There are so many clichés and sayings that we have taken ownership of, live by, and make our mantra without really thinking about what it means, if it is limiting, or even if it goes against the core of who we are. We like the rhythm of something, or the rhyme of a thing and make it our slogan, post it on Social Media, and expect the wow factor to be sustaining beyond the moment. But is it? Does it really represent who you are, what you believe, and what you say you stand for? Let's take a quick self-reflective journey.
The statement
What is the statement that you say all the time but you haven't really thought about the depth of the meaning of it? Most statements, mantras, affirmations project our future, so the ones we choose to live by should be empowering, liberating, and invoking prosperity in our future. Prosperity beyond finances, but to include every area of our life - spiritually, mentally, relationally, physically, and professionally
Sample Statements:
I've been this way all my life. Also known as "This is me."
I'm never going to ______ (get rid of this debt, finish this degree, get a financial break, write the book, get a good job, etc.)
Some of the worst statements are the ones others make to us: You'll never _____, You don't have enough experience for ______, You don't make enough money to qualify for _____, You need to get a real job.
Do any of these (or similar) statements sound familiar? Have thoughts like these crept into your mind? Have you allowed them to take up residence without thinking about the impact they have on your future? Our words have so much power and when we are not careful of our words, we can sometimes negate our own prayers and even prayers of others. In other words, we are always feeding our future with our present actions, behaviors, and words. So, think about some of the things you have said today and see how it is impacting your future.
When you transform your thoughts, you enhance your future, so how is your future shaping up?
I will never get out of debt. I guess Ima die with debt.
By the time I get a new car, the cars will be flying.
This job gets on my nerves.
My supervisor makes me sick.
I am always tired.
What life or lack thereof are you seeing now because of past things you said repeatedly in the past?
How can you intentionally transform your thoughts? We talk about some of this in our post on Limiting Beliefs, but for this post, we are focusing on helping you see how it impacts your future. It requires work and it requires you writing down goals of where you want to be. Here are some steps to help transform your thoughts as they occur, so you can enhance your future:
Acknowledge your limiting statement and immediately state the limitless relief. (Limiting Beliefs)
Think about where you are and how your thoughts may have restricted your progress because they became actions. (Ex. I will never get a promotion - so you never worked hard for the promotion.)
Determine where you want to be, so you can speak life into that future in present day.
Put the necessary action behind the words.
Examples using steps 1-4 above:
Debt
I will never get out of debt -> I will be debt free in 2 years. (notice the time frame is the goal, and it's okay if the goal shifts, but the goal is a requirement)
I have been saying for years that I will always have debt because people around me told me and showed me that debt is always present, and they are older than me so they must be wiser than me.
I am making a 2-year plan to get out of debt which means cutting back on my Starbucks runs, and my Walmart extras so I can pay off these credit cards.
It means only spending what I can pay in cash (paying charges off each month in addition to paying extra on one card at a time to pay them off) It means saving a little out of each pay for emergencies until I can save more to have a real emergency fund.
Business
I will never have my own business->I will have my own profitable business in 3 years.
I have been wishing for year for a business, but never researched what had to be done to establish or run the business.
I am making a 3-year plan to establish and run the business.
It means attending workshops, webinars, and finding a coach to help me on my journey to becoming a business owner. It means investing in me like I invest in everyone else.
Take these four steps and work them for every area and start not only speaking LIFE into your future, but seeing LIFE come into your future. You only have to want it bad enough and be willing to work for it hard enough.
Are you in?
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. ~Romans 12:2 NLT