A good friend of mine was having a busy and stressful week. Her son was getting married so there was a lot to do. To encourage her I sent a picture of a quick art project I had done. The project was based on what I know for sure.
Oprah Winfrey authored a book titled “This I Know for Sure. It’s an inspiring book and talks about big truths in life: loving ourselves, not giving away our power, etc. While the big truths in life are important, sometimes I need to focus on the smaller truths to get me through the day.
This is what I know for sure about one day in my life.
That I’m so excited about a new grandbaby coming.
That I’m a good friend.
That I have a really good life.
That I will let go (of specific emotional distress) and move on.
That I will get healthy.
All of the statements have large truths and meaning in my life, but the important thing for me was to validate what I was currently experiencing and ways I would move forward. All of these statements came from a place of strength. And most of these were things I could easily shame myself about. But rather than shaming myself or looking only at the negative areas of my life, I chose to focus on the positive truth in my life.
I would encourage you to also use this as one tool in the self-care toolbox. What are positive and inspiring truths about you, your life, your relationships, your passion, your work and more? You could phrase these in three ways: “I am”, “I have”, “I will”.
Using “I am”, helps us identify who we truly are. My example was, “I am a good friend.” But others could be “I am a loving person.” “I am smart.” “I am creative”. You choose the positive ways to identify yourself.
Using “I have”, speaks to the abundance in life. What are the good things you have in your life?
Using “I will”, helps us move forward and realize what we can do and the action we can take. This helps give us a sense of control over things in our life that might be difficult or challenging.
Using these three statements sets an intention for what to focus on throughout the day. And what we focus on tends to expand.
This not only helped me but also my friend. Here’s how she responded back. “This brought such joy and satisfaction to me today! What a wonderful way to BREATHE… acknowledging those things that are true and solid.”