Weeds and Seeds

“Take your make up off
Let your hair down
Take a breath
Look into the mirror, at yourself
Don't you like you?
Cause I like you”

Colbie Caillait, Try

I hung up the phone and glanced down at the notes I had scribbled down.

I had been in my new house just two weeks.  Well, “new” was a bit of an overstatement. The once-beautiful house had been neglected for quite some time, and my husband and I had taken on the challenge of restoring it to its beautiful state.

One of the home-improvement tasks involved the lawn, which looked more like a weed forest than grass. Having only minimal lawn-care experience, I decided to consult an expert for guidance.  I wasn’t surprised at most of the recommendations, including regular weed-killing treatments, aeration, and fertilizer.  What did surprise me was the suggestion to re-seed the lawn.

“Really?” I had asked.

“Yes.” The gentleman had replied.  “You see, once you get rid of all the weeds, if you don’t fill in the holes with more grass, the weeds will just come back.”

As I stared at my notes and contemplated my course of action, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between creating a beautiful lawn and creating a healthy mind. Just as killing weeds is pertinent to having a healthy, attractive lawn, eliminating negative thoughts is pertinent to keeping a healthy mind. (This post and this post share two useful tools for eliminating negative thoughts.)

But getting rid of negative thoughts is just the first step. The next step is just as important; positive thoughts must fill in the empty holes, or negative thoughts will return. My favorite tool for planting positive thoughts is to use Daily Declarations.  (Here is a post about it)  Feeding the mind positive attributes every morning accesses a person’s inner power and trains the brain to focus on positive truths, even when it is attacked with negative comments throughout the day.

To get started, take a pen and paper, or use a computer and printer, and make a list of positive affirmations about you. If you are a woman, please include that you are beautiful.  If you are a parent, write that you are a fabulous mother or father. Which parts of life are challenging for you?  Make a positive declaration for it! 

If you need some ideas, here are five powerful declarations that I received from Kirk Duncan:

            I add value to other peoples’ lives!

            My life improves as I lead others!

            I am a great and powerful listener!

            I am confident and charismatic!

            I influence others to find their truth!

Do I do this everyday?  Yes!  I do! Every morning.  And throughout the day, whenever I need a boost.  And in the evening before I go to bed.

I challenge you to use positive declarations every morning for a week and see what happens. Then leave me a comment and tell me about your experiences.  This simple tool, all by itself, will rock your world!

“Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds… fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit…” Matthew 12: 3-8