Friendly Mantras

If I'm having a bad day I usually call up one of my girlfriends to remind me that my life is actually a bright and sunny place. They're remarkable, good friends, because they know exactly how to snap you out of it. Truth be told, our friends are usually a heck of a lot nicer to us than we are to ourselves. If we asked our friends to describe us they would make us blush. We might be told that we're compassionate, strong, beautiful and inspirational. If we asked ourselves we would probably just go on and on about how we're not good enough and it would be as if we were talking about a completely different person.

The problem with this unending negative chatter is that all of those seemingly innocent, self-deprecating thoughts string together to create deeply-rooted beliefs about who we are. After all, a belief is just a thought we have over and over again...it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Borrowing from neurologist Dr. Joe Dispenza in the brilliant (but weird) documentary, What the Bleep Do We Know, our brain releases thought-specific chemicals that circulate through our bodies and are absorbed by our cells. Every time we think "I am not enough", our cells are swimming in our negativity. The cells divide and their sister cells are born with more receptors to accept these popular chemicals. Addicted to our own mantras, we become what we think.

What would your friends have to say about all of this?! They would slap you across the face and tell you to quit making your body a breeding ground for such atrocities! Your inner circle is potentially the most accurate reflection of your true Self. They're able to see through your cloud of ignorance and identify you as a keeper. They've earned access to your heart with their consistent support and encouragement of the you you're often quick to shoot down. They walked you down from the ledge of "not enough" and empowered you to embrace your potential.

Your homework is to meditate on those positive mantras. Close your eyes and ask yourself what your friends would say about you and then create a mantra using their words. Every time you observe yourself undermining the words of your girlfriends, image what they'd say to get you back on track ("Snap out of it!"). Visualize your friends circled around you, each one reflecting the real you back to you. "I am wise. I am strong. I am beautiful". Repeat and be prepared to smile.