themselves best are the most obviously in denial.
Are you willing to get beyond your own denial and accept who you are? If so, affirm it. Then, to kick start your efforts, ask people who know and love you to give you feedback on areas they think you need to improve. When they tell you, be nice. True self-knowledge is not for the immature.
2. I will make myself and my loved ones safer and more sustainable.
This one is worth affirming if you haven’t taken any action to prepare yourself and your family for future disasters of nature and human depravity. Anymore, preparing for a disaster seems necessary.
By being mentally and physically prepared for temporary or extended shortages of food and power, you will feel more responsible and safe. It’s a no-brainer.
3. I am learning to be happy in an imperfect world.
For as much as we can see what is wrong with the world, we need to remember to attend to the pursuit of happiness. The world is far from perfect, as are we, but that does not mean we cannot be happy in it.
The Dalai Lama once claimed this is the purpose of life, to be happy in an imperfect world. We all hope for world change. Don’t bet your happiness on it. In fact, it won’t help the world at all if you do.
4. I can learn to let go of behaviors and attitudes that make me unhappy.
This is a good reminder, as we so often cling to what makes us unhappy. As individuals and communities we desperately need to recognize this strange truth. Self-sabotage is a way of life for so many of us, repeatedly destroying our chances for success.
Ending self-sabotage requires identifying how you unconsciously remain attached to negative emotions and behaviors. Once you learn what is really going on – that you can consciously want one thing and unconsciously cling to something else – then you can free yourself.
5. I can connect with a power greater than myself.
If you do not recognize any power greater than yourself, then you put yourself in the delusional role of creator of the universe, grantor of all power and master of your own destiny.
Of course, you know at another level that you did not create the universe, do not have much relative power and cannot predict with accuracy what will happen to you tomorrow. The truth undermines you from the get-go.
So, connect with a higher power and call it what you will – just connect. Of course, connecting with a higher power will not help you predict your future, but it will align you with a greater energy.
Which of the five do you like? Or, share your own affirmation in the comments. Happy 2013!
What do you think?
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