"I am..."

"You will experience whatever you think after the words 'I am...' "

-- Chalanda Sai Ma

The thought rushes through your mind, "I am so tired of this." And suddenly you feel even more exhausted by it all. Or the thought "I am so grateful" pops upon the cranial scene, and as a slight smile graces your lips, your spirits lift a bit. The situation is the same. Nothing has changed. You're still picking up the kids dirty socks, or attending another death-by-Powerpoint presentation, or crawling along at five miles per hour on a cold and snowy evening commute.

Your "I am..." creates the emotional tone of your minutes, hours, days, and finally, your life. But the best part of this news is that you can take control of your "I am... ." That's what affirmations are all about -- they are meant to be more self-direction than self-deception. You say to yourself, "I am happy, healthy and wealthy" when, in fact, you are feeling pissed off, puny and poor. If you just repeat the affirmation in a rote manner, it won't do you much good. You will probably even create a mental backlash, and a little voice in your head will say something like "Bullshit!"

But what if you do a quick inventory and actually look for parts of your life in which you experience joy, well being, and abundance? My bet is that you'll find them. And in so doing you'll refocus your attention, and your "I am.." will morph towards the positive.

We've all had the experience where we hit our thumb with a hammer, actually or figuratively, and we say under our breath (or right out loud) "I'm so #@%&+* stupid!" Don't end your "I am..." there, though. Add something like "But I'm a quick learner. I won't do that again!" Always replace, or follow, a negative with a positive. End each internal monologue with an upbeat I" am.."

And so, just for today monitor your self-talk. Root out every negative "I am..." and substitute a positive. And if you're feeling bad at anytime throughout the day look at what you're telling yourself. You will undoubtedly find a rotten "I am..." that needs to be purged from your thought train. When bored -- sitting at the dentist's office, stuck in traffic, riding the train-- see if you can create five positive "I am..." statements right there on the spot. Your "I am's" are your creation. You can turn them into supporters, advocates and cheerleaders. Don't let them continue to be critics, nay sayers and evil step-mothers. I am positive you can do it!