The power of 'I Am'

The human brain is a complex organ with the wonderful power of enabling man to find reasons for continuing to believe whatever it is that he wants to believe.

Yesterday I was reminded of the power of the words you choose and how this ultimately determines the level of satisfaction and success you will experience.

I was at an event and was sat next to a woman who had incredible energy. Somebody asked her how she was, and she responded with “I am amazing”. This simple comment stopped us all in our tracks and became the focal point of our conversation. It was so refreshing to hear someone reply with something other than the usual “I’m ok, thanks”. Her statement created a ripple effect and shifted the energy of the people around her.

‘I AM’ are two of the most powerful words that you can use because everything that comes after them determines how you are choosing to show up in the world. Your self-talk or thoughts drive your mindset, and your mindset drives your behaviour. Your brain is your biggest cheerleader. Whatever you tell it, it believes. It wants you to be right so it will constantly look for evidence to support what you think/ believe. This is a blessing and a curse. It is the perfect system when you are telling yourself something positive. It is a nightmare when you get into a negative spiral.

Let’s use the example from yesterday…

You start with the thought or mindset - “I am amazing”. You brain takes you at your word and starts to look for evidence to support it.

You look in the mirror and your brain starts reporting back all the evidence it can see to support the statement “I am amazing” …

Eyes look sparkly - check

Skin looks clear – check

You have a smile that lights up the room – check

When you start receiving this evidence through your thoughts, it starts to create a feeling or emotion. You start to FEEL amazing. Now you have your thoughts and feelings in alignment. It starts to impact your physiology. You hold yourself differently. You might stand that little bit taller. You might walk with a bit more confidence. You walk into a room in a different way. You might smile at every one you see. You BEHAVE differently.

Your behaviour leaves a trace on the people around you. Because you are telling yourself and holding yourself as though you are amazing, other people will start to believe you. Your behaviours will determine the ACTIONS that you take. You will have more confidence and more courage. Instead of feeling like you can’t contribute, you will share your ideas and opinions because you are amazing. All the evidence is backing you up. Because you are believing it, other people are believing it too.

Because you shared your amazing ideas and opinions, you are now getting different RESULTS. Your ideas are being implemented and shared as best practice instead of you sitting back and implementing the ideas of others. People start telling you that you ARE AMAZING.

And there you have it. The power of I AM.

It all started with those two words. I AM.

This works in the negative too…

If you start by telling yourself I am not good enough, the cycle repeats, but the outcomes are very different.

You start with the thought or mindset “I am not good enough”. Your best friend, the brain, believes you and starts to pull all the evidence together to support your theory. It never forgets. It will remind you of all the times over your life when it has evidence to prove that you are not good enough.

“Remember when you came last in the egg and spoon race, and everyone laughed?”

“Remember when that crush you had completely ignored you and chose to go out with your best friend?”

“Oh, here is a good one…what about the time when you had to give a presentation, and you told a joke, and no-one laughed. That was intense!”

The list goes on.

How are you likely to be FEELING when you have been listening to all the reasons you are not good enough on repeat?

How might you be looking at yourself in the mirror with all of that going on in your head?  I am certain you will be looking at all of your ‘perceived flaws’. The wrinkles and lines that you notice. The hair that should not be there! The fact that your eyes seem dull and lifeless.

What happens to your physiology? With every negative thing you notice about yourself, your shoulders sag, you feel that little bit heavier and the light inside you dims. You walk like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.

With all of that going on, how might you be BEHAVING? You walk down the street expecting not to be seen or noticed and you aren’t. The smile on your face does not reach your eyes. You walk into a room feeling like you don’t belong there. You don’t own the space you are in.

Your behaviour is reflected in the ACTIONS you take (or don’t take). You don’t apply for the job you really want because you don’t believe you are worthy of it. You don’t go on the date because it will end in disaster anyway, wont it? You don’t share the amazing idea you have in the meeting because who is going to listen to you anyway?

As a RESULT, you don’t get the job, you don’t have start an amazing relationship and the world misses out on the brilliant idea you could have shared but didn’t.

Are beginning to see the importance of those two words? ‘I AM’.

The world of self-development has been talking about the power of affirmations forever and it is easy to dismiss the idea of saying a phrase on repeat as just pointless and a gimmick.

When you realise that affirmations that start with, ‘I AM’ are grounded in neuroscience they become much more impactful. The words ‘I AM’ are literally giving instructions to your brain about the life you choose. You can either choose self-compassion, self-belief and self-actualisation or you can choose self-criticism, and self-limitation.

The choice is yours.

A limiting belief is simply a thought that you tell yourself on repeat. The great news is that you have the power to change the thought.

You change the thought; you change your life.

We are on the cusp of a new month. Why not choose to show up differently in February. What do you choose your ‘I AM’ statement be?

Write it somewhere you are going to see it each day.

Why not keep a journal for the month of February and record just how powerful the shift has been once you have chosen to live by an empowering, ‘I Am’ statement. I think you will blow yourself away.

Cheering you on. You’ve got this.

ps

As I finish writing this post, I am reflecting on the name of my coaching brand ‘No Ordinary Woman’. My Instagram handle is @iamnoordinarywoman

I didn’t do it intentionally but I have chills about how powerful that statement is. That is how I want every woman to feel, because it’s true. Let’s not settle for ordinary. Life is too precious for that.