“Ugh, I’m such an idiot,” she said after messing up her artwork for only the first time.
“You are NOT an idiot! You are smart, and brilliant, and artistic. Don’t ever talk about yourself like that. You wouldn’t tell your best friend that, and you wouldn’t want her to call you that. So it’s NOT ok to talk about YOURSELF that way,” I told my 7 year old daughter.
It got me thinking, how many of us adults call ourselves names that would infuriate us if someone else said it?
When we burn dinner…”I’m a lousy cook.”
When we look in the mirror…”I’m so disgusting.”
When we forget to send snacks to school for the party….”I’m so dumb and forgetful.”
When we fail to perfectly juggle the 1000 things on our plate…”I’m a hot mess.”
Lately, when I hear one of my adult friends say something negative about herself out loud, I stop her and redirect her thoughts by saying, “You wouldn’t let anyone get away with saying that about you, so you shouldn’t say it about yourself either.” Our minds can be our own worst enemies.
It’s one thing to think it, but it’s detrimental when we SPEAK IT. Our words have power. They have the power to speak life or death, to build up or tear down, to bring forth hope or to accept defeat…you get the idea. Just because you THINK it doesn’t mean it’s true! What if you were intentional about speaking positively about yourself, your day, your family, and your future? I’m not talking about when you feel excited or it’s already happened. I’m talking about SPEAKING IT with your words and an expectant hope of solid belief that it is the dang truth, even though it’s not happening or you don’t feel it right now!
This is something worth trying. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? We feel a little more encouraged, a little more hopeful, a little more confident, a little more proud of who God says we are? God forbid we actually LIKE ourselves! Seriously though, I’ll take that any day over feeling like the scum-of-earth-no-good-hot-mess-mom who forgot to stay for awards day at gymnastics and my kid had no-one to take her picture on the podium (just add that to her counseling bill later).
In the #4thQTRchallenge, this week our members are continuing writing down 3 things they are grateful for each day, in addition to speaking OUT LOUD positive affirmations and scriptures. You can do this too! I made a video for the team members on exactly HOW this takes place. Check it out by tapping this image below to watch on YouTube.
Are you a podcast listener while you drive or multitask? Me too! Listen to Episode 15 of my podcast Paiges of Life, where I share some revelations the members had after practicing daily gratitude for 7 days in a row, and why no one likes hanging out with a negative person.
Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paiges-of-life/id1458113403
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/66UIwFUttwDTimpzFbsyfC?si=vWUrPzvcRLeDyr6DDPt5JA
Listen online: https://paigesoflife.libsyn.com/can-gratitude-really-change-your-life
You are also invited to my online community of women only, Magnolia Women. It’s a safe place on Facebook to find weekly workouts, conversations to uplift and encourage you, and practical tactics to embrace changes in your life so you can live more abundantly! Click on Magnolia Women below to join our Facebook group!
Does the idea of speaking life instead of complaining already make you feel a breath of fresh air? Then join the challenge with me and 200 other members by clicking here. We are saving a seat for you!
Ephesians 4:29 NIV
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
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