By Joan Marlow —
Let’s celebrate the new name for this website: I am Teen Strong!!
‘I am…’ are two of the most powerful words in our life. In the world’s religions it is a sentence in itself, ‘I Am the great I Am,’ relative to thinking about each of us having a God or Higher Power within us. On a metaphysical level, ‘I am’ speaks to ‘Truth / true self.’ From the perspective of our chakra energy system, ‘I am’ aligns with the 7th chakra, the Crown chakra at the top of the head, which represents ‘wisdom, pure awareness and consciousness.’ The Sanskrit mantra, ‘So Hum,’ means ‘I am’ supporting groundedness, self-love, and ‘enoughness.’ (*See Mindfulness Moment below)
When you share ‘I am + a noun’ you describe who you are, what you do, establish rank / or success: I am a teen; I am a student; I am an athlete; I am a son, daughter, brother, sister; I am a sophomore; I am a teacher; I am a lawyer; I am a mom; I am a ______ fill in the blank. Or, ‘I am…’ followed immediately by an adjective makes a statement as a description of you. I am smart, I am funny, I am happy, I am sad, I am angry…I am _____.
Concept:
- Everything is energy…you, the chair you’re sitting in, the device you’re using to read this, the food you eat…everything, including words.
- Words have power, whether they are said out loud or in our heads…thoughts are things and they are the first step in revving up the energy for every single thing/action we take.
- ‘Affirmations’ are ‘statements of fact,’ ‘affirming truth.’ ‘I am’ statements serve as affirmations, so it’s important that you take a moment and consider the word you use to complete that statement.
- Bottom line, the word you choose to finish any ‘I am’ statement boosts that particular energy throughout your body. If you choose a negative word, your body takes a negative hit; if you choose a positive word, your body happily accepts that positivity. In either case, the Law of Attraction of ‘like attracting like’ kicks into gear…negative thoughts/words attract negativity; positive thoughts/words attract positivity. You’re in control of how this plays out.
If this concept is new, take a minute and read earlier ‘Mindfulness’ blogs on this site: ‘Power of the Pause,’ ‘The Power of Positivity,’ ‘Self-Love,’ ‘Loving Kindness Starts with You.’ It’s all about being Mindful in all you do…including talking to yourself. If you’re thinking a negative thought about yourself, ask the question, ‘would I say those words to a friend?’ Treat yourself the same way you treat a good friend…with kindness, positivity and love. Stop yourself if you hear in your head, ‘I’m not good enough,’ ‘I always mess things up,’ ‘I’m stupid,’ ‘I’m a loser.’ Take a deep breath and think ‘control, alt, delete’ to eliminate the negative thought and switch over to a positive ‘I am’ statement. THE BEST statement that covers all situations is: I AM ENOUGH!! Because you are!! You Are Teen Strong!!
Practice #1:
Stand in front of a mirror and state an affirmation like ‘I am enough,’ ‘I am smart,’ I am growing stronger every day’ 5 times.
To make it more fun and more powerful, stand in a ‘Power Pose,’ which is sort of like a Wonder woman/Superman pose. Check out this Amy Cuddy TED talk that continues its ‘going viral’ status:
This is loaded with valuable information that can help you throughout your life. It’s about 20 mins long and worth every moment. This is one of those ‘life lessons’ that can be key to supporting you forever. If nothing else, move to the last 3 mins for a super nugget of info.
Practice #2:
Create a list of positive ‘I am’ statements for yourself. Take a notebook or a journal and mark off 26 pages…1 page per letter of the alphabet and write as many positive adjectives or descriptors as you can that start with each letter.
I am…..
A: Athletic, Attractive, Ambitious, Assertive, Adaptable, A-Student, Accepting, etc.
B: Bashful, Brash, Beautiful, Becoming, Better, Bold, Big-Picture, Brave, etc.
C: Courageous, Curious, Considerate, Compelling, Conscientious, Creative, Cat lover, etc.
Have fun with it! Speak and think highly of yourself in your mind, in front of your mirror and in the company of others. Don’t put yourself down. Even if you’re not feeling it in this moment, using this technique will help you ‘fake it til you become it,’ from Amy Cuddy’s TED talk.
Always remember, I AM Teen Strong, I AM Enough!!
Namaste
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Joan is a ‘life-long learner and a forever teacher.’ Starting her career as a high school teacher, she continued to learn and grow in corporate America as a corporate trainer, mentor and manager. She’s living her passion in her current role as a life & wellness coach, educator and alternative health practitioner in her business, Peaceful Easy Healing.