Remember when we were little and Mom used to say, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all?” Most of us were taught as children to be nice to others and to watch you say about them.
So why wouldn’t we do the same for ourselves?
Did you know that out of everyone in your life, you are more inclined to believe what you think, regardless of what your friends or family thinks? Your words and thoughts are so powerful, and they manifest into your life! Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can affect my outcome.
You read correctly: you manifest from what you say. If you tell yourself you’re a horrible student and that you aren’t going to get through your courses, chances are you might not succeed. This serves for any situation: what you put out into the world is what you will receive. That is why I encourage you to say only the best about yourself. You are a good person, you are smart, you are attractive, you’re good at sports, you’re an excellent cook, you’re a great sibling — whatever it is, say it out loud and make it positive.
I know that sounds weird, saying those things out loud. Honestly, the first couple of times I did it, I felt like an idiot. But soon enough I didn’t care. I wasn’t saying those things out loud for other people to hear, I was saying them to myself and in front of God. In the mornings, I tend to get up and listen to a podcast before work. As I do my makeup, I will sit and say, “You have a great life ahead of you. Anything is possible. You are worth it. Don’t give up. God has a plan. Keep dreaming. Everything happens for a reason, according to God’s timing. You deserve the best.” I started this little ritual about three years ago when I was feeling alone. It was truly amazing how, now, I believe those things more than anything else. But I keep saying them to remind myself. I don’t say them out loud 100% of the time, but I take the time to think them at least once a day.
Words are so important because they are vessels. If you talk negatively about yourself and think negative thoughts, how are you supposed to progress? Move forward? Allow positive things to manifest in your life? When you’re busy thinking positively, life falls together. When you’re busy worried and thinking the negative thoughts, life doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Positive thinking does not mean you are naive. It does not mean you are weak. I had a problem with this a few years ago because when bad things happened, I thought, “don’t expect anything… that way, you don’t risk being let down.” I thought by thinking positively about everything that I was not being taken seriously or considered or “mature.” Then I woke up and realized that life isn’t meant to be lived preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. It’s meant to be lived fully, whole-heartedly, and without restraint. Sure, sometimes you need to need to be realistic (i.e. your car isn’t going to magically fill itself up with gas… go to the gas station), and you always should be rational (i.e. setting your work on fire isn’t going to solve the fact that you’re unhappy with your job). But expecting the mediocre means you’re not obtaining, nor thinking about the best or what we’re truly capable of receiving in life.
Like they say, shoot for the moon — even if you miss, you’ll land along the stars (or something like that).
Words rely a lot on our personal feelings. We have to learn to stop depending on how we feel and start relying on God… which I’ll discuss in Part II tomorrow.
Kirbie Johnson 