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I AM or AM I?

I AM, two of the most powerful words, for what you put after them shapes your reality.

Most of you have heard this somewhere, from someone, and thought something, or nothing about it.

Whether you thought anything about this statement or not, the depth of truth captured in it remains understood by so few. Yet, it forms the basis of most spiritual fundamentals, is one of the central building blocks of all human transformation and nothing, seriously NOTHING, changes until you change your words.

Here I must caution you that thoughts are still words, albeit they are unexpressed. There are those who believe that as long as words are in the silence of the mind they have no impact. Mistake. Most of your dialogue, that constant chatter with yourself, takes place in the chambers of your mind.

Remember – words are productive while thoughts and imagination are creative, both essential in shaping futures.

I AM or AM I?

Let’s think about this – what do humans use more often, I AM statements or AM I questions?

Am I good enough? I AM good enough!
Am I worth it? I AM worth it!
Am I deserving? I AM deserving!
Am I going to make it? I AM going to make it!
Am I brave? I AM brave!
Am I smart? I AM smart!
AM I questions vs I AM declarations

If you are still thinking about this, I invite you to listen to your children, your colleagues, your friends and yourself for just one day and tell me what you hear.

Abundance and scarcity

Paul Zaiter states that there is a natural law of abundance which pervades the entire universe, but it will not flow through the doorway of belief in lack and limitation.

Irrespective of who we are or what our circumstances are, we swim in conversations about what there isn’t enough of. Lynne Twist reminds us that for many people their first waking thought is “I didn’t get enough sleep”. The next one is “I don’t have enough time”. Whether this is true or not, the thought of “not enough” occurs to most people automatically before we even stop to question or examine it.

Before we start our day we are already inadequate, already lacking something, and by the time we go to bed we are consumed by an inventory of what we didn’t get done, or didn’t get, going to sleep with thoughts (aka words) of lack.

Not enough time.

Never enough sleep.

Seldom enough money.

Not enough freedom.

Never enough exercise.

Not enough healthy food.

Can you hear yourself in any of these statements? Especially now with the “work from home” burnout spreading like wildfire.

This mantra of not enough seems to be the default setting for our thinking about everything. Have you ever thought about why this is?

Your words

Your words and this default setting of “not enough” shapes your deepest sense of yourself. It becomes the lens through which you experience life. Unfortunately, it is through this same lens that your expectations, your behaviour, and their consequences become a self-fulfilling prophecy of inadequacy, lack, and dissatisfaction.

These AM I questions and our words of inadequacy become embedded in our thinking and frame our entire experience of life.

What can be done?

Step 1 – replace your words of lack and inadequacy with words of abundance and words of sufficiency. Remember that abundance is not an amount, it is a context we create, a declaration we choose to live within, one crafted by all we say about ourselves and our circumstances.

Step 2 – take a look around and express gratitude for all you do have because all circumstances looked at through a lens of gratitude provides at least an aspect to be grateful for and as with all things, your gratitude allows your experience to expand.

It is said that what you appreciate, appreciates.

In light of our current global circumstances, we may all be missing these daily gifts. Let’s look for and celebrate what’s right in our lives and we will see how life reflects what we project.

Recently I found myself staring down the black hole of “is this really what life is all about” a few too many times and upon reflection, it’s clear to see how my everyday words have been shaping my experience. Let’s be honest, bitching all day about COVID, the country, the challenges being faced and the various global catastrophes all so readily splashed across the media, it does not take much to come face to face with the dragon of darkness.

Slaying the dragon starts with changing your words. Yes, it sounds simple, and precisely because of this people seldom even make the effort. They are firmly of the opinion that it cannot be that simple. Give it a go and see to what extent you are influenced by words and notice just how reactively you use words; they so often fly out of your mouth with little or no thought.

If you stop for a minute you will realise that words, yours and those of others, have always, and still constantly impact you.

Think about this

The boss tells you what a great job you are doing – joy.

The same boss tells you to ramp up your game – sadness.

She greets you – joy.

Tomorrow she tells you off – anger.

Tell yourself what a great job you did – self-appreciation.

Another day you blast yourself about how pathetic you are – self-loathing.

Still thinking that words aren’t that powerful?

Words, words, words shape the world, start wars, soothe souls and destroy lives. Reflecting on your relationship with words will give you the opportunity to notice how powerfully this relationship crafts your reality.

Your experience of life is constantly shaped by three things (1) the words you use, (2) whether your words are focused on future possibilities or past/current perceived challenges and (3) your attitude of gratitude.

What you focus on expands.

What have you been focussing on?

“If speaking kindly to plants helps them grow, imagine what speaking kindly to humans can do”.

 

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