POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS Spirit, courage, gung-ho, a refusal to be cowed, to have faith, confidence, in oneself, in life, in the process, in ones

goodness, sincerity and integrity. One just keeps reciting positive affirmations to oneself. One can do it, as in formal meditation, sitting down and mentally reciting the phrases to oneself for as long as one likes, even a whole hour, until the words are flowing smoothly. When the mind becomes absorbed in the recitation, it is very pleasant; the mind falls into a calm and tranquil state. Besides the formal sitting, one can also recite these phrases to oneself anywhere and anytime, even as one is going about ones normal daily activities. Below are some examples of positive phrases. It is best, if you can, that you compose your own lines, what you find is meaningful and relevant for you. As you keep reciting the phrases to yourself, you will be programming or conditioning your mind to become what you want to become. You will be etching new and positive neural pathways into your brain. You are what you think. You become what you think. Happy recitation! I have faith and trust in myself and in the process. I have confidence, strength, and courage to face all the challenges and difficulties in life. I will live with joy and ease, with a lightness of heart and spirit (not so tense and struggling). I will not live with worry and anxiety. I will banish negative, oppressive, and unskillful thoughts from my mind. I will look at my limitations with ease and humour (and not with self hatred). I will stop over-reacting with anger. I am patient, loving, gentle and kind. I am patient. I can wait. I can tolerate and endure. I can keep at it and not give up. I will keep at it. I will keep on trying. I will not give up. (This is developing determination.) I am tough. I can suffer. I am not afraid of suffering. I can take a lot of suffering. I have inner strength, inner poise, and capability. I will be a good and true friend to all. I am patient, mindful, and calm. I am happy and cheerful (not melancholic and depressed). I am calm, cool, easy, and relaxed. I will take everything as a challenge and an opportunity for learning and growth. I will turn vicissitudes and suffering into a blessing. (How then can we find the blessing in suffering? Suffering humbles us, teaches us to be more compassionate and understanding, checks our arrogance and conceit, arouses and develops strength, courage, patience, fortitude, determination, faith, trust, effort, skill and ingenuity in handling the situation. And later we can inspire and benefit others by sharing our struggles and experiences with them.) I will turn up openhearted for class. (Taking life as a school from which we are always learning new lessons and making new discoveries.) I will smile and laugh more often. I will live in the present, not in the past or future. I am concentrated and focused in everything I do. I am confident, motivated, and inspired.

I am letting go easily and joyfully. I am receiving gracefully and gratefully. May I appreciate all that I have. This too will pass. I will feel better again. May I learn to look at myself with the eyes of understanding and love. May I be able to recognize and touch the seeds of joy and happiness in myself.

*** Of course, you cant be reciting all those lines above. You may choose one or two or a few lines which you find meaningful and relevant for your present situation. As and when the need arises, you can select the phrases or themes that are relevant or compose lines that you find most apt for your situation. *** Remember happiness is an attitude. We should measure our success and self-worth/selfesteem by the wisdom we have, by the core values we live by, by what we are inside, by our true heart of love and compassion, by the good that we do, by our accomplishments in life, and not by our material possessions, name, fame, and status. As long as we are trying our best, we should not think poorly of ourselves but think well of ourselves. *** I am only one. But still I am one. I cannot do everything but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do. Helen Keller My will shall shape my future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no mans doing but my own. I am the force. I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. It is my choice, my responsibility. Win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny. Elaine Maxwell *** Be patient with everyone but above all with yourself. Do not be disheartened with your imperfections but always rise up with fresh courage. There is no better means of attainment to the spiritual life than by continually beginning again and never thinking that you have done enough. St Francis de Sales Over whatever you have to do, even if it be very urgent and demands great care, I would not have you argue or be agitated. For rest assured, everything you do, be it great or small, is but one-eighth of the problem, whereas to keep ones state undisturbed even if thereby one should fail to accomplish the task, is the other seven-eighths. So if you are busy at some task and wish to do it perfectly, try to accomplish it which, as I said would be one-eighth of the problem, and at the same time to preserve your state unharmed which constitutes seven-eighths. If, however, in order to accomplish your task you would inevitably be carried away and harm yourself or another by arguing with him, you should

not lose seven for the sake of preserving one-eighth. St Abba Doreatheus You should keep a green bough in your heart. The singing bird will come. - Chinese Saying Theres a Chinese saying, You should keep a green bough in your heart. The singing bird will come. I often think of mindfulness practice as learning to keep a green bough in our hearts, and then the singing bird comes in most curious and unanticipated moments. Its not just a fleeting experience or a state of mind. Sometimes there is such joy in just being awake. Once when the Buddha was traveling through a village this villager came to him and said, How come youre so radiant? Are you some kind of angel, some sort of god, some kind of saint? And the Buddha answered simply, No, Im awake. Christina Feldman