“I AM” Affirmations
for Self-Esteem
By Dr. Marilyn Powers and Steve Viglione
QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
“[The I AM! Affirmation Book] is commendable in how it leads the mind of the child to a refreshingly welcome vision, using animal characters that populate the dreams of childhood, to build good resolutions. We are fortunate that this work has been translated into Sinhalese, Tamil, and English and [was] gifted to our children. I convey my most sincere thanks to you for this work done, especially for children, to help them become architects of a good society in the future.”
– Shiranthi Rajapaksa, First Lady of Sri Lanka
AFFIRMATION OF THE MONTH:
I Am Grateful!
And the way that I believe,
Is giving thanks for what I have,
And what I will receive.
Now I know who I Am,
And when I close my eyes I see,
The incredible child that I am,
The I Am, that is Me.
An affirmation is a true statement, and the truth is that you are a loving intelligent caring being full of potential and worthy of love, respect and appreciation. Whatever we choose to say after the words “I am” affect our feelings, moods, and even how we see the world. When they’re positive, these beliefs support us in feeling more confident and capable at school, at home, wherever we are.
Before you go to sleep each night, express gratitude—or thanks—for all the good things that came into your life during the day. You might share these thoughts out loud with your mom or dad, or just close your eyes and think about them by yourself. Go through the day and think about all the good experiences you encountered: The delicious breakfast you and your dad made, the fun you had snow-shoeing through the woods, the teacher who took extra time to help you, the girl who went out of her way to invite you to sit with her and her friends for lunch, an aunt that took you to a movie, the laughter you and your mom shared this morning, or whatever happened to you that made your life a little better.
Then, think about the next day and imagine what you would like to happen that you will appreciate tomorrow night. “I Am Grateful! And the way that I believe, Is giving thanks for what I have, And what I will receive.” Do you believe that you deserve to have a “tomorrow” that is even better than today? As you enter sleep with an attitude of gratitude, you feel at peace. You focus on what went right in your day and you also feel calmer and more secure as you face tomorrow.
VeeJay came home from school feeling upset and frustrated. “Mom, I just can’t stand my math teacher! She treats us like we’re dumb and makes us do the same boring problems over and over!” Then he paused and took a breath and said, “Hold it, don’t even say it. I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to say what you’ve always said to me, which is ‘What am I going to do about it?’ I already thought about that and I set up a time to talk to her tomorrow to see if I can either not do all the problems and move on to the next lesson or go sit in the hall and work on my other homework while she helps the kids who need more help. That’s not really my problem. My problem is, I just can’t seem to get back into a good mood. On the bus I did that EFT/tapping stuff we read about last week, and I actually feel a lot less angry than I did before. But I just want to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening without going over this stuff in my head.”
“Well,” his mom said, “Remember that affirmation we were saying the other day about being grateful? Do you think there’s anything about this situation or about your whole day that you could think about and feel grateful for?”
“Well, I’m grateful that I’m not in math class right now! Just kidding…I know we want to find things that we are grateful FOR instead of things that we’re grateful are NOT happening. Actually, during lunch today, which was before math, I had a great conversation with Nathan. We were talking about going camping this summer. That’s one thing I’m grateful for, to have him as a friend. We’re always planning such fun trips.”
“Now I know who I Am, And when I close my eyes I see, The incredible child that I am, The I Am, that is Me.” As you say these words, think about all the positive things you are. Think about all the words that you can use to finish the sentence: “I am…”. Think about all the things that make you uniquely you. You are full of goodness. Give thanks for the intelligent, creative, imaginative, loving child that you are. As you go to sleep, let your last thoughts take you into a calm and peaceful state, where you can sleep undisturbed throughout the night.
I AM! Affirmations help build our confidence, support us taking action, and encourage us to share our feelings and have them validated. The outcome is our experience of feeling successful when we have persisted and practiced.
From Recipient: My name is Jennifer Smith, I am a Special Education Teacher and I currently work in a low socially economic school where the funding is very minimum and the school in need of books to stock the classroom libraries. I am a special needs teacher (mild moderate disabilities) and would like to add to my classroom library. Most of the students at my school have never stepped foot out of Gulf Coast area let alone the state of Mississippi. It is through books that I learned about other places, things that I knew I would never get the opportunity to see due to my economic status. I would appreciate any donations that The I AM Foundation is willing to give in order to help my students build there reading skills, levels and explore places that they may never get the chance to experience. Visit our website.
Steve and Marilyn were invited by Jeffrey Coprich as key note speakers for this commemorative event which included distinguished guests such as Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Diane Watson, Laura Richardson, State Senator Diane Feinstein, LA County Supervisor Mark Ridgley Thomas, Assemblyman Mike Davis, Assistant Superintendent Sharon Curry and Kitty Davis-Walker of the Union Rescue Mission.
