Be Careful What You Tell Yourself

Be careful what you tell yourself. Words are very powerful, and what you believe it what you become.

Several years ago my husband and I were traveling to Atlanta to visit his family. We were on the train from the concourse to baggage claim and I was practicing a technique I learned in martial arts. I stood with my eyes closed, my knees bent, and without holding onto anything, I practiced finding my balance while I sensed the movement of the train.

As I was getting into a meditative state, I heard a loud voice say, “I have to sit down, because I’m an old lady! When you’re an old lady, you can sit down, too.” I opened my eyes and saw a woman squeezing into the last available seat and talking to a little girl standing near her. I closed my eyes and went back to my musings and practice while the woman continued her litany about being an old lady.

When we got off the train and moved toward the escalators, I automatically went to the stairs while the woman continued, “I have to take the escalator because I’m a old lady!” “Good grief,” I wondered, “How old is this lady anyway?” I turned around to look at her and almost fell the rest of the way down the stairs. She had to have been at least ten years younger than I was at the time! What kind of message was she sending to herself, as well as to that little girl?

Getting older is inevitable–being old is a choice. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking, as well as the detrimental effects of negative self-talk. Be very careful what you tell yourself, because what you hear (even from yourself), is what you believe. And what you believe is what you become. And I believe that all of us are beautiful. I also believe that we can be healthy, active, vibrant and fit, and every age and in every stage of life. Believe it!