Sunday, March 24, 2013

your thoughts are your reality

My own positive affirmation cards
We are constantly having internal dialogues. Our thoughts are a powerful tool, which contribute to the majority of our feelings. Depression, sense of accomplishment, our sense of self-worth and self-esteem are all connected to how we think of our lives and ourselves.

Cut in half, as we are all connected
If our thoughts are this powerful and we have the power to talk ourselves into almost any state, why is it so much easier to talk ourselves down than to talk ourselves "up"?


Why rumination and negative internal dialogue is so much more powerful than positive internal dialogue? In our society, in our lives, we are bombarded with messages of what it is to be a good little girl or a good little boy.

Crafty envelope
Also, I believe things are getting a bit more complicated as more often than not, our sense of self-worth is directly connected to how good we look, how much we have, AND how much we conform by the rules of what's expected from us.

with the beautiful items I got from Annette, as an act of kindness from one to another
The same way we have trained your brain all these years to produce negative self talk, I believe we can train your brain to have a positive outlook on a lot of situations, especially on those where our perception is being distorted by our own fears.


It takes a little training, but I think we can use of inexpensive and effective tools to achieve that:
  • Think of a difficult situation and how you were able to overcome it
  • Maybe you had a difficult life, childhood, etc. but you are here: alive
  • Think about a dream you made true
  • Remember you have food, shelter, and family. A lot of people have nothing
  • Help someone else in need
  • Pick one thing you are really good at and be proud of it
my loyal assistant 
And here is a tale of the next tool: on my sophomore year, I had a professor of Behavioral Psychology. She was not a beauty by our standards, but she was someone  who was very confident. She told us that every morning she would looks at herself in the mirror and whisper things like "Hi, hot stuff, you are looking foxy today grrrrrrrr (followed by a clawing move;-)"; or "you are beautiful, smart, courageous and you can do it." I used to think she was a whacko, but she had something at the time I did not understand, but today I respect: the desire to be kind and positive to herself.



So be kind to yourself. Love yourself. This is not some new age-y message. Dr. Masaru Emoto published a study on whether thoughts could affect water molecules. Quantum physicists are constantly studying how our thoughts and "reality" are intricately connected. For "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." ~Albert Einstein.

41 comments:

Japolina said...

I have been working on being more kind to myself. It is a never-ending process but soooo important. I love the little flower note!

ArtSings1946 said...

You know I'm a big believer in this ... I have a positive affirmation book which I have infused with my art ... I have written down all my favorite affirmations, prayers, poems, you name it ... the only rule ... everything must be positive, for myself and for the world. I had such a wonderful counselor that put me on this road. She helped me through some dark times and I am forever grateful to her and love her for that.

Happiness always,
Jan

turquoisemoon said...

One of my favorite sayings: I am not the voice in my head...I am the silence between the voices.

Kathryn Zbrzezny said...

Wonderful, thoughtful post, Ana. I have been thinking a lot about the positive thought process. I truly believe that if we fill ourselves up with more Good thoughts, we shoo out the negative ones. I also believe that positive attracts more positive. Of course, the hard part is remembering this when the fear sets in...ah, the everyday challenges! Enjoy this day, friend. Kath

Debra She Who Seeks said...

A beautiful packet for beautiful affirmations!

Jennifer said...

Beautiful message! I've only recently realized how important self-affirmation is. I love the story about your professor. Also love your art and the photo of your adorable assistant.

Jeanne said...

I have one of Dr. Emoto's books. Amazing! (I may have to do a blog post) Our thoughts truly do influence and affect our lives in so many ways! Wonderful post!

Red Shoes said...

#1 I LOVE your Dog!!! Arf arf!!!

#2 I LOVE your cards!!

We are so much harder on ourselves than we are on others...

Here is a snippet of what I told a graduating class when I gave their commencement address back in December:

"Believe in yourself..."

“Be yourself…”


"Always listen to and follow your heart... don't pay too much attention to the naysayers... You can't live a positive Life with a negative mind...

Have confidence in yourself... trust yourself... The person that will hold you back the most in Love and Life is going to be yourself... and the self-defeating voices that will come from within."

It's true too!!

~shoes~

Anonymous said...

This is excellent self-talk, Ana. I must remember to do this, too.

Kyra Wilson said...

I struggle on being kind to myself. I usually spend most of my time being pretty frustrated instead.

Arkansas Patti said...

One of the blessings of age is that it is easier to be kinder to ourselves for we are no where near as critical as when we were younger.

Dra. Cristiane Grande Jimenez Marino said...

Wow Ana!
What a wonderful post!
I read Dr. Emoto's book and was really impressed!
Your art work is lovely.
Kisses

Dra. Cristiane Grande Jimenez Marino said...

Wow Ana!
What a wonderful post!
I read Dr. Emoto's book and was really impressed!
Your art work is lovely.
Kisses

Jenny said...

Beautiful and wise words Ana... I loved Dr Emoto's findings... I saw that video years ago... and am often reminded of it... and gorgeous goodies that you received... hoping your bright and successful day is wonderful xx

Jenny ♥

Riot Kitty said...

What an awesome professor! I love how you intersperse the thoughts with art and beautiful things.

s said...

i bet a lot of people laughed behind that teacher's back. but i bet she was brilliant and would love to know how much she had a positive influence on your thoughts today.

Sulky Kitten said...

What a gorgeous little assistant you have! I agree, we should at least try to think more positively. It's so easy to talk yourself down, when really we should focus on the positive stuff.

AntiquityTravelers said...

Completely agree with you! Lots of studies on how having a pet calms us, helps with stress, high blood pressure and the like. There is something to how stress and worry effects our physical being.

Magic Love Crow said...

What a fantastic post! You were blessed with a great professor! I love your puppy and I love your creations!

Adam said...

great works

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

Beautiful post, Ana, and lots to think about. I don't know why we are so hard on ourselves. I believe that society defines who and isn't successful, who is an who isn't beautiful, etc. There is a lot of pressure around and it's hard to overlook it. But I think as we get older, we get better at looking within us instead of outside us for a definition of what it means to be special.

Out of Sight L said...

Through all your problems you help more than you'll ever know, in my eyes, you are a star

Caffeine Girl said...

What an amazing post. I actually read it -- slowly -- twice. I love that you pulled science into it.

You are so right about the power we have to change ourselves. I need to be more like your professor!

Anonymous said...

at this age in my life, I AM having to talk myself UP! ;)

Christine Altmiller said...

this is such an inspiring post! food for thought and things to try. when my daughter was in first grade, her teacher would start their day with positive affirmations. i thought it was genius but for some reason, never thought to do it to myself, for myself. it is time. i think a lot of us reach an age where we stop worrying how are are perceived by others and start embracing our true selves :-)

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I think we sometimes forget how powerful our thoughts are - they really ARE our reality and we have more control over them than we think.

denthe said...

Very well said and oh so true. Your thoughts are very powerful and can influence your whole life. I loved reading about that "whacko" professor of yours! Might start adding that to my morning routine .... :-)

Ariel said...

Love your cards and the thought behind creating them.

Jeanie said...

This is a timely post for me -- one I need to hold in my heart as I look at the widening hips and remind myself of all my good things and not the lesser of us. This is eloquently stated (and beautifully illustrated) and definitely words to keep at heart.

Dianne said...

We have a choice everyday... to believe in ourselves... to live our dreams...

The Cranky said...

If we listen to how we speak with one another we will find it often feels 'easier' to be critical than positive and society has a lot to say about being conceited, vain, etc... I think my Dad put it well when he told me as a youngling "We need to love ourselves to be at our best but we don't have to fall in love with ourselves to do that." Always seemed like a sensible point of view to me.

I love how you've combined your artwork with your affirmations; such a powerful and beautiful combination!

Ileana said...

I must say, Ana, you are the King Midas of the written language and your quotes are worth jotting down. The way you express yourself inspires others (I feel it and they must too)...it's a gift you possess, as your art and the way you present it is also a gift. This post was one of my favorites and you are so right about the attitude we choose. It doesn't choose us; we choose it.

The Dancing Crone said...

Love this. It is like being in a room with you watching you work. And lovely work it is! And yes being kind to yourself can be done, should be done on a regular basis! And I did hear about that water molecule study - fascinating how powerful our minds are)

Beth said...

Yes, our thoughts are indeed very powerful. I have been working hard to remember to be as kind to myself as I am to others. When I make a mistake, I'm always muttering to myself, "Beth, you idiot!" My son Benjamin pointed out to me that I would NEVER, EVER say that to someone else---not in a million years----so why was I saying it to myself?

Fundy Blue said...

Lovely and thought-provoking post, Ana! It contains a very powerful lesson that resonates because I've struggled to squelch that negative narrative all my life. It's painful not to be able to conform to an expected role, but even more painful to conform. Have a happy and bright day!

aimee said...

My favorite on your list is "help someone in need"... it's an instant self-esteem booster!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Ana, this awesome , and I couldn't agree more about how we compare ourselves and then feel bad about ourselves. Too often those "other" are on TV....of in the papers...more often than not a shallow, self-serving individual. Why would anyone want to be that?

Elena said...

Love this post Ana. Yep, we need to choose...always reaching for the better thought. It's hard work but oh so worth it ;) . Hey sounds like I'm channeling Madame Styx huh? heehee I'd say something more dramatic like 'noooo, I don't wannna....' (whine, whine)

bohemiannie! art said...

I totally agree that thoughts become things...so as Mike Dooley would say...Think the good ones. Sometimes we just really have to train ourselves to do so...but life is SO much better when we do.

Petronela said...

What a lovely project and...your assistant is adorable :).

geetlee said...

Great point Ana. Really failing at that these days but I've noticed that appreciation always helps me out of tough situations. Concentrating on that these days.
Hope you're having a great weekend. xo