Affirmations & 6 Tips for How to Use Them

We love affirmations! We have witnessed the profound changes they can make in people's lives when used in a consistent and purposeful way. As we mentioned in our blog back in March ’09, we encourage the women in our Get Up Girl Women's Coaching Groups to use affirmations. They are a powerful tool for transforming limiting beliefs and negative thinking into more supportive ways of believing and thinking.

From Lousie Hay and her book, ‘Power Thoughts, 365 Daily Affirmations’, we share ten affirmations that you can use or edit to fit your needs. In addition to sharing Louise's affirmations with you, also below are 6 fun and creative tips for how you can use them.


Affirmations:

I rejoice in others successes knowing there is plenty for all of us.

I release any limitations based on old, negative thoughts. I joyfully look forward to the future.

Every experience in life is an opportunity for growth.

I am my best friend. I love what I see in me.

I am always the perfect age for where I am in my life.

I open my home and welcome guests with love. They are like a loving family to me.

I only speak positively about those in my world.

I express love and gratitude for all I have learned and all I have accomplished.

I look forward with joyous anticipation to each new day of my life.

All is well in my world!


6 tips for how you can use your affirmations:

1. Pick one or more affirmations and write them out in your journal. (You can repeat writing the same affirmations a number of times, we suggest 3 or more times.)

2. Write them on index cards, – one affirmation on each card. Read them while you drink your morning coffee; carry them with you and read throughout the day; or when you wake up and/or before going to bed at night.

3. Say them as you exercise or move your body. Walking, running, dancing, etc.

4. Read them aloud as you look at yourself in the mirror. (this is powerful)

5. Turn them into a song, and sing your affirmations in the shower.

6. Write them on post-it notes and put them up around your home and office.


Let us know what works for you, or if you have some creative ways you like to use affirmations. We always love learning new ways to apply these tools. Thanks! info@getupgirl.org.

photo by: Margalit Ward
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The Film Lounge

Get Up Girl graduate Danielle Stallings has announced a new film Meetup Group for filmmakers and film aficionados called The Film Lounge. Based in Ventura County, just outside of the studio zone, The Film Lounge is a place for film lovers to rekindle their love affair with film and brush up on vital skills outside of the pressure cooker of the L.A. industry scene. Meetings and screenings will be held on weekends (and some evenings) at Essential Wine Co., a new wine bar in Camarillo, just 30 minutes from the west valley and 45 minutes from the west side. (Also, a stone's throw from the premium outlet mall.)

The Film Lounge will be that relaxed film enclave we all wish existed to support filmmakers reach their potential through inspiration and networking. The first meeting will be held on June 28th to screen "Visions of Light" a gorgeous documentary about cinematography, likened to "going through a film museum". In July, Danielle will be conducting a film business seminar to demystify important employment and rights documents artists will likely encounter when hired.

To join the group and learn about upcoming meetings, go to Meetup.com and search for "The Film Lounge". Membership and meetings are FREE.

http://www.meetup.com/Filmmakers-Lounge/

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3 Simple Ways to Eat Healthier on a Budget

With the current economic downturn, eating healthy may feel less important than saving money. Contrary to common belief, eating healthy can actually cost less then a Big Mac, fries, and soda. We have discovered three simple shifts we can make that can keep us healthy, happy and energized.

1. Shift Where You Shop

Choose organic brands from mainstream stores. One of the easiest shifts we can make is where we shop. While natural food stores and Co-Ops offer a wide array of organic options, many traditional supermarkets are jumping on the organic trend with much lower prices. It is very important to check labels to ensure that your items are certified organic. Stores like Vons, Pavilions, Safeway, and Trader Joes are now offering organic lines at 1/2 the price of the Whole Foods 365 Brand. We have been using the O Organics brand for items including pasta sauce, olive oil, milk, yogurt, and baby food. Albertson's and Ralph's carries a similar organic line called Wild Harvest that offers a full line of organic products ranging from eggs, cereal, to soy milk.

Say yes to the Farmer's Market. One of our favorite places to find amazing food is the local Farmer's Market. They provide some of the freshest produce, meat, and dairy products available. You buy directly from the farmer, so prices tend to be drastically lower than you can find in a standard grocery store. The experience of interacting with local farmers, and artisans is defiantly more enjoyable than waiting in the check out line.

Shop at international markets. Another place to find great quality food at reasonable prices is your local international markets including Korean, Jewish, Indian, Hispanic, African, and Japanese grocery stores. While you can find many items with more affordable price tags be mindful to stick to the market's specialty, as other items can be more expensive such as buying pasta sauce in a Korean Market.

2. Plan Ahead

Create a menu plan. Take time at the beginning of the week to plan your meals. This takes a bit of prep time, but the experience can actually be fun for the entire family. Have your children help pick out healthy items and menu options. Make a list and pick up the various items at the stores with the best selection and prices. When you have a stocked kitchen filled with healthy foods and recipes, it becomes easier to cook than to run out for fast food.

Click here to read entire article


by Shannon Bindler & Margalit Ward
at the Huffington Post

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10 Reasons It’s Awesome You’re Terrified

In our recent Get Up Girl Advanced Group we encouraged everyone to take actions that stretch them beyond their comfort zones. In addition to assisting them in accomplishing their goals, another common by-product of taking risks is fear. Here is a terrific article by new blog contributor and freelance writer, Lori Deschene that takes a positive look at fear and it’s blessings.

10 Reasons It’s Awesome You’re Terrified

I am terrified of heights—kind of. Having entered the world one year after a girly-girl sister, I decided at a young age to be the tough one. To play with dinosaurs, fight my tears when I scraped my knee, and climb tall trees with the best of the neighborhood boys. The only problem was I was too scared to climb down. Thankfully, those neighborhood boys were accommodating (as they were 10 years later when I decided being girly was more fun—but that’s beside the point). With this in mind, perhaps you can appreciate how difficult it was for me to jump out of a plane from 10,000 feet.

But I did it. I forgot about everything I thought could go wrong, focused on the benefits of going through with it, took it one step at a time, and jumped. In hindsight, I now realize fear is absolutely awesome. Here’s why:

10. It sometimes shields you from harm. Fear is an intuitive survival mechanism and there are many times when you really should heed its message. If you walk into your building and sense there’s someone in the shadows, your fear and the action it inspires just may save your life. (Incidentally, I felt this same survival instinct when I learned about skydiving—but research convinced me the risk was minimal).

9. Fear pushes you to face your internal issues. Let’s say you’re scared of pursuing your dream job. You can either give in to that fear, or question where it comes from so you can conquer it. If you’re scared of failing, ask yourself why. Did your upbringing instill in you that failure is unacceptable? If you challenge your issues and subconscious beliefs now it will be much easier to reach goals you set in the future.

8. You have a chance to be brave. I have never in my life felt as proud of myself as I did when I jumped out of that plane. Whatever you’re afraid of, appreciate it. It invites you to be bold and daring, which may inspire other people to do the same. Now that’s a rush!

7. The experience teaches you to act in spite of your feelings. We all have feelings; it’s part of being human. Some people hide behind them, allowing fear, anger, and pride to dominate their lives. Some repress them and experience a lot of pain as a result. Others identify them and act anyways. That’s mindfulness: acknowledging you feel scared, deciding it’s not a permanent state, and then making a choice in spite of it.

6. You can prove to yourself what you’re made of. We all have fears—every last one of us. Some people worry so much about the worst case scenario that they avoid risk at all cost, feeling trapped and unhappy. Others push through it, and either reach their dreams or hold the satisfaction of knowing they gave it their best shot. You decide: what are you made of?

5. It gives you the chance to identify your mental chatter as just that—chatter. Our internal monologues rarely stop going; and they often talk us out of doing things we want to do. When that little voice goes into overdrive, you have two choices: let it drive you insane, or find a way to silence it. Once you learn to tune out your inner evaluator—the voice that analyzes life as it happens—it will be far easier to be present and peaceful.

4. Your friends have the chance to help you be your best. I told 8,800 people on Twitter I planned to go skydiving—and then three hours beforehand told them I was considering backing out. I received countless @replies from people telling me they’d done it before and that I’d love the experience. If not for all the external support, I might not have gone through with it. (Thank you so much Twitter friends!)

3. You can practice skills that will help you later in life. The best way to handle fear is also a great way to handle challenges: take it step by step. The morning before I jumped, I decided all I had to do was get in the car at 12:15. After that, all I had to do was get in the harness. And then board the plane and so on. Whether you’re starting a new business or trying to lose 50 pounds, this approach makes a lot of sense: take it one step at a time.

2. It helps you overcome catastrophic thinking. Most of the time when you shun something you’re scared of it’s because of “what if” thinking. I spent at least an hour wondering: What if my parachute doesn’t open? What if I fall out of my harness? What if I land in the highway and die a tragic death as road-kill? Then I remembered this: most of the things we worry about never happen. So why exhaust my energy worrying?

1. Overcoming fear teaches you to accept uncertainty. Fear and worry are attempts to control the future—to avoid situations and feelings you’ve decided are undesirable. But really, does it ever work? Does clinging to fear guarantee your future will unfold exactly as you want it? No! Once you release the fear about the future, you’re free to focus on the present—which, by the way, is when life happens.

Whatever it is you’re scared of, you can overcome it and become stronger in the process. You just have to stay focused on the benefits of feeling the fear and pushing through it. “

Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.” -H. Jackson Browne

You heard my story, now tell me yours! What fears are on your radar right now—and how are you pushing through them?

Lori Deschene lives in San Mateo, CA where she works as a freelance writer. Visit seeinggood.com, her blog about realistic positive thinking, and follow her on Twitter @BeMeaningful.

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