My husband is big on affirmations. He likes to write them on post-it notes and put them either on his bathroom mirror or above his workspace here at home. They say things like, “I am a healthy man” or “My kids are successful” and “I will make X amount of dollars this year.” I feel like this practice helped him land a dream job in the past year that he is thriving in. I’ve also dabbled in affirmations, but as with a lot of things I start, I haven’t written them in a gratitude journal.
I need to change that. I have much to be grateful for. My daughter is in her second year of college seven plus hours away, absorbed in a tough STEM program, and while I know there are days she wants to throw her laptop against the wall, she’s toughing it out. She’s finding ways to embrace her artistic interests and learning how to cook. She also knows there are things in our world that need to change and is figuring out how she can help do that with her career. My son has applied to seven colleges, been accepted to two already, and has been invited to the honors colleges at both. He is discovering his writing voice and joined the campus news publication. He has a passion for sports media and communications, and every time he publishes something, I see how much pride he has in his work.
I started a health program three months ago to reset my metabolism and it worked! I’m lifting more weights, focusing on walking 10,000 steps a day, and balancing my nutrition by counting macros (protein is my number one nutrient). I’m sleeping better than I have in years, have more energy, and have gone down at least one dress size. I think that has helped me become a more productive writer. I took my podcast to a weekly production schedule in September, the downloads have increased, I have the opportunity to create a spin-off show, I have more e-mails for cases in my inbox, and I’m close to completing a major revision of my suspense thriller novel.
The life of a writer can be frustrating, with highs and lows, ebbs and flows, and episodes of self doubt. I’ve had my share. But once I stop to make a list of all the things that are going right, they far outweigh the number of things that have gone wrong.
I went online to see if I could find some positive affirmations specifically for writers. Here are a few I found from the Midwest Writers Workshop.
- I am a writer.
- I have a voice.
- I can set goals and reach towards them one step at a time.
- Other people’s successes do not detract from mine.
- Someone out there is waiting for my words and needs to hear them.
Write on, my friends. We’ve got this!
Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer, aspiring novelist, and creator of the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas, which recently passed 150,000 downloads.
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3 comments:
Renee, this post is so inspiring and empowering! Damn straight, you got this! Wonderful updates, all around ... and I love your husband's affirmation practice. Rock on!
I agree with Ann! Inspiring post, Renee, and I'm glad to hear you and your family are doing well! I also feel extremely grateful for my life and my health. I've been thinking about that a LOT lately. I started eating right, lost a bunch of weight I didn't need, and I feel like it's helped my productivity. Affirmations always remind me of Stuart Smalley, but I know they work! There's psychology behind it. I have a friend who writes them on tea bag tags, poster boards, and it's helped her achieve her goals. A lot of writer's affirmations come down to permission, allowing ourselves to have a voice, believing our words have value, permitting ourselves the time and space to follow our dreams.
You are doing amazing things! And I love those affirmations. I think that we really need to remember "Other peoples success do not detract from mine." That's not something our society emphasizes.
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