Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?
Why you are, of course!
Hi Guys, hope you are all doing well and have had another great week. In this post I'm sharing a simple and yet very powerful exercise to help you boost your Self-Esteem and lay the foundation for an excellent relationship with your Ego. The Mirror Exercise isn't my creation, in fact I no longer remember where I got it from because I've had it, and be using it, for years! This is in my book The Happiness Secret which I wrote in 2018 and I'm including it, along with some extra information regarding the Ego, in my new book Embrace Your Ego (working title). Enjoy!
I AM – these two words have been stated as being the two most powerful words we can utter. The reason being everything else that comes after them will affect your present and your future either positively or negatively.
I AM at the start of a sentence denotes either a change or an affirmation is on the way.
E.G. the statement “I am always doing that” is often heard when someone makes a mistake, says or does something wrong and so on. That is an affirmation because you are affirming something which you have programmed your subconscious to accept. “I am enjoying (my life, day, food)” is also an affirmation, but of a more positive nature. We should, therefore, be careful what we say after I AM.
There are two more words which are every bit as powerful as I AM for what comes after them will determine how you react, what action you will take or how you feel. Those two words are YOU ARE.
Mostly YOU AREs will be directed to you by a third party; someone says them to you, you read them in a personal text or email: “You are stupid!” “You are sexy.” “You are a prat!” “You are a legend!” and so on.
Depending on who says them and in what vein will determine what you do, say or feel next – again either positively or negatively. E.G. “You are worthless” will make you feel just that or you will react with anger to deny it. Whereas “You are sexy” will probably make you feel good and you will most likely agree!
Being told “You are never going to amount to much” will weigh on our minds, subconsciously, especially if repeated often and that can last a lifetime and we can either strive to prove that statement wrong or affirm it. Most affirm it and their Self Esteem stays at a constantly low level. Such statements have a debilitating effect on our lives and go a long way to prevent us from achieving much from life.“You’ll never amount to much” becomes “I can’t do that, I AM not good enough”.
That’s how powerful YOU ARE is when it comes from someone else, but what if it comes from you? Will it have the same kind of effect or will our subconscious minds be able to differentiate the difference?
Well, try it and find out! Stand, or sit, in front of a mirror and say out loud to yourself:
You are stupid!
You are useless!
You are a numpty!
You are fat!
How does that make you feel? I’m betting not very good and maybe even a bit angry.
Now tell yourself:
You are successful in everything you do.
You are fantastic!
You are healthy in every way.
Now how does that make you feel? Better? I bet it does!
What you are doing is the same as when you use I AM – you are programming your Ego or subconscious mind, into believing those statements, whether negative or positive. Your Ego doesn’t know the difference between right or wrong, lie or truth – it just accepts everything as truth and acts accordingly. If you programme it with negative crap that’s how you will think and act. Vice versa if you programme your Ego/subconscious with positive affirmations you will certainly feel the benefit of that. But that’s not all.
The Law of Attraction states that what you think of most is what you will attract. Therefore, if all you think about is soap opera style negativity, then that’s exactly what you will attract and experience. If, however, you are programming your Ego/subconscious with positive I AMs and YOU AREs you will overcome those negative thoughts and attract more positive influences into your life physically, spiritually or materially – possibly all three!
“You are what you think about all day long.” says Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich and that is so true.
E.G. if you are constantly telling yourself that you are a substance abuser then eventually that’s what you’ll be. If you tell yourself that you’re highly successful then that’s what you’ll become. It’s the actions that follow these thoughts, of course, which lead to the conclusion of the original I AM or YOU ARE.
There is more to it than just saying I AM or YOU ARE, you need to create the behaviours and habits to make your I AMs and YOU AREs a reality, but it all starts with the original thoughts. Successful people in all walks of life know and employ this as part of their daily routines.
YOU ARE, therefore, is as powerful as I AM. A bit more work is involved, though, because you have to filter out the negative YOU AREs thrust upon you by others, or yourself.
Mirror Talk Exercise
Try this exercise for 30 days and notice the changes in your thinking, acting and feeling. How has it affected your circumstances?
Every morning and evening stand/sit in front of a mirror and look yourself in the eyes whilst telling yourself (preferably out loud) how good you are with statements such as:
You are loved.
You are successful in all areas of your life.
You are always positive.
You are enjoying an abundance of health and wealth.
Make up your own but make them as specific to you and what you want to achieve as you can and keep them in the present tense. You could also reinforce them with a few positive I AMs/ YOU AREs throughout the day. Your Ego will thank you for it as you start to give it the positive recognition it deserves.
Remember, you are what you are meant to be and what you are meant to be is better in every way.
Namaste,
Jeremy