Positive Affirmation - June

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style -- Maya Angelou

Positive Affirmation for April

 

I know the answer is right before me, even if I am not seeing it.

I know the situation will work out for my highest good.

Positive Affirmation - February

 
 I know the answer is right before me, even if I am not seeing it.

Positive Affirmation for January 2014

I am the architect of my life; 
I build its foundation and choose
its contents.

Happy New Year!

The following Irish blessing is our New Year wish for you:

 

May your troubles be less

May your blessings be more

May nothing but happiness come through your door!


Please take a few minutes to enjoy these one word essays.

Positive Affirmations for the Month of December

I am going to use all my energies to expand my heart out to others -- Dalai Lama

Positive Affirmation for the Month of November

I give thanks for all that
I am and for all
that I have.

Positive Affirmation for the Month of October

I will take deeper, longer, and more relaxed breaths.

Positive Affirmation for the Month of September

I won't let yesterday define who I am today.

Positive Affirmation for the Month of August

Making mistakes is a part of my learning!

Positive Affirmation for the Month of July

    

I never, ever, give up!

Positive Affirmation for the Month of June

 

 

 

I am an intelligent, persistent, and organized person capable of achieving all that I choose.

 

Time to Replace your Filter

Did you know that you create your own reality? It’s true! We can’t change most events that happen to us but we can change how we interpret those experiences through the use of affirmations.

Affirmations are statements deemed to be true based on past experiences. They can be negative or positive. An example of a positive affirmation is “I am a good writer.” A person with this perception of his writing skills likely had positive experiences with writing in the past. Perhaps he received good grades on his essays and his English instructor told him his writing was improving. An example of a negative affirmation is “I am terrible with math.” A person with this perception of her math skills likely had negative experiences with math in the past. Maybe she received low grades on math tests and the math instructor made negative comments about her assignments. If a person was to receive the same type of affirmation from others over a long period of time, they are likely going to believe these statements are true.

Positive affirmations have been found to help people change behaviors and accomplish goals. Essentially, positive affirmations remove the negative filter on one’s reality and reveal the possibilities. Is it time for you to replace your filter?

Here are steps to create and use your own positive affirmations.

·      Write the statement down

·         Write the statement in the present tense

·         Write the statement to create positive images

·         Repeat the statement to yourself

·         Leave post-it notes around with the affirmation as a reminder (like in your textbook or bathroom mirror)

·         Be aware of negative statements you tell yourself and replace them with positive ones

Here are a few examples of positive affirmations.

·         “I live my life the way that makes me happy”

·         “I deserve all that is good and prosperous in my life”

·         “I have the power to bring about all the positive changes I desire”

If you would like to see additional positive affirmations, you can go to:

·         VitalAffirmations – view a daily affirmation at this website

·         101 PowerfulAffirmations – view daily affirmations on Facebook

·         Speak Up! will also be posting a monthly affirmation in upcoming editions so be sure to check back often

SMART Goals

We often hear from teachers, mentors, life coaches, and others about the importance of setting goals. Maybe you have a Bucket List or a certain GPA you hope to earn each quarter. Whatever area of our lives we set goals for, it is helpful to fully consider our goals and how we will achieve them. SMART goal-setting provides a way to do just that.

 

Specific: Describe your goal in detail. Also, consider the steps it will take to achieve a goal. Make each step a goal. For example, your goal might be, "I want to be a nurse." That is a great goal! But, it is not very specific. Instead, consider the goal, "I want to earn my CNA licensure. Then I will work towards my RN." The details of your goal may take some research.

 

Motivational: Set goals you are passionate about, goals you are motivated to achieve. Why is your goal valuable to you? How will it change your life? What will you be excited about getting up in the morning to do? We often have to take steps towards our goals that we are not very excited about, but if our overall goals motivate us, we can make it through. For example, "I want to earn my Associates in Welding, but I really don't like English." Maybe you will develop a love for English, but if not, the goal of being a welder means enough to you to stay committed even during tough classes.

 

Achievable: YOU can actually reach your goal. Your strengths and abilities and the opportunities you have make achieving your goal possible. Remember that nothing great is accomplished alone but that the responsibility for reaching your goal is on you. Set goals, seek out the support and assistance of others, but do not rely on them to achieve your goals for you. For example, your goal might be, "I will earn a 3.5 in math this quarter." In order to achieve your goal, you work with a math tutor. It might be tempting to place a lot of responsibility on the tutor for achieving your goal. In the end, however, your hard work and commitment to learning the material is what will help you reach your goal.

 

Relevant: Set goals that are consistent with your other goals. For example, "I want to complete the automotive program and the engineering graphics program in two years" are both great goals, but together they are not achievable (mostly because the class times conflict). Either prioritize your goals and focus on those that are most important or change the specifics of each goal. 

Time-Bound: Create reasonable deadlines for your goals. Instead of, "I want to get this paper done," set the goal as, "I will brainstorm points related to my topic today, start my rough draft tomorrow, and have the first draft written by the end of the week. Then, I will meet with a writing tutor a few days before the paper is due and make my final revisions."