“Every Day In Every Way…”
The first affirmation I ever heard was the classic "Every day in every way I’m getting better and better."
And frankly, some of the most successful people in the world LOVE this affirmation. And it is fascinating how reliably unsuccessful, unhappy people hate it.
My mother had little to offer but love, food, and shelter…and philosophy. And that's all I needed. I remember being so poor that she would cut dandelions off the lawn so we'd have vegetables. But we didn't FEEL poor. My sister and I had library cards. Mom sold World Book Encyclopedia so we'd have new copies every year. And she exposed us to comparative religions and philosophies.
And WOW, did she ever hit us with "Think And Grow Rich" and "The Power of Positive Thinking" and "Psycho-Cybernetics" and "The Golden Key" and "Message to Garcia" and "Acres of Diamonds" and…
Well, you get it. And one of them was the saying coined by a Frenchman named Emile Coué: "Every Day In Every Way I'm Getting Better And Better."
I wanted to offer a few thoughts about this saying.
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I think that we can agree that if your self-talk is NEGATIVE: "I can't. I'm ugly. I'm worthless" and so forth, it is likely to diminish the efficiency of our actions. But is it reasonable to think that the opposite, POSITIVE self-talk, INCREASES the efficiency of our actions?
Well…I say yes, with caveats.
You have to believe it. That means that you have to be able to see ways that it is true. The statement that "every day in every way I'm getting better and better" challenges you to ignore negative circumstances…UNLESS you believe something about them that allows you to observe and deal with them in a positive way. If, for instance, you believe that your attitude about adversity determines the quality of your life, and that you have control of your attitudes, then even if you are in a "temporary downturn" your focus COULD be on how you deal with it, how you respond to it, how you contextualize it.
You have to focus on what is positive. There is nothing that has ever happened in life that someone hasn't found a positive way to hold. Death, taxes, loss, poverty…as absurd as it might seem right now, people have found ALL of them to be part of the cycle of life, and in that way found the strength to persevere. "I am in winter. Spring is coming" is a fantastic attitude that can keep you going. When you cannot change the circumstance, you CAN change your attitude. In fact, your attitude, your reactions, your own internal world is the ONLY thing you can actually control, and most people can't control that! Then they blame other people for not being able to control THEIR emotions. Get the horrible joke? THEY ARE THE PROBLEM. The instant they learn how to control THEIR emotions, they must understand human psychology enough to understand exactly what others struggle with, leading to compassion and love. This is how the world evolves…one heart at a time.
If you follow the Three Gates, it is possible to become more honest, more compassionate, more efficient and effective EVERY DAY. I don't care if you are sick and in bed…you can get another fraction of a percent of efficiency in using what you have left. If you are deep in grief and anger, you can recover your balance a little better than you did before. Be more understanding of your own flaws and failings.
You can get better at identifying the "voices in your head" that tell you the practice is nonsense. Those voices are pure poison. If you even TALK about this publicly, you will attract people who will externalize their own venomous voices and accuse you of being a "Pollyanna", a "liar" and so forth. GOOD. Every champion, every leader, every great man or woman you have ever admired attracted such nay-sayers. Look at them as weights in the gym--you get stronger by learning to accomplish your aims, keep your balance and focus, against opposition. You can practice regaining your balance. They are a gift.
There is more, much more. There are also more specialized affirmations. And we'll explore them. Just remember that controlling your emotions is a matter of controlling your mental focus, physiology, and internal dialogue. The FIREDANCE TAI CHI system is about taking the world's most popular and powerful PHYSICAL practice (Yoga is better if you can't find a good teacher) and marrying it to the most powerful mental practice: affirmations and visualizations and "emotinoal flooding" to create an unstoppable braid of body, mind and spirit, literally the ONLY practice I do daily.
(Yes, you can combine affirmations with walking, running, dancing, and other activities. That is the truth. So please, if you aren't ready to join the FIREDANCE program, just DO IT with SOME physical activity, I beg you!)
We'lll be having monthly Mastermind meetins to explore the application of this concept in relation to career (especially writing), relationships and self-love, and physical health and dynamism. We're doing the first one this Saturday, and starting in 2023 we'll do it at the beginning of every month. If you'd like to join us join my mailing list at www.stevenbarneslist.com
Absolutely free. All questions answered. Positive people only PLEASE--there is nothing more powerful than a Mastermind, and if you bring positive energy, we can all grow together!
If you would like to try the specific FIREDANCE approach to body-mind fitness, just go to www.firedancetaichi.com and get on the path. I spend at least 10-20 minutes in this world of dynamic physical genius every day…dance with me as we change the world, one life at a time.
Namaste
Steve
