Day 21

I live courageous and embrace new opportunities

I know I've told you what one of my biggest fears are. But if you don't know, it's waking up one day to find I didn't take any new opportunities and lived in my comfort zone. Most of the times, when I'm faced with new opportunities - things that I would like to do - I tell myself why I can't do it. 'I'm too young...I have limited experience...I don't know anybody."

Fair enough, these may be reasons why I can't do something, but there will plenty more reasons for why I can, if I tell myself them. I have heard about or met lots of people who had huge limits on them which should have held them back, but they didn't let these things stop them. One of this week's blogs had the quote, 'feel the fear and do it anyway'. We can push through the fear - but we have to also tell ourselves statements of confidence instead of statements of fear.

Day 20

I will intentionally invest in my personal growth

What do you want to be when you? I must have heard it a thousand times! From a young age we are told (indirectly) we must know what we want to do when we're older but are we told the importance of investing in our development. Many of us goals but we won't achieve them if we are not investing in our skills. My husband is a guitarist and one thing (of many things) that inspires me, is that he will consistently in his skills. Even now, I can hear him pulling on some strings! But he is purposeful in his investment. We can't invest into things that don't give a good return (well you can, but you wouldn't) and we know a lot of things we invest our time or efforts into that do not produce anything. Yet I will happily have my phone in my hand and waste time. It's intentional because we have to CHOOSE to make the right investments. What do you invest in? 

Day 19

I will take responsibility for what I can control

I looked up the definition of stress and found it quite interesting. It said that it is to feel anxious about actual or potential problems. It was the word potential that interested me. We can feel troubled about things that may not even happen and this can affect our physical health as well as our mental health. But not only do we worry about potentials but  about things beyond my control.

I have a fear of flying. I had to admit it but part of the title says take responsibility! So I have a fear of flying but I've learnt to curve my fear by telling myself that this is beyond my control. I can't take responsibility for the flight as it's not in my control, but I can take responsibility for my emotions.

If I can control it, I'm responsible for it. If I cause a car accident, I'm responsible because I'm the one in control of the car. As well as letting go what we can't control, we need to take responsibility for what we can. Once we are responsible for things, we can make the positive changes we want to make.

Day 18

I can overcome my fears and achieve new things

Day 17

I persevere through difficulties and don't give up

I read an instagram comment the other day that really encouraged me. It said that the person had made a mistake but instead of beating themself up about it, they kept moving forward. If it had been me, I probably would have done a 180 degree turn and moved in that direction. It's so easy for us to face challenging situations and let that stop us from moving forward. Some of us are so close to overcoming things but give up so soon. We need to push forward to move forward!

Day 16

I am able to build great relationships with the people around me

Have you heard the saying that no man is an island? Or that life is better together? Relationships, whether we know it or not, are important. Scholars argue that relationships are even good for our health! But our view of relationships can cause us to be in hesitant to build relationships with the people around us. We fail to see sometimes that we can have a possible impact on others and see the contributions we make to our relationships as insignificant. In order for us to get the most out of life, it's important that we invest in the positive relationships we have around us. It's also important that we don't see our contributions to our relationships as insignificant. We have a lot to offer and we are more than able to build great relationships.

Day 15

         I am able to see the good in every situation

We don't know why many things happen. There are many good things in the world as well as many bad things  but I believe everything happens for a reason. 

A couple of years ago, my husband and I went to buy a house. The initial process seemed easy enough but soon after strange obstacles kept cropping up until we were no longer able to purchase the house. 6 months we pursued the purchase of the house and it had flopped! I was devastated. This house was everything we wanted and needed and it had gone. I would love to say I was positive throughout the process but I was upset. This house was for us to live in when we got married. Everything seemed to have failed in June, we were getting married in July. At that moment for me, there was no good in situation. Then, a week after finding out that we could no longer buy the house, we discovered another house. A month later (a few days after the wedding) we moved into our new home. I don't know why we had so many obstacles when trying to buy the first house, but I know that there was good. Firstly, the second house was a lot better. Secondly, it saved us paying a mortgage for a house we weren't going to live in until after we got married. 

There was good in that situation but I didnt see it. Seeing the good isn't just about positive thinking but it motivates to get through to the other side of our struggles.

What do you see?

Day 14

I am unique and have much to offer the world

We hold back when we don't realise the beauty or the hidden treasure within us. Imagine what would happen if we realised our potential? I leave you with this awesome poem:

Day 13

I am able to make the right decisions

We can doubt ourselves so much and not trust that we have the ability to choose right. Our doubt can cause us to not make decisions and just carried along my the current of life. For many of us, life is at a stand still because we won't make a decision. So what if we make the wrong decision? First of all, at least we made a decision. That then allows us to move forward in life. Secondly, we own our decision and then decide where we want to go from there. But know that you DO have the ability to make the right decision.

Day 12

I love life and appreciate everything it brings

Do you know when I find life the hardest? When I'm ungrateful. Moaning about what I don't have around me. But when you celebrate what you have around you, your perspective changes. Having a grateful attitude is like having a pair of glasses that help you to see beyond situations. You've heard the saying, 'Life is a gift' but honestly I don't always like what is wrapped inside. But I'm also a firm believer of everything happens for a reason and so whatever is wrapped up in the gift of life has to appreciated. We may not be able to choose what life brings but we can choose how we experience it.

Day 11

I bring joy to the world around me

This may seem like an odd positive affirmation - but if we don't think this way, we can hold back from life. I know this is true for me. We can often have thoughts that tell us that we're not enough so then we genuinely think that we are not enough. Because of that, we limit how much we bring to the

world - thinking that we have nothing to offer to the world. But what if we had much to offer the world? We would live differently If we knew we were enough, we would live with such a boldness and confidence that we would have a bigger impact on the world around us. All we have to do is believe.

Day 10

I can forgive myself as well as forgiving others

You know one of the hardest things to do is to forgive. There's a saying that goes an elephant never forgets. And here some of us are walking with the elephants not forgetting things other people have done or what we have done. We hold things against others or ourselves and struggle to let things go. The definition of forgive is to 'stop feeling angry or resentful for a mistake' or 'cancel a debt'. 

'Stop feeling angry'... forgiveness helps us to stop being consumed with the anger and resentment that comes with being hurt. We have to be willing to let go in order to move forward.

Day 9

I will experience great things in life

Life is full of so many twists and turns...we feel better when we can pre-empt things. But that is not always possible. Because of this, we can often be filled with dread about our future because we don't know what is going to happen. If I think or expect the worst to happen, I will waste lots of energy worrying about things. There's no joy in that. And more than likely the worst does not happen! 

But if I expect the best, it will give us a better outlook on life. We will start to see the great things that are happening because when we expect the worse, when we lose hope, we worry and miss the great things. Enjoy life.... life is for living!

Day 8

I am intentional about living purposefully

One of the most beautiful things about life is free will. I know this because people naturally struggle when the freedom to choose is taken away from them. Although I have found this to be true, sometimes we find ourselves in the position where we have willingly given away our option to decide for ourselves. In life we can drift along letting situations or people make the decisions for us. We are then not people of purpose but people being carried along by life's currents.

Imagine a ship in the ocean. It needs to be steered and navigated through calm or turbulent waters. Someone needs to direct it, as it has to know where it is going. It has a purpose. It could be carrying people or cargo from A to B, but whatever it is doing - it has a purpose. But then imagine a ship that has no direction. No one is navigating it. Oh there are people on there. The people on there are chilling, just letting the ship run its course. They hope one day to feel the heat in the Caribbean, see the penguins in the Falkland Islands and watch the kangaroos in their habitat in Australia. But if they're not directing the ship, it's not certain how much they will see. 

We need to not only live with purpose and direction but also be intention with it. It takes effort and energy directing a ship, but it will be worth it when you get to feel the heat in the Caribbean, see the penguins in the Falkland Islands and watch the kangaroos in their habitat in Australia.

Day 7

I am secure within myself and I am full of confidence

I have a confession to make. I had a relapse. It's day 7 and I had an obstacle. Ironic after yesterday's blog eh! But it happens. This morning I had made the biggest blunder and criticised myself heavily for it. So imagine I've spent 6 days speaking positively, day 7 there's a hiccup and I begin to think negatively again. I'm telling myself that I've failed - in fact it was 'I always fail' :(  Well of course I will if I tell myself that. I had to check myself before I wrecked myself. 

Despite the mistakes that we make, who we are doesn't change. We have to know who we are. I should still be able to speak positively about myself because who I am hasn't changed. If we don't know who we are, we will let other people dictate this to us or let situations dictate this to us. Know yourself - and from that will stem your confidence.

Day 6

I live in the moment and enjoy the moment

I wake up. I get ready for work. I get to work. I start the 1 out of 100 tasks I have for the day. I respond to emails. I run to meetings. I get home. I cook dinner. Life fast paced...fast paced is life... but if you blink, you will miss it! Hence why I must tell myself to stop and enjoy it. Even in this era of technology where everything must be captured, we can forget to not only live in the moment and enjoy the moment. Life is to be enjoyed- be present in it.

Day 5

I can find the solutions to my problems and move forward with my future

Imagine you're at the Olympics. You managed to get a hold of front row tickets... let's say for free as it makes the analogy sound sweeter! You see the athletes mentally preparing thenselves for the race ahead, placing their feet on the blocks. You hear a gunshot echo throughout the stadium and BANG they're off. You see muscles in limbs exploding as they sprint forward but then as quick as it started it ends. As the first athlete reaches the first hurdle, he turns around and sprints in the opposite direction. It wouldn't have been so strange but the other athletes begin to do the same thing. Why's it so strange? What do we expect them to do when they see a hurdle? Jump over it! But often we can reach an obstacle and run in the opposite directions. If we don't look to find solutions to our problems and leave them undealt with, we will struggle to move forward. Take the leap!!

Day 4

 I can accomplish great things and be successful

Today, I'm beginning with this positive affirmation that challenges the doubt I have about myself. There is a saying by Confucius that goes 'The man who says he can't and the man who says he can are both correct'.

In essence, this is saying that the decision is yours. Are you saying you can or are you saying you can't? We can be so filled with doubt that we limit ourselves when trying to do something. Believe that great things can be achieved.

Day 3

I am proud of myself and who I am

I honestly think this week's affirmations should be all about self-worth. There are far too many negative messages that pull on our self-worth. I've heard many people speak profoundly using the analogy of a £20...so imagine a £20 note.

What's the value of it? £20 (obviously) But if I was to tread on it...stamp on it...scrunch it up....does that change the value of it? Nope. If you wanted £20, you would accept that note because it still holds its value.

Through life, we are given contradictory messages about who we are and this leads many of us to be either confused about who we are or doubt who we are. No matter what others tell us or even what we tell ourselves, it can't change our value. But we can often sell ourselves short because we don't know our value. Saying that you are proud of yourself and who you are causes a shift in your

perspective of yourself. Seeing your value changes how you treat yourself and what give yourself to. 

Day 2

I am beautiful; I am confident; I see my self-worth

I once watched a very interesting video where two women had to say to each other the things they had said to themselves. There were phrases like, 'Everyone is skinnier and prettier than you' or 'You look so ugly in pictures that I can't even look at them anymore'. By the end the women (and me) were in tears. They concluded 'why would we say these horrible things about ourselves when we wouldn't say them to anyone else'. Sadly, we are constantly beating ourselves up with our words. As I said before, what we believe we live out. 

Even as I wrote the positive affirmations, I felt like cringing, because, let's be honest-we're more accustomed to pulling ourselves down than building ourselves up. I'd rather not live out my insecurities and so I need to make sure I change the way I think about myself. To do that, I need to change what I say about myself. I challenge you to not only speak these positive affirmations but to also acknowledge your beauty.

Day 1

Today is going to be a great day!

Today's affirmation is short, sweet and probably one of the most life changing statements I can make at the beginning of the day. Some of us form our days by stating our day is going to be a bad day or a terrible day. We've then instantly decided what our day will be like and more than likely have a bad day. 

Today is going to be a great day!

Deciding that today is going to be a great day, means that I am going to take responsibility for what happens in the day. I can't put the ownness on someone else to make my day great, I have to be responsible and put things in place.

Today is going to be a great day!

Don't get me wrong, there will be things that are beyond my control that will happen. However, I can choose how I respond to them. I can choose to stay frustrated and upset or I can carry on investing in my great day. So then what can I do to invest in my day? 
•Speak positively about the day
•Respond positively to things that happen in the day
•Do things I enjoy throughout the day

So today, I not only challenge myself to say a positive statement, but to also make positive investments into this great day :)

How will you invest in yours?

21 days to believe

So I haven't blogged in a while. Pen hasn't hit paper in 2 months and if I'm honest it's because of one main reason... belief.

Belief is so much a part of our lives that we can fail to recognise the importance of it. I like to look up words as it can provide a deeper meaning of a word and better understanding. So, belief is defined as trust, faith or confidence in something. I had come to a place of lack of trust, faith or confidence in myself. Sad, I know - but if we're honest with ourselves these seasons creep upon us like a thief in the night. One minute we're so fired up by our passions ready to take over the world, the next minute we're dampened by doubt with situations overwhelming us. All this because of lack of belief. 

The hardest thing is belief is all about the mind. It's not necessarily tangible. It's not something I can pop to Asda to purchase but something I must develop or choose to do. If I choose to believe something, it will have an impact on how I live my life. For example, if I believe it's going to rain, I'm going to carry a coat. If I believe I'm going to fail, I may give up. If I believe I'm going to succeed, I may persevere more. The problem is, we can believe a lot of negative things about our lives, and then live these things out. 

So I'm going to ask you to follow me on a journey. For the next 21 days (takes 21 days to form a habit) I'll be posting an affirmation. I'd love for you to share this journey with me and share any affirmations that help you too. Life is full of beauty and wonder but we will need to believe in order to see it.