I welcome the right book at the right time…or so my affirmation story could begin!
In the mid-1980s, I was presented with a book that sits on my shelf to this day. My parents divorced a few years earlier. Although it was an amicable parting, my family was finding its ‘new normal’ at a time when divorce was not common. One day, my friend’s mother placed the ‘rainbow heart book’ in my hands: You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay. What a journey it has had since that day!
Arriving in my world crisp and new, every word resonated with being the ‘divorced kid’ at school. I savoured each exercise as an opportunity to know different aspects of ‘me’. I aspired to be a better, accepting, whole person, learning that I was (and still am!) loving, lovable and loved, by myself and the Universe.
Of all the techniques, affirmations inspired me, blossoming a happy, confident, ‘pleased-to-be-herself’ teenager. I recall in Grade 12, one of my classmates asked: ‘You always smile – why are you so happy?’ So, that was how the world saw me – it was my identity.
So what is an affirmation exactly? Well, as I value them, affirmations are basically anything and everything that you think, believe, say, feel and experience. They are everything that goes through your filters of beliefs and emotions. With their expansiveness in your life, they become you, they reflect you, and they are you.
For many of us, our negative self-talk drives our affirmations, taking us into negative experiences we would rather not live. Yet, we find ourselves there. Instead, when we intentionally focus on shifting our affirmations to more positive aspects of life, we welcome more positivity. We create or bring to us the delights we wish for in our lives. Consider, what affirmations do you live?
I make this sound easy, when it may feel like an uphill struggle. I know – I have been there too. So what ‘uphills’ have affirmations seen me through?
In my mid-20s, my father passed away unexpectedly. My life was changed forever. I was stuck in grief half-way around the world – I release myself to feeling as I do in each moment, free of self-judgment.
In my late 20s, I experienced cancer. Like so many people, it took my breath away, I stumbled around life wondering how this could happen to me – why? This time I affirmed with a passion for life that I had never before – I am living life to my fullest, treasuring each and every day!
In my late 30s, I felt unsatisfied and unfulfilled with my job – I was overworked, burned out and ill due to stress of a toxic work environment. I affirmed for my ideal career – I live my life purpose, engaging my Sacred Gifts to the healthy benefit of others and myself.
Today, I am still that smiling, happy person, in large part thanks to the most important affirmation of all – I am truly grateful.
The ‘rainbow heart book’ gained more notes jotted in the margins, more bent corners and more cracks in the seam with each reading. Today, it sits on my private book shelf, safe from indelicate hands. My fresh new copy of You Can Heal Your Life with a completely new cover design sits on my office book shelf, waiting to be referenced, loaned or given away. I welcome opportunities to share the power of affirmations, cycling the wisdom forward.
So, what book inspires your daily practice, forming a legacy in your life?
