Authenticity
Why do we find children so delightful? There are any number of reasons, but one in particular is because they lack the guile to be anything but completely genuine in their speech, actions, and emotions. They speak from the heart, and this can surprise us and make us laugh because as adults, we have learned to mask and repress much of our authenticity.
Being authentic means returning to that childlike state of complete honesty, when we had nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of. It means becoming the author of our own lives and not letting any person, place, or thing influence us to shut down or turn our back on our own values and opinions. It means making decisions based on our finely-honed intuition and our deeply rooted connection with ourselves and the Universe, rather than out of fear that others won’t like us or will abandon us.
- I am the architect of my own life.
- I am perfect exactly as I am.
- Today, I will embrace my uniqueness and allow myself to shine.
- Every day, I grow to like myself more and more.
- I am confident in who I am.
- I let go easily of that which no longer suits me.
- I release unsupportive relationships from my life.
- My actions are now aligned with my deepest values and beliefs.
- It is safe to be myself around others.
- I take the time to get to know myself fully.
- I feel at ease in my own skin.
- I am worthy of having good things in my life.
- I don’t have to prove my worth to others; I have worth simply because I exist.
- I measure my success by the peace within me.
- I have no need to compare myself to others.
- There is enough time, love and money.
- I am generous with my time, money and love.
- I release all self-doubt and move steadily toward my life’s purpose.
- I let go of all physical tension and breathe deeply.
- I am whole and I am healed.
Self-Care
Self-care can be difficult for those that never received nurturing from their primary caretakers. After all, it’s nearly impossible to receive love when we do not care to love ourselves. There can be a lot of grief and surrender involved in finally taking responsibility for your own well-being when no one else has loved you properly in so long. But with each act of self-love, and as the Universe moves in to support your intentions, you will find that more loving, nourishing relationships begin to blossom
Our health depends on many factors, but one of these you may not commonly consider is joy. If you are miserable at your job, you are not doing anyone any favors. You may end up having stress-related illnesses, boredom, depression, anxiety, or any other number of symptoms all from hating your line of work.
Tremendous joy takes tremendous risk, but the payoffs are worth it. If you’re not sure where to begin, there is a wonderful book called What Color is Your Parachute? by Dick Bolles that provides insight on choosing a new career that’s right for you.
- I handle stress with ease and rise to the occasion.
- I practice assertiveness and speak up for myself with ease.
- I slow down and take time to smell life’s roses.
- I allow myself to get proper rest and relaxation.
- I find it easy to ask others for help when I need it most.
- I communicate clearly and effectively with others.
- Today, I choose to put only nutritious, healthy foods into my body.
- Today, I choose to present myself in the most attractive manner possible.
- I release the need to numb my feelings.
- I spend time in solitude, connecting deeply with my inner voice.
- I embrace nature and lose myself in beauty.
- I breathe in love and I breathe out joy.
- I am grateful for all the good in my life.
- Today, I will have some fun and enjoy myself.
- I am willing to take risks to meet new people.
- My heart is open and I am ready for love.
- Today I will take the time to care for my finances.
- I am learning new things every day, growing and evolving effortlessly.
- I am effortlessly opening up to new possibilities for earning.
- I love my work and I am handsomely rewarded for my efforts.
Nutrition
Practicing good nutrition is essential to leading a healthy life. What we put in our bodies affects us for the hours, weeks, months, and years that follow, impacting our moods, our outlook, our energy levels, our muscles and bones, our skin, our teeth, our eyesight, our stamina, our sex drives, our weight, and our freedom from—or surrender to—diseases such as cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, hypertension, and heart disease.
Today, more people are ill and obese than ever before, due in large part to unhealthy eating habits and a rise in fast food and processed foods. With our busy lifestyles, people spend less time cooking and less time eating with friends and family. Eating is done quickly, in the car or on the go, which is not good for our digestion.
The mindfulness diet has its roots in the Buddhist tradition, and involves developing your awareness to make wise food choices based on your own inner wisdom and innate sense of what is right for your body. This is great for those who binge for emotional reasons or who eat when they’re stressed.
In the mindfulness diet, you are called upon to eat slowly and purposefully, without external distractions such as the phone, radio, TV, or conversations. It means learning to pick up on your body’s signals that it is full or that it is hungry again and sorting through your personal triggers for overeating. You are fully engaged in experiencing the sounds, textures, smells, sights, colors, and tastes of your food. Lastly, you are called upon to express gratitude for your meal, which can provide genuine healing energy to those who struggle with guilt, anxiety, or shame around eating.
- Planning healthy meals is a joyful experience.
- I respect and honor my body with proper nutrition.
- Today, I will choose foods that support my total well-being.
- I listen to my body and respect its limits.
- I only eat when I am calm and peaceful.
- I stop eating when I am full.
- I slow down and savor every bite.
- I radiate confidence, beauty, and peace.
- I am healing at a cellular level.
- I love myself from head to toe.
- I grow stronger and healthier each day.
- I am grateful for nature’s abundance.
- I give my body all the nutrients it needs.
- I am compassionate towards myself around my eating.
- I release old negative patterns of harming myself with food.
- I only eat when I am actually hungry.
- I effortlessly maintain my ideal body weight.
- I love how my body looks and feels.
- I take delight in trying new foods.
- I now release all cravings for unhealthy foods.
Exercise
The human being is the only animal ever to wind up a couch potato. It may have to do with the invention of television, or smart phones, or video games; regardless, every other animal lives to exult in the joy of their bodies, running, stretching, playing, jumping, hopping, and leaping.
Our bodies are similarly meant for the physical pleasure that comes from moving our limbs. If we starve our bodies of this basic need for exercise, our muscles atrophy, becoming weak and flabby; our heart and lungs function poorly; our skin grows dull; our joints become stiff; we grow depressed and anxious; we may have trouble sleeping; we gain weight; the entire quality of our lives begins to suffer.
In life, there is the suffering that we cannot control and there is the suffering that we do have control over. The suffering that comes from not exercising enough is entirely avoidable. By practicing self-care through the implementation of a physical routine, we can help to provide a buffer to the stresses and “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” that are a natural element of life. Things will go wrong as they always will, but if we’re strong, fit, and centered, we can meet these challenges successfully with poise and grace.
- Today, I will allow myself to be strong and healthy.
- I care for my body and give myself the exercise I need.
- I am learning to find pleasure in exercise.
- I take the time to find physical activities I genuinely enjoy.
- Today I will give myself and others a break.
- I accept myself AS IS.
- I enjoy being in my body.
- I am open to new experiences and sensations.
- I love feeling energized and alive.
- I have the strength to defend myself.
- Today, I will treat myself to a wonderful relaxing massage.
- I love being in great shape.
- I deserve to love the body I have.
- I have deep gratitude for the pleasure of my breath.
- I breathe in hope and I breathe out joy.
- I am transforming into a healthy, fit individual.
- I compete against myself to be the best version of me.
- I release the need to compare myself to others.
- Today, I choose to be happy, productive, and positive.
- I release the need to be perfect and focus on my strengths.
Values
Values are the spiritual principles and beliefs that govern our actions. They are internal guidelines that determine our priorities and let us know when we’re living in sync with what we feel is most important to us.
When our actions match our values, we experience a feeling of congruence, a sense of harmony and peace. But when our actions are out of alignment with our value system, we instead feel a sense of unhappiness, anxiety, and despair. We may end up using addictions to mask this inner turmoil, trying to numb and silence our inner voice. We may become physically ill or suffer from mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety. Our relationships may suffer, and we may find ourselves surrounded by people who reflect this lack of alignment and inner chaos.
- I find it easy to keep my promises.
- I am aligned with my highest values and live accordingly.
- My life is filled with passion.
- I open my heart and let love in.
- I strive for excellence in all that I do.
- I am confident in my choices and in who I am.
- I am resilient and persevering, no matter how hard things get.
- I practice compassion towards myself and others.
- I am patient and know that good things come to those who wait.
- I practice daily gratitude for all the good in my life.
- My actions and my values are perfectly aligned.
- My values give my life deep meaning and purpose.
- I take the time to get to know myself fully.
- Today I will stand up for what I believe in.
- I take time each day to reflect on what I believe in most.
- I set aside my selfishness and focus on helping others.
- I stay true to my personal code of honor.
- I am proud of the person I have become.
- I am focused and clear about my life goals.
- I express my values in all my words and actions.
Love
Love is one of those words that gets thrown around so much that we’ve become anesthetized to its true meaning. It is used by many religions and spiritual communities, with or without its equivalent in action; it sees use in every pop song, in every soap opera, and in every greeting card; and it gets continually cheapened every time it’s used to describe something more akin to lust, possession, trophy-hunting, hostage-taking, or co-dependency. Love may in fact be the most misrepresented word in our language.
But regardless of what we call it, we as human beings cannot live without love. Love is the life force from which we are born. It binds every living thing together, connecting us all in mysterious and beautiful ways. Love comes in a million forms: from romantic love, to love for one’s country, love for one’s family, love for oneself, love for one’s art, love for one’s city, and so on and so on, encompassing every aspect of that warmth inside our hearts we learn to nourish, share, and spread.
- My heart is wide open and I welcome love into my life.
- I attract love and romance in magical and unexpected ways.
- I am magnetic and irresistible to my perfect partner.
- I am loved for being exactly who I am.
- My relationships are safe, fulfilling, and harmonious.
- Unconditional love is my birthright.
- I now allow myself to take “yes” for an answer.
- I am deeply worthy of love.
- I am constantly grateful for all the love in my life.
- The more I love myself, the more others love me.
- I am in total alignment with the vibration of love.
- I surrender to a supremely loving and benevolent Universe.
- It is safe to love deeply with intense passion.
- I am in love with every aspect of my life.
- I gravitate toward human warmth and affection.
- I attract only healthy, positive people into my life.
- Love is within me and all around me.
- I breathe in love and I breathe out forgiveness.
- I am whole and I am healed.
- Today I will have a loving intention towards everyone I meet.