We have heard different versions of the Bruce Lee quote,  “as you think, so shall you become.”

As children we internalize most every thing and come up with ideas about how we feel about ourselves, how we think others view us, basically our lens as to how we view our world. Unfortunately, these views are frequently negative, distorted and unrealistic. Unchallenged, as we become adults, we carry these views with us and they can become anxiety and stress provoking, as well as self-defeating and self-deprecating. We literally can’t get out of our own way and become our own obstacles to a healthy, satisfying life.

The good news is, these beliefs about one’s self are learned. What’s the possibility you misinterpreted and assumed incorrectly? Maybe it wasn’t you at all that was the problem. Perhaps we grew up being criticized by a negative, overly critical parent. Perhaps you were emotionally abandoned by a parent who was there in body, but not present emotionally, due to mental illness. There are a million scenarios as to the origin of your beliefs, but one thing is for sure. Children internalize and feel they are the problem and they deserve what they get. Children are all too sure they were not worthy or loveable, otherwise, the proof, they would have been treated differently.

If our behavior and views are learned, they can be relearned. Yes we know now the brain has plasticity, that is it can re-learn. This is where positive affirmations can be so powerful. When you take that negative thought, view, or idea, and flip it to the opposite, you have your positive affirmation. Instead of, “I could never be slim,” you would say, “I can be slim like that.” Instead of “no one will ever love me,” “I am loveable and worthy.” The more we repeat the affirmations, the quicker we build the new neuropathways. Yes, it takes time and consistency. Why look what you accomplished with the old distorted thinking and negative affirmations. They became bad habits. You can turn it around. So, write them down where you can see them. Say them out loud so you can hear them. Utilizing your senses helps to accomplish learning. Every day, have a positive affirmation that you repeat 200-300 times. Watch the change in your way of thinking. “As you think, so shall you become.” You are in control, make the change.