Affirmations Part 3: Filling your bucket with healing thoughts

Fill 'er up!

This is  part 3 and the final installment of the series on affirmations by Terry McBride, inspirational speaker and author of The Hell I Can’t. Terry has an audio program called Everybody Wins. I would listen to it in the car and when I was cleaning the house. I’m a visual person, so one of the analogies he used to describe affirmations really spoke to me.

Terry likens the practice of affirmations to running a faucet of clear water (positive thoughts) into a bucket of muddy water (negative thoughts).  He speaks more on this during our interview:

I think most people have a fairly negative environment because of our culture. Doing affirmations is choosing what is going into the bucket. Rather than trying to dump out all the negative thoughts, you begin to replace them with positive thoughts. As you continue to add clean water (positive affirmations, thoughts), it displaces the muddy water and becomes clear.

If you think negatively, it depresses the immune system. Taking charge of your mental input has thousands of ramifications that induce healing. Your mind and body are absolutely intertwined. When you begin to take charge of your mind, you begin to take charge of your body.

A lot of people aren’t used to that. When they get sick, they go to the doctor, who gives them a diagnosis and prescription. Then they wait for medicine to get them well. We’re encouraging people to ask, “How do I take an active role in creating health rather than sit back and wait for it to happen? What part can I take to help my body get well and stay well?”

When I was in the hospital, my statement of belief, which was like an affirmation, said, “I don’t have to figure this out all but myself.  All I have to do is start where I am and begin consciously move toward where I want to go.”

I think it’s so important for people to realize, especially those with a serious health challenge, that practicing affirmations is an ongoing process. There are days you feel bad, when tests come back worse than they were before. I think it’s important to love oneself and say, “I’m scared today and I’m not going to stay stuck here. I have the ability to begin to look in a new direction.”

Thanks Terry for your insight and experience. It was great to hear these messages again.