“The Law of Attraction”, what a big sexy idea! I know I was hooked on it after The Secret first came out. Who wouldn’t want to believe that all you have to do is think about something and you will magically get it – supernatural affirmations! So I embraced it and when I say that, I mean I went ALL IN, taking risks I never would have made before especially when it came to spending money. If you want to make endless amounts of the green stuff and have everything in the world you could ever want, all you need to do is live the lifestyle you want to have and it will happen, right? Yeah, no… it doesn’t and didn’t work out that way.
I went into debt…hardcore debt. My business hadn’t grown and I had the same amount of income coming into my bank account with so much more of it leaving. I fully recognize now the power of embracing what you want in this world, saying it out loud, and even keeping it at the forefront of your mind but my action steps (like everyone else’s’) needed to be more realistic and in scale. Drastic moves don’t usually pay off; it’s about the progression…baby steps.
More than Just Affirming
You probably remember from reading my prior post about the Power of Power Statements that I have a mixed relationship with affirmations. To me, affirmations are generic and not focused on the personal. That’s why I choose to use power statements– they are short sentences I create specifically about me, what I am feeling or am experiencing at the time, and empower me to take back control of the physical and emotional. For example, a specific fear of mine is hearing myself speak so instead of using a general affirmation of I have a nice voice I expand on it with:
My voice matters and what I have to say needs to be shared to help others.
An important step to clarity is recognizing what you need your own messaging to be as well as identifying with what you want more of in your life. If you know what you desire, your messaging can be curated around it making your power statements all the more effective.
Making Space for Stability with Baby Steps
Knowing what you want and not doing anything about it sounds like a lifetime of pain. In order to get what you want, you need to do more than just think and dream… you need to DO. Small steps every day become big strides towards your goals. So many of us have heard of the example of filling a jar with stones; if you put all the big ones in first at the bottom, there’s no room for the small ones at the top. But if you start with the small stones they join together to form a more airt-tight foundation for you to lay the larger rocks making space for stability.
For instance, a daily goal or step might be a “no-spend day” where I only use my money to pay for absolute necessities. Or maybe set up new accounting software to better track my spending habits. How about setting a monthly budget? Create a spreadsheet listing all of your monthly expenses. You will be amazed at what you forgot you are paying for. All and any of these are actionable steps just in the category of finances.
So, here’s my challenge to you: this week, I want you to start with an affirmation you often use and expand it into a more specific power statement. Once you have that, I want you to write one achievable goal you would like to work on. Then break that goal into a small action item you can easily accomplish for the following seven days. Please don’t discredit the little steps to success.
And if you need or want help figuring this conundrum out, that’s why I offer 1:1 coaching sessions – to help get you back in the right direction!
In order to make any of your dreams come to fruition you need to make yourself a priority…and you’re doing just that right now. No matter if you do this alone or with a little extra support, just know I am proud of you!
