[The following article was kindly shared with us by Happy Cow's good friend Jodene. You can view Jodene's website here. Happy Cow highly recommends having a browse around Jodene's beautiful and shiny website, where you will find many other uplifting, wise, wonderful and thought-provoking articles written by Jodene and her co-facilitator Greg. If you want to contact Jodene, you can do so by visiting her contact page.]

Whether spoken out loud or uttered silently within your mind alone, you are constantly communicating with yourself. You have experienced thoughtless words and actions that others have inflicted on you and wear the scars daily but have you ever taken note of the self inflicted scars as the negativity and lack of self respect and love wafts through your mind?

Although affirmations are most commonly used as chants and forced statements that bring about change, they have also been misunderstood by the same statement definition. Everything said or thought is an affirmation of who you believe yourself to be; the difference is in making the statements conscious. Whether you set time aside to say positive loving things to yourself or choose to ignore the thoughtless remarks you throw at yourself, you are making statements - believable, directional affirmations.

Try this exercise for a few weeks...

At the end of each day reflect back on the events of the day and the thoughts that went through your head... "I can't do that", "How stupid of me", "I am such a fool"... then turn them into a positive like "I can do that if I just keep going", "I am smart and can figure anything out", "I am a wise soul who knows the right thing to do".

If you are finding yourself in a position where you are unable to think of the positive affirmation or are battling to stop the negative statements then simply stand in front of the mirror and say "I love you anyway!". Whatever you do, just don’t give up on yourself, you’re too special.

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