Affirmations-Do You Love You?

Years ago I was introduced to the power of positive affirmations. Like those I introduce affirmations to today, at first I thought it was ridiculous.
At Homewood, a great treatment center I was at in 1994, they gave us not only a sheet of self-affirmations, but a list of qualities and asked us to rate ourselves against others in our group session.
Needless to say, myself, and most others, rated ourselves “less Than” those we compared ourselves against. What a surprise, most of us, although exte
al egos in some still appeared large, felt inferior inside!
I truly wanted to change my life and get it back. So I was prepared to try whatever “they” told I might work.
On a daily basis, I stood in front of a mirror, looked myself in the eye, and read the positive things both staff and fellow patients had given to me. It was tough. I knew inside of me many of these things I was reading may be true about others, but were not true about me.
For a long time, well after my period in treatment was over, I kept up doing these affirmations. As I awoke spiritually, and stayed willing to change and worked daily to recover from my addictions, I could see truth in these affirmations and over time became comfortable in my own skin!
This was a miracle.
Well several of the people I coach today come in with a lot of bravado; they are stumped when I ask them to write down four personal characteristics about themselves in an “I am” statement. An example could be “I am able to love unconditionally”.
This is tough sledding for many!
For these people, I ask them to talk to others who love and care about them (spouse, children, parents, siblings, close friends) and come up with a list of 4 things others believe are great personal qualities of the client.
Then I ask them to start each day looking in a mirror and saying to themselves, with eye contact, 4 personal “I am “statements.
Funny, many can’t do it because their ego won’t let them. They can misrepresent themselves to others, and cannot accept themselves positively. Ask them for negatives, and they can rhyme them off!!
Those who do this simple practice, and work on the things we go through in coaching sessions, come back over time and tell me that they now know the “I am” statements are true. They begin to discover the good that is in all of us, and are now very “coachable”. They want to set and achieve life goals and live a balanced life.
No magic to this process and we all have good in us. I know from personal experience, and just like an athlete, coaching can help bring out the best of my talents.
Need coaching or need to discover the true and good you?
Write down four personal positive qualities about yourself. Get in front of a mirror and look yourself in the eye. Find out, do you love you??
Remember, you can’t give to others what you haven’t got inside of you!!