I felt proud when it was over, my chest felt like it had puffed out further than any peacock I’d ever seen. I had spent an hour watching the US Army Military Tattoo and I was inspired, proud of their accomplishments and capabilities, and I’m not even American!
A tattoo is a demonstration of the capabilities of the armed forces and this one, because it was presented as the sun set, was called a Twilight Tattoo. This was a first for me and I found it impressive. It included music, a precision rifle drill team, uniforms dating back to 1775, and a history of the army. There were also pockets of time and events marked with a variety of soldiers in the dress of the day.
The one thing that stood out over everything for me though were the affirmations. I didn’t notice them at first but as the event moved on I realized what I was listening to – one affirmation after another. The Master of Ceremonies (MC) described what was going on in each scene and as he did so he described the army. “We are decisive, trustworthy, loyal and always ready to serve and protect our country,” he’d say. He would move on to the next scene, describe it, and then say, “We are strong, reliable, well trained, and we always win …”
In some of the scenes individual soldiers would speak. It started with their name and where they were from then continued with, “I am dedicated, professional, loyal, strong, competent, and proud to serve my country …” In every case the affirmation fit perfectly with what was going on. And with every affirmation I was feeling stronger, more decisive, dedicated, and trustworthy. But above all, by the time the tattoo was over I was convinced about the qualities and values of the US Army and proud to be American! Oh yeah…I’m not American.
Wouldn’t it be great to have that feeling everyday? Yet sometimes affirmations sound dull, passé, and irrelevant. Time to spruce them up and spice up how you say them. Remember, an affirmation is a statement of truth. In a statement of truth you may not currently see what you are claiming as truth so you have to be convincing in how you say it. This is different from a statement of fact, which is how things currently appear.
For example, a fact would be that a person is “ill” and there may be no way to stop the chronic pain. The truth is the person does not have to live a miserable life. They are just not aware of how to do that yet. To access that truth the person could set up an affirmation such as, “I am grateful for the opportunities that life offers me, the joy and happiness it brings. I fully accept healing on every level as it flows to me and through me now.”
Another example would be the fact that someone is “broke”, they have no money. The truth is there are ways they can legitimately earn money but have not discovered them yet. An affirmation may be, “I am so happy and grateful for the abundance that flows into my life now. I am open, optimistic and enthusiastic about all the opportunities that come my way.”
When you practice, use uplifting words that mean something to you and don’t limit what good you are declaring as yours. These positive statements have to become your self-talk, the running commentary in the back of the brain that never stops. That is what feeds your subconscious mind and what it uses to act on to create your experience. As Zig Ziglar is often quoted as saying, “People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.” Say your affirmations with conviction, excitement and often.
What’s your favorite affirmation? Share them on Facebook, and I’ll share the best in an upcoming blog. Add your name if you would like me to identify where it came from. Let’s see how many we can get together in one place!