1. Average Skill, Phenomenal Will
My personal experience with having average skill, phenomenal will is starting this podcast. This is a longtime in the making for me. As long as I can remember, I have been a writer. Although I have very minimal recording experience, I decided to do this podcast. I am not a professional and I do not intend to do any heavy editing. My goal isn’t to get it perfect, its’ to get it done. The day I recorded my first episode, on November 15, 2020, I woke up at 10:00 am, had some breakfast, walked the dog, got sleepy, took a two hour nap, woke up refreshed, and drove to one of my favorite places to get it done. The purpose of my podcast is to have a platform to share tidbits of my life experiences, relate them to other people’s quotes, and share affirmations I wrote. I want listeners know they are not alone in their experiences even if they feel alone in their journey. Affirmations are a way to solve a problem, because a problem begins in our mind. If we change our mind, change our thinking, we change our point of view. The problem may find a solution with affirmations. We may realize there’s no problem at all or we may be enlightened to existing in a better way without the need for problems or solutions. I believe that in this time and maybe ever since the industrial revolution when things started to be able to move a lot faster with inventions and ingenuity, that we have been constantly wrapped up in problem-solving. Because problems always exist, we find it valuable to always have solutions, or know how to arrive at solutions to those problems. As an educator, I always valued this, especially as a person who values science. We must solve these problems, we must be able to have different techniques, techniques our parents didn’t learn to solve these problems. Then, I found spirituality, in not just one avenue, and it really came down, in my opinion, that the problems that we see start with ourselves. This is why we often have to explain the problem to someone else, because they don’t understand it. Not to say that the problem doesn’t exist, but that we must find the solution within ourselves. If the problem starts with us, then the solution must also start with us, and for me, when I found affirmations a few years ago, when two were given to me, it really opened my eyes to how affirmations changed my thinking and my thinking changed my actions and my choices. I know the podcast market is very saturated. I hope my short story, quote, and affirmations remind you to keep your faith, keep your hope, and keep Joy alive.
How to create and use an affirmation
Write down some things you often say to yourself and decide where you want to start improving your inner voice (ex. I’m so bad at this, My body looks disgusting)
Choose a behavior, characteristic, or mindset you wish to alter (ex. anxiety)
Decide what you want to do with the thing you want to alter (ex. release anxiety) and/or decide what you want to replace it with (ex. peace and calm)
Begin with I or I am and create a statement that is affirmative. DO NOT make negating statements (ex. I will not be anxious)
Make sure you statement feels and sound natural and is easy enough to memorize, especially in stressful moments (ex. I release anxiety and embrace peace and calm)
Commit your affirmation to memory for at least a week by repeating 10x daily while touching something with your fingers (ex. tapping)
Repeat the affirmation while doing routines (ex. dishes, eating) and FEEL what it’s like to become the affirmation by visualizing the results and ideal outcome
Use your affirmation intentionally prior to a situation that may trigger Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) or unwanted feelings. (ex. before an interview)
Once you memorize an affirmation and find yourself using it naturally as part of your inner speech, create or use a different affirmation and repeat the steps.
Your affirmations will become a collection of statements you say to yourself aloud or silently, as needed or whenever they come to mind, once or ten times.
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