it takes 66 repeated acts to create habits. It might not be easy, but 66 skilful brush strokes need to be made in order to lay the groundwork for the piece of artwork that is a more vital positive life: to be maintained and enriched every day after, a living and breathing piece.
So today is Day 2 of my 66-day challenge.
Today started with my 2-year old coming into bed at around 6am (this is a lie in and I am GRATEFUL that he is generally sleeping overnight now which has been 2 years coming and I know may not last but I’m savouring it while it does). Having this 66-day intention has powered me up, I want to check off every day and most importantly have a sense that I don’t want to break the momentum and miss a day.
Yesterday I was doing my son’s home learning with him and he got really upset over a drawing of a monkey, and kept saying “I’m not good at drawing, I can’t do it, it’s difficult” I found myself saying to him, “everything’s difficult until it becomes easy. You CAN do it, you just have to practise. There’s no such thing as can’t”…
It stuck me how powerful the words that we utter about ourselves are. “I can’t do it.” Well, no you can’t, of course not, if you say you can’t. You’re building a huge I CAN’T fence for yourself that you then have to find the strength and wherewithal to climb over. Better to say “it’s challenging but I’ll practise and I’ll give it a go”, which is finding the gate (or stile) that lets you through to the other side.
This is why AFFIRMATIONS are so powerful and they are formulating part of my toolkit for my 66-days to vitality.
You are what you think: your life truly grows from the seed of your thoughts. Our spoken words and our internal dialogue crafts our future.
Affirmations help restructure the dynamic of our brains: if you can articulate it verbalise it and give it a voice and a tangible quality, then you can begin to envision it, and lay the bricks down to create it – it seems that nothing is impossible.
The word affirmation comes from the Latin affirmare, originally meaning “to make steady, strengthen.”
Affirmations help us believe in the potential of an action we want to manifest. When we verbally affirm our dreams and ambitions, we are instantly empowered: our desires may become a reality because you’ve voiced it and put it out there in the universe. In the sequence of THOUGHT–SPEECH–ACTION, affirmations are so powerful because they break patterns of negative thoughts, negative speech, and negative actions.
Affirmations are proven methods of self-improvement because of their ability to rewire our brains.
No words are empty words.
If you constantly say “I can’t,” the energy of your words will push back against you, like rowing against the tide.
But if you say “I can!” it’s like giving yourself a motor on your rowing boat to power on through.
Here are some great affirmations to try every morning.
You may feel like a bit of a wally saying them out loud at first, but go with it and you’ll actually begin to fizz with energy instead.
Today, I am brimming with energy and overflowing with joy
My body is healthy; my mind is brilliant; my soul is tranquil.
I possess the qualities needed to be content and successful
My ability to conquer my challenges is limitless
I am courageous and I stand up for myself
My thoughts are filled with positivity and my life is plentiful
Today, I abandon habits that don’t serve me and take up new, more positive ones.
I am grateful for my incredible family and wonderful friends.
I acknowledge my own self-worth
My future is a manifestation of what I envision now
TRUST
MANIFEST
TRUST
MANIFEST
ANYA HAYES • Mothers' Wellness Toolkit 