In 1954, a kid peddled across the neighborhood on his bicycle in search of free food.
There was an exhibition for black businesses and free candy, popcorn, and hot dogs were promised at the venue - so the young boy got in and stayed. But after getting what he came for, he left the exhibition only to discover that his red and white Schwinn bike was gone.
Being furious, he told a policeman that what he desired most was to beat up the person who stole his bike. It was then that the policeman suggested that he had better learn how to fight before confronting people.
This was the beginning of the boxing journey of Muhammad Ali.
Once he got into the boxing world, even before making a name for himself, Ali proclaimed himself “The Greatest”.
Of course, many people cringed at this statement – expecting him to be humbled by many ruthless beat downs. But we know this wasn't the case, as Ali went on to stack victory upon victory.
Ali’s belief was intoxicating, even annoying - but also admirable. He would make colorful statements about himself like:
Throughout his career, he would sing his praises and then fight like hell to defend what he believed with every fiber of his being.
His affirmations were strong and positive.
Of course, he didn’t win all of his matches, but he was able to secure 56 wins whilst battling (and defeating) several world-renowned heavyweight champions. He also won several awards and was given the honors of lighting up the Olympic Flame in 1996.
It would seem Muhammad Ali’s positive affirmations about himself turned out to be quite true, and he loved himself enough to believe it even when he had no tangible evidence.
“I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was. I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I was really the greatest.” - Muhammad Ali
A lot of people associate self-affirmation with self-delusion and conclude that it is nonsensical, but this is a huge misunderstanding of what affirmation actually is.
While it is delusional to call yourself the fastest without even being an athletic person, it could be quite useful to say that to yourself if you were a runner - it could be the difference between success and failure.
The thing is, the brain finds it hard to differentiate reality from imagination.
The result is that it forces the body to respond to thoughts as though they were facts. It's the reason movies scare us, make us sad, or make us happy – our minds feel like we're experiencing those things directly.
When you're about to perform a difficult task, and you feel you're not qualified or competent, your body responds in kind by being less charged up for the difficult task ahead. But if you have a firm belief, your body will get prepared for it like it's really happening.
Think about it - when you’re startled, your body releases adrenaline and you prepare for danger. Your body responds to what it feels. That is, when you feel threatened, your body readies itself for fighting, when you feel safe your body relaxes.
In essence, how you feel about something, or someone affects the way you respond.
More importantly, how you feel about yourself influences how you act. But, your mind can only prepare for what's available.
If you really had greatness inside of you (as was the case of Ali), then affirming to yourself that you are “The Greatest,” would serve a useful role in unlocking that potential in you. But, if you're not that, no amount of affirmation can fix it.
That is to say, positive affirmations work when we are what we are professing to be - though unaware or in doubt.
Self-love affirmation is not the same as delusion, it is a subtle, yet clear, message to your “subconscious” that you can do something that you “consciously” believe you can do.
People like standing by what they believe themselves to be.
Self-love affirmations are positive statements we make to ourselves that help us overcome negative and self-sabotaging thoughts.
They're words that motivate us and remind us of who we are. They are not lies nor wishful thinking – they're statements that need to be drummed into the subconscious.
Self-love is underrated and sometimes wrongly thought of as selfish. Yet it is crucial for living a good life.
The love we have for ourselves influences our decisions and actions, the partner we end up with, and pretty much all other aspects of our lives.
Self-love is about self-respect, self-validation, and being true to who you are. It’s about forgiving ourselves. It’s about acting in ways that help us grow, and become better people. It is about being our best selves for our own sake and that of others.
In our daily lives, we struggle with a lot of things. It could be our performance in school, work, marriage, or piano lessons. But what's important is that we realize that these are just hard times, it doesn't mean we are less.
This is why we need affirming self-love. To believe in ourselves when the circumstances are indicating otherwise.
Talking down on yourself is not profitable in any way. You need to speak to yourself with love – remind yourself of all the things you’ve already accomplished, and how much you’ve survived.
When we struggle to accept who we are, we should respond by affirming to ourselves that we are lovable and wonderful. Maybe we messed up big time, but who doesn’t?
By repeating self-love affirmations, we rewire our minds to let go of limiting and negative beliefs by actively challenging and demolishing them.
When you make a positive statement about yourself and doubts creep in, it is important that you question the doubt, challenge and conquer it. This act causes your thinking to change, and in no time your actions and results follow.
Self-love affirmations can serve to:
When you're struggling, you can use self-love affirmations to keep in touch with your innate capabilities - which may have otherwise been drowned in the struggle.
This then makes you try out more things, put in more effort, and eventually achieve better results.
Muhammad Ali used this principle to his advantage. His bold statements helped him believe more in himself and his abilities.
It can help relieve stress, anxiety, and other negative emotions.
...as you become more relaxed, confident, and welcoming. An optimistic view towards life is magnetic to so many people.
So that, rather than ruminating about problems, you begin to actively lookout for solutions.
The truth is that everyone does it already - everyone speaks to themselves.
The only difference is that when you get intentional about it (when you start practicing self-love affirmation) you'll begin to catch yourself in the process of talking down on yourself, and you'll be able to switch it up - and say loving things instead.
At first, you might feel silly saying it - it might even sound ridiculous. But if you want to be more than you are today, and have the belief that greatness resides inside of you, then you might want to cultivate a habit of saying, like Muhammad Ali,
If you're struggling to come up with your own affirmations, and I know it can be hard, Daily Motivation has daily affirmations you can recite every day to help you find the best version of you.
Updated from May 25, 2021
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Greatly appreciated. Self- love,Self affirmation is what I need in a large dose.
Good to hear Etini! We're so happy you got what you needed 🙂 take care.
Extremely valuable information. I remember when Muhammad Ali began his self affirming messages. When George Forman lost to Muhammad Ali, he had to pick himself up by the bootstraps and keep chugging forward That was his form of self affirmations and took him to success outside of boxing. As a psychotherapist, I have been using mindfulness, affirmations and many different types of meditation, in order to change and shape the inner lives of myself and my clients. The brain is pliable and amenable to shaping and retraining. We are all capable of changing our story, every single day and moving our lives forward.
Love Dr. Paul.
Wow, thank you so much for sharing this Dr. Paul!! So well said, those are words of affirmation too - We are all capable of changing our story. Thank you for telling us and for inspiring your clients, yourself and our community as well. Take care!
I just need to hear this thank you
We're so happy we were there at the right time Karen! 🙂
Thank you for caring and sharing. we're all 'work in progress'. Self uplifting or self loathing is a choice. I am on guard when the Ego tells me to be scared. I thanked it for sharing and then flip: Fear: "Fully Engaged And Ready!" I believe in me. Journey On!
I appreciate these DMs, the words that are uplifting. It's so much easier to see the sky as falling vs: in all this manure there must be a pony in here. Hahahaha! Journey On!