How do you like to start your day? With a cup of coffee or tea? With a good book containing words of Spirit? In prayer or in complete silence with a meditative practice? I enjoy each of these morning rituals, but I always make sure to also include affirmations.
Affirmations, as some are led to believe, are not silly or trite. Repeating them does not involve putting on rose-colored glasses and blindly forgetting the pain and heartbreak of society. It is not telling lies to yourself or having hope where situations may appear hopeless.
An affirmation practice is instead an act of courage. An act of putting forth your higher truth, which you may or may not yet realize on a conscious level. It is daring to express yourself in the Light of Divine Love, which already knows all of the beautiful words you have for yourself—but loves hearing you repeat them!
A few years ago I was introduced to the late Louise Hay from Heather K. Jones. Each of Louise’s books and teachings stress the importance of affirmations, and in her large library of work she gives lots of examples. Like many people, I felt that affirmations were a bit silly at first. I was hesitant to read them with any intention and I certainly did not want to say them aloud!
Over time, however, my feelings changed. Once I became a more experienced meditator and learned the power of inner stillness, I gently added in an affirmation or two near the end of my meditation. If meditation music was playing, this amplified the power of my affirmation.
The more I practiced, the better I became with affirmations. And the better I became with affirmations, the more I believed in their capacity to turn us into our own personal superheroes.
I haven’t been in the affirmation game long. Two to three years at most. But what I lack in the number of practice years I make up for in the depth of my practice. Affirmations are now part of my daily routine.
My favorites are memorized and deeply grooved into my neural patterning. My time in meditation is longer and more deeply felt because of my affirmations. My peaceful meditative state comes alive in my body once I begin repeating words of affirmation.
My head, my hands, and other parts of my body “light up,” as they say. I have heard this described as activating my higher vibration. From here my higher self is recognized and each of these beautiful affirmations of love, tranquility, health, and well-being are welcomed with open arms.
Here are just a few of the affirmations I repeat daily:
- Today is a beautiful day—I choose to make it so.
- I am carefree, light, and in a state of love and relaxation.
- I am healthier than I have ever been. My body is always returning back to its state of natural health.
- I am my own unique self, and today I choose thoughts that are peaceful, loving, and joyous.
- I have all the time in the world. Time is exactly what I make it to be. When I see the perfection of each experience, I am never rushed nor delayed.
- I am Divinely protected and guided.
- Life loves me. Loving myself is the key to letting life love me.
Affirmations are as personal as those who engage with them. My favorites have frequently come from Louise Hay but with modifications based on my preferences. One of the most loving things we can do for ourselves is to affirm using the words that our higher self is calling us to speak.
Everything is allowed! What lights you up is the affirmation for you! Life loves me never fails to give me that warm and tingly feeling.
No matter how my morning begins, I can expect that my spirit will be lifted after repeating my beloved affirmations. While it may only seem like a fleeting uprising of energetic love and harmony, I know and trust that I have set myself on a daily course that includes more peace, more contentment, and more inner joy that sparkles and shines with those whom I encounter.
Go on—use your superpower. It belongs to each of us. No time in the morning? Any moment of the day works. A minute or thirty, a quiet space at home or the drive-thru line at lunchtime. The important thing is to speak kind words to yourself. Speak the words of your true nature.
You are deeply loved by the Universe, and affirmations can help you to remember this fact each day.
