By Sarah A. Sparks
You are beautiful. You are strong. No? You don’t believe me? Try it for yourself. Stand in front of the mirror, while looking into your own eyes. Who do you see? Is this person your hero? Is this person someone you always intended to be? We spend plenty of time looking at every other part of our body—wishing it was tighter, thinner, stronger, healthier, prettier, sexier, and whatever else we wish was different.
Does speaking, “I am beautiful, I am strong,” enable you to feel good and full of joy? Now, speak the words, “I am worthless.” Do these words feel heavy? What if, just for today, you chose to think, I am beautiful, I am strong. What would happen? Would others notice? Would you feel lighter, stronger, more confident, and maybe even beautiful and strong!
On Sunday, August 29, 2004, while standing in a hotel room in New York City, I decided to believe this thought was true,
“I am an old married woman. My life is over”.
I was 23 years old and I believed with every fiber of my being I was an old married woman and my life was over. If only I knew how powerful my thoughts were and how that thought would become my reality. If I knew this then, I would never have thought those words. You see, I did not understand that I create my life.
I create my life. You create your life. We create our lives. We create our lives in three simple steps: through our thoughts, words, and actions.
Everything we think, say, and do become our reality. It is not right or wrong, good or bad. Our thoughts are just thoughts. It is when we believe, at the very core of our existence, that those thoughts are our absolute truth that they manifest our reality. If we no longer believe our thoughts, we have the ability to choose other thoughts. It is that simple. There are three simple steps to create our lives, which becomes our destiny, and it all starts with a single thought, word, and action.
While at a meeting in January 2013, I heard a woman state, “I am a horrible speaker.” She then proceeded to stumble over her words, fidget with her clothes and ramble on and on, never able to make the point. Now, imagine how different this woman’s introduction of herself would have been if she chose to think, “I am a dynamic, confident, and powerful speaker.” We would have heard her speak in a clear and concise manner, standing up straight, and shoulders back with purposeful movements.
Our success starts and ends with “I am.”
Think of these two words like a genie who grants you a wish. Whatever words you place after the words “I am” are your truth. The brain thinks in “yes.” It is able to compute positive. If I were to state, “I am not fat.” My brain would think, “I am fat” because it does not register the word “not” of “I am not fat.” If I want to be healthy, strong, and physically fit, then I would state, “I am healthy, strong, and physically fit.” Think it, believe it, create it, and live it! It worked for me and hundreds of people I have helped. I know, from experience, changing your thoughts will change your life!
Imagine how different the five, long, depressing years of my unhappy marriage would have been if I changed my thought to:
I am a sexy, loving, young wife, and my life has only just begun.
I would have dressed, ate, and looked differently. I would have hung out with different people and spoke more positively about myself and to my, now, ex-husband. I would have had the confidence and trust in myself that I have today.
I realized life is worth living, and I have so much to do in this world. I would no longer waste another moment having negative, destructive thoughts. I was not going to blame my parents, friends, sisters, or ex-husband for my thoughts. There was no one to blame. I am the one who chose to believe those thoughts were true. Yet, I knew there was no one to blame because I chose, I decided, to believe, and accept the negative thoughts as my Truth.
Today, I am the woman God-Spirit intended for me to be. I am sexy. I am beautiful. I am young, vivacious, energetic, courageous, and willing to experience life to the fullest. I made the decision on Sunday, July 5, 2009, to change my thoughts and beliefs about myself for good. Those negative thoughts, words, and actions no longer served me.
We create our lives by our thoughts, words, and actions. There is no need for judgment, only acceptance. There is no need for hatred, only love. There is no need for sadness, only joy. There is no need for disasters, only blessings. There is no need to be despiteful, only grateful. Self-love is loving God-Spirit-Nature-The Universe.
Change your thoughts and create a new you! Just for today, choose to think, “I am beautiful, I am strong”. Remember, your success starts and ends with “I am.”
Sarah A. Sparks, MPA, is the speaker and relationship mentor for Create The Spark, LLC. Sarah has her BA in Human Resource Management, a certificate in Training: Design and Development from the University of Northern Iowa, as well as a MPA from Drake University. Sarah worked as a leader for two local governments in Iowa from 2004-2010, in the capacity of an Operations Transit Supervisor and Safety Coordinator, and as a Parks and Recreation Director. While serving these communities, Sarah mentored and trained numerous employees. Through this experience, she discovered the belief in one’s self is what limits someone from creating the life she desires. From that point onward, Sarah made it her mission to guide those who want to be mentored to create the life they desire by having the confidence and trust in themselves to make the right decision and say what they need to say, with love! Email createthespark@gmail.com or visit www.createthespark.org.