Sunday Serenities – A New Affirmation to Start Your Week
Each week we will be sharing a new affirmation. The introductory information will remain the same, but if you are new to affirmations, please check out the first two sections on “What is an Affirmation?” and “How to Practice Your Affirmation.” If you regularly read our weekly article or already do affirmations, feel free to skip to the section titled “Read Today’s Affirmation.”
What is an Affirmation
Many have heard of affirmations, but if you haven’t tried them yet, you are missing out! Simply put, an affirmation is a statement you use to affirm yourself – you know, to say something positive. There are many different types, and as long as they are positive, there really is no wrong way to do an affirmation.
Affirmations can be a simple phrase, a list of related statements, or a focused paragraph. All of these work well depending on the situation you are working on, the time you have, and your intention – your intention being the most important part of the equation.
Do Affirmations Work?
According to an article by Catherine Moore, Psychologist, MBA in PositivePsychology.com “There is MRI evidence suggesting that certain neural pathways are increased when people practice self-affirmation tasks (Cascio et al., 2016). If you want to be super specific, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex—involved in positive valuation and self-related information processing—becomes more active when we consider our personal values (Falk et al., 2015; Cascio et al., 2016).
The results of a study by Falk and colleagues suggest that when we choose to practice positive affirmations, we’re better able to view “otherwise-threatening information as more self-relevant and valuable” (2015: 1979).”
So the bottom line is yes – affirmations work. It’s not a magic bullet. You do have put in the time and effort to practice them regularly. Do some research and find the affirmations that resonate with you, then begin to put them into practice. You can begin your search with the affirmation for today.
How to Practice Your Affirmation
Here is how to practice today’s affirmation. It is not original – but it is so good, I had to share (with permission of course and the promise to keep the originator anonymous). If you are comfortable with the idea, I like to recommend that people do this in front of a mirror. Read the affirmation a phrase at a time, then pause after each phrase. Take time to look yourself in the eye and then repeat the phrase back to yourself aloud. When you are finished with the affirmation, take time to breathe and reflect.
Finish your time by answering the self-reflection questions below. You can answer them any way you like, but I prefer to have a journal where I can have both my affirmations and the answers to my questions together. You may be surprised when you look back at them one day and discover the answers may be totally different.
Read Today’s Affirmation
I belong where I am.
Where I am is right where I am supposed to be. I find myself here because I have followed my dreams and worked hard.
The decisions I’ve made have brought me to the place where I am. There is no other place in the world where I need to be at this moment.
Even if my current place in life lasts only a season, I embrace the time I have here and make the most of it. I work hard and give my all to the purpose I have in this moment. I devote my energy to making valuable contributions right where I am today.
I am free from insecurity about my worth. Self-doubt is absent from my mind because I am certain that I am just as valuable as everyone else around me. I have creative ideas, talents, and gifts that render me qualified to be in this position.
I refrain from questioning whether those around me accept me. Those questions are simply a distraction to my greater purpose. Instead of spending time wondering if I’m supposed to be where I am now, I invest my time in getting to know those around me.
Negative thoughts are unable to penetrate my mind because I’ve applied a filter of positivity. I only allow thoughts to linger in my mind that encourage me. Whenever I begin to feel insecure, I remind myself that this is my place. I belong here.
Today, I choose to sweep doubt out of my mind. I acknowledge that I am loved, accepted, and valued right where I am.
Answer the Self-Reflection Questions:
1. Why am I here?
2. How did I get here?
3. What qualifies me to be in this position?
I hope you enjoyed this issue of Sunday Serenities. It is my mission to help provide you with the tools you need to have a more peaceful life so you can:
Find your purpose – Find your joy!