Looking Forward - A gratitude list, and powerful I AM statements for 2019



I look back on this year with so much happiness and gratitude. It's been a year of being brave enough for new beginnings, the starts of real healing, laughing 'til I can't breathe, and setting up the way for success and adventure in coming years.

Every day, I wake up next to the love of my life and get ready to go work with people I like, at a job that lets me use some creativity in updating the company social media and website, and sets my resume up for advancement. My muse has slowly been returning, and it feels so good to create again, both on and off the clock. I'm able to dream big, and plan for 2019 projects that I can't wait to share with you!

There's restlessness, growing pains, and a lot of traumas and negative mindset-habits to keep outgrowing. Plenty remains to put into tonight's ceremony of symbolically burning away what doesn't serve me. Even that, though, I will frame in gratitude.

I'm grateful for:
  1. all the friends I've made in these years of life. I fondly wish them goodness in 2019.
  2. the car that gets me to and from work each day. It's old, it wasn't the color I wanted, and every day it seems like something new breaks. But it does everything I need it to, and it is enough.
  3. my man who endlessly lets me know he cares for me in so many ways, and who challenges me to be a better person every day.
  4. my tenacity and ambition never failing me, in all the past dark days and all the future hopeful ones.
  5. everyone who picked me back up, with kindness, never judgment, in moments I was truly a basket case in the past. There are so many past and present friends whose kindness I try to pay forward - Jessica, Alicia, Jenny, Caroline, Andre, Amanda, Andrea, Gretchen, Duane, Laura, Dustin, more than I can even name here. Philippians 1:3 to you all.
  6. my loving family, without whom I would have been lost long ago.
  7. the incredible abundance of good-ass music and art in this world.
  8. the great number of places and wonders on my ever-growing list I want to travel to and adventure in with David during our years together.
  9. the DIY ethos that's always run through the threads of goth/post-punk/etc fashion. The current arc of consumerism we're gripped by has somewhat obcured that, but I'm grateful that as history unwinds, it is cyclical and we can get back to these roots any time we choose. 
  10. every inspired project spinning in my head for the future. DIY fashion adventures, months' worth of blog post ideas just waiting for their birth, business ideas, and more.
And finally, I've mentioned my belief in the power of affirmations here before. An especially potent mental-reprogramming tool is the I AM form of affirmation. 

I want to be very careful in defining the power of the I AM affirmation - as many "positivity-gurus" are not. I strongly believe that everything that follows an "I am" statement is something your mind takes in and if you're not careful, you'll convince yourself of some pretty untrue and damaging things. Repetition can take a toll, or it can bring a clearer-eyed vision of your inner good and capability. Even something as simple as changing "I'm such an idiot for making that dumb mistake" into "I am soooo batting a thousand today" can make a world of difference. (Yes, even a sarcastic positive statement is still technically a positive statement! You gotta start somewhere!)
Your words and thoughts program the mind in the same way that commands and scripts program a computer. - Remez Sasson
I do not think that, simply by saying or thinking something less-than-upbeat, even repeatedly, means that you're inviting more of like into your life from Great Powers within the universe - the corollary being that you've brought the bad on yourself if it happens. The Law of Attraction is just not something I put too much stock in, in that certain way that folks tend to take it. Changing your program if you have a pattern of negative thoughts, though, can change your mindset to help you see opportunities you might not have, for example. You might become brave enough to overcome self-doubt and apply for that dream job, or register for the certification class you'll need to get it some day. I AM statements legitimately change lives from within.

Five I AM statements I'm making for myself as we hit 2019 running:
  1. I AM kind to my body. I love on it with sustainable exercise practices and appropriately portioned foods, that make it feel good and run well.
  2. I AM brave enough to launch and follow through on projects that improve my life.
  3. I AM joyfully and diligently on top of scheduling my agenda of goals, tasks, and social events.
  4. I AM taking useful, positive action right now.
  5. I AM asking the right people the right questions for help when I need it.

What are you thankful for from 2018 now that it's behind us? What are you affirming for yourself in the new year?

A reminder - there's only two weeks left to enter my birthday drawing! Celebrate with me and win free music! Full details here.

Comments

  1. SheilaJanuary 1, 2019 at 5:11 PM

    Those are awesome affirmations. We are who we choose to be (Iron Giant)!

    Thank you so much for visiting my blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LC BatJanuary 2, 2019 at 11:05 AM

      Love that comment. And your blog's good stuff - my pleasure! I'm sure I'll be seeing you around from time to time :)

      Delete

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