Affirmation Station | The Power of Positive Affirmations

The Affirmation Station, power of positive affirmations, photo by Simon Russell — Photograph by Simon Russell

Positive affirmations of love and worthiness fuel our mind, body and spirit to tackle life’s challenges

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“I AM,” paired together, are two of the most powerful words a sentence can begin with. By using them we are sending out a signal to the universe of what is in the present moment. I believe we really need to be conscious of how we use them: enhance our human experience or diminish it. Positive affirmations have had a huge impact on my life, and continue to do so.

My passion to empower children and parents to use this simple tool stems from my personal experiences as a child.

At some point in their lives, all humans on this planet experience a sense of loss and suffering. Like so many others, I witnessed a stormy marriage of my parents, which was followed by divorce when I was six years old. To be present in your mother’s sadness is never easy no matter how old you are. At twelve years old, when my father was just thirty-nine years old, his life was tragically taken at the hands of another. Add that trauma to the emotional volatility of teenage growing pains — it was easy to see how I would go on to give my power to fear and anxiety for most of my life. Fear was actually a physical feeling for me. Conversely, I truly know the power positive affirmations hold, because of how they help me in my life.

I am so grateful to my mother for being mindful in how she guided me to deal with ‘anxiety’ and ‘depression’ at a young age through mindfulness. ‘Anxiety’ and ‘depression’, two words that are also thrown around unconsciously by todays society. How can anyone not feel some sort of sadness or anxiety with all that is going on this world. Having been taught to not hold in my emotions and feelings was a true gift my mother gave me. Of course at times I have, and still do hold them in old habits die hard. But suppressing emotions does us no good. It is heavy on the soul. We need to allow ourselves to feel all of the feelings that come up for us, including the not so good ones. Recognize them, honour them and then release them. Replace them with ones that serve us better and keep us on that high-flying disc as Esther Hicks / Abraham would say.

“Turn your wounds into wisdom”
Oprah

Becoming a mother sparked a whole new level of vibration in my soul. My daughter makes me want to do better and be better every single day. She has taught me what it really means to be present in the moment. To show up fully for myself and for those around me. I just look at her and peace, love, gratitude, compassion and bliss runs through my veins.

There is a quote by Dr. Wayne Dyer that I love.

“You can not always control what goes on outside. But you can control what goes on inside”

This does not mean that all of our thoughts are positive. It is believed that we have about fifty to sixty thousand thoughts a day. But with daily practice we can learn to take control of how we feel on the inside. As adults we can remove ourselves from situations that we feel drain us or reflect on us in a negative way. Children do not always have that option. By engaging in a positive affirmation practice it will encourage them to cultivate the confidence to know they have the power to choose their thoughts and help them rise above challenges that they are presented with.

When I envisioned The Affirmation Station, a book of affirmations and a journal for families, I knew I wanted the cover to look like a gas station. Just as we need to fill our tanks, we need to fill our body, mind and spirit with premium high-octane, kind, loving and compassionate thoughts and words that we can. By modeling this for our children, we also encourage them to live from a place of love, compassion, kindness and gratitude.

Life is a series of challenges, up and downs — often a series of acts of forgiveness towards others and ourselves. We are meant to grow through life not to just go through it. We are here to learn. To teach. To evolve. To serve. Challenges are opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. So many of us spend time searching for happiness outside of ourselves when all along the answer is within. It is a conscious choice we make moment to moment.

I AM HAPPY — Each morning when I wake. Happiness is a choice I make.

Every morning when my eyes open, the first thing I say is, Thank You God for another day. Every night when I go to bed I say, Thank you, to my daughter. Our children truly are our greatest teachers. There is magic in practicing gratitude. It causes a major shift. Feelings of lack, turn into feelings of abundance. There truly is always something to be grateful for. It allows us to see all the blessings that surround us. To see all the beauty in life’s simple pleasures. I feel an instant change in my mood and vibration when I express gratitude. That is why it was so important for me to include a journal in The Affirmation Station. A place where one can create their own affirmations and express gratitude. Journaling is something I have done since I was a young girl. I have many books filled with “Dear Diary” followed by all kinds of thoughts and emotions from happy joyous ones, to really sad ones. My intention with the journal portion in The Affirmation Station is to focus on the positive.

I deeply value raising a child who looks at life through loving lenses. Not just towards herself, but towards others. I believe it is our responsibility to encourage and remind them to recognize their divinity and instill confidence so they know to love who they are at their purest essence. My intention is that they will develop the skill to love themselves wholly and love one another in the most kind, gentle and simplest of ways — one that becomes second nature. It is also to ignite the spark to pursue lives connected to passion, their own unique gifts and embracing how beautiful they truly are — and of course to shine brightly.

Let us go forth with the intention to be gentler on ourselves and one another. Let’s make the kind mind a destination — one that supports our necessary healing and growth — all the while making the ride that much sweeter.

Join me and repeat after me:

I am Love.

I am Light.

I am Worthy.

I am Enough.

I love and accept myself as I AM.