40 Miles of Bad Road

I thought the world was mine. It felt like that when I became a part of the forest, and the insect critters around the brook. But in school or with other people, I wasn’t fitting in. About age seven, when a small group my age stopped to chat, they could see I didn’t recognize who they were, so they left. I felt confused and humiliated. “What is wrong with me?” That phrase became my dreaded mantra.

Undiagnosed ADD was common in 1949. Teachers just figured I was slow, and my grades seldom got above C.

When I reached my thirties, after I started reading self-improvement books, I discovered the ADD that was holding me back. So I took on my ADD with-a-vengeance!

In the sixties I had learned from Eastern thinkers and philosophers. There I found my Inner or Holy Spirit, or God Connection. I later found them in Christian, and many other religions I’ve tried, or studied at Rutgers University. Surprisingly, college seemed easy and fun.

Listening to my mentors of the seventies, I started with their suggested affirmations. At first, they didn’t work. I needed to learn how to imagine myself being successful with whatever I wanted to do or become. I had to energize it, feel it, and affirm my faith in the affirmations, and in myself.

Once accomplished, I passed the 40-mile mark, and Affirmations began to work for me. The following are examples of help that I found to be the most inspirational along the way:

I remember being amazed and quickly aligned with the positive advice that Wayne Dyer was giving. I gravitated towards him, and then later to his mentors, “The Teachings of Abraham”. My son and I attended Esther Hicks’ Abraham workshops and learned to understand and use The Universal Law of Attraction. I gained confidence in myself and my journey.

The following are affirmations I’ve found helpful and inspiring.

• IT’S BEEN A LONG ROCKY ROAD, BUT IT WAS WORTH IT.
• IF YOU CHANGE YOUR THINKING, YOU CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
• WE ATTRACT WHAT WE THINK ABOUT. BE MINDFULL.
• NEGATIVE THINKING ATTRACTS NEGATIVE RESULTS.
• I AM IN THE PROCESS OF BECOMING THE BEST VERSION OF ME, THAT I CAN BE.
• I MAKE THE BEST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY I ENCOUNTER.
• I AM DETERMINED AND ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT WHAT I WISH TO ACCOMPLISH.
• I’ll NEVER STOP LEARNING, LOVING, GROWING AND EVOLVING.
• WANT TO STAY YOUNG? NEVER GROW UP.

Source: Inspired by “FOSTERING A POSITIVE MINDSET” presentation by Michelle LeGrand, Wellness and Fitness Coach, Certified CPT, CNC, SFS.