The Power of Words and Affirmations

It’s Monday, July 31st, 2017 and for the first time in a long time, I feel content. This summer was supposed to be all about working and trying to get my Spring 2017 balance as close to zero as it could possibly get. And while I am still working on that, I haven’t been happy attempting to do it.

I moved into the East Towers at the end of May and I set my room up the exact same way as I did in the Bethune Annex, but something very crucial was missing. My affirmations.

Ever since high school, I have had affirmations surround me in the space where I lay my head at night. My senior year I remember putting on my wall that I would go to Howard University. My freshman year at Howard University I remember putting on my wall that I would go to Senegal and Egypt Summer 2016. And my sophomore year I remember putting on my wall “I am getting the FLAS Fellowship 2017-2018”. With a strong sense of faith that pushed me and hard work, I am extremely blessed and favored to say that I accomplished these goals that I have written over the years. Every morning I would awaken to goals and affirmations right in front of me. I would repeatedly speak them into existence and if one failed to happen, I decided that I would accomplish it later in life.

For some reason; however, I decided not to place anything on these pasty beige walls that I must be entrapped in for the entire summer.

I was unhappy. There was no color, no words, no pictures, no empowering messages that moved me to continue the same routine every single day. Nothing. And so, for a short but unending period of time (or at least that is what it felt like) I was not motivated, which is very unnatural to me. Even when I tried to write a few goals down on this mini green board that I had bolted on my wall, I barely worked on any of them. And when I did complete one, it felt as if I had not completed anything. I stopped writing for an entire month and avoided speaking to friends and family.

But yesterday, on Sunday, July 30th, 2017 a smile broke out on my face. I cried and I smiled. A joyous breath of freshness ran through me as I played music and posted my affirmations and goals right on my wall as they should be.

My words and my affirmations can shift everything that means something to me. They keep a power held over me, whether I see them or not. And this summer has made me realize that this power holds a great strength over me.

“Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate, and to humble.” -Yehuda Berg