Affirmation Station: Three Simple Ways to Create Positive Change

INSPIRE

Want a simple way to change your behaviors and achieve your goals? How about an easy strategy that will connect and uplift others? Are you ready for a straightforward method that will strengthen your team?

We’re all looking for ways to quiet that nasty little voice of doubt in our head. The one whose whispers can become shouts in an instant. The negative story that voice tells can be contagious and destructive in so many ways, derailing ourselves and those around us, holding us all back from being our best.

Affirmations. You’ve probably heard of them. More than likely you’ve doubted their impact. You may even currently be rolling your eyes. Yeah, I know. Thinking that something as simple as repeating a mantra can make an actual difference is hard to believe, especially when our goals are lofty and challenges are plenty.

I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.

Muhammad Ali

Among the many stated benefits, (see Positive Daily Affirmations: Is There Science Behind It?) affirmations have been found to lower stress and rumination, help us dismiss harmful messages, and be linked positively to higher achievement.

These simple, repeated statements hold real power to increase overall wellbeing and help ourselves and our teams reach our goals. I share a powerful story about how Colin O’Brady used daily self affirmations to accomplish the first ever solo trek across Antartica in How Morning Affirmations Help You Take on the Impossible.

AFFIRM

After a recent diversity and inclusion training, we were challenged, as a team, to be intentional with our affirmations. Tommie Lewis from Make It Plain tasked us with spending time reflecting and then sharing our stories that affirm and uplift ourselves, our teammates, and our school. As he stated, we must take charge and tell our own story, one that inspires and empowers us both as individuals and collectively.

We’ve been making our way through these three types of affirmations, finding various ways to tell our own stories, filled with belief, empowerment, and belonging. Our TM Affirmation Station (seen below with clickable resources) houses our current methods and, since affirmations are a habit, we’ll continue to seek ways to feed this productive and positive mindset.

• Self Affirmations
  • After sharing the story of Colin O’Brady, we passed out blank cards, challenging each other to write down three daily affirmations and commit to saying these daily.
• Teammate Affirmations
  • You Rock Awards – This Google form is linked to our weekly staff and family newsletters and automagically generates and emails a pretty nifty pdf award to the recipient. Shout out to Brent Coley and his generous tutorial.)
  • Celebrate #TMGenius Times – We use Voxer as a communication tool and one of the coolest ways we’ve found is by creating a staff-wide chat that is used for the sole purpose of shoutouts. (See 1, 2, 3, wait… 4?!?! Ways to Use Voxer as a Leader.)
  • TM Week of WOW’s – Every so often we print out a template full of five compliments and hand them out during our Monday morning huddle. Each day, we fill in the compliment with a colleague’s name and tape it outside their door. What a fun way to put a smile on someone’s face? Plus, the kids love seeing them posted on their teacher’s door!
  • Go It Old-School Style – We have a staff shout-out board in our front office that always has blank cards ready to hold a message of gratitude.
• School Affirmations
  • There are too many awesome things going on in our school not to share our story. We use our school hashtag, #TMGenius, to share these daily.
  • Welcome to Where You Belong – Signs at each entrance door announce this very important message that we value greatly. Recently, as we welcomed students back in the building, we asked them reflect on this by completing the sentence “I know I belong at Taylor Mill because…” and post it on board in our foyer. You can see some of them highlighted here.
  • Soon, we’ll be sharing our very own reasons of why our school rocks. Be on the lookout for some awesomeness as we complete and post these.

Want to make your own Affirmation Station? Click HERE and start creating a tool for positive change! (Affirmation quotes seen in the “rooms” along with others can be found at 35 Positive Affirmations to Add to Your Daily Rotation.)

AMPLIFY

Your reality is a reflection of your strongest belief.

Whether you’re looking to develop new habits or recharge your team, starting a daily habit of affirmations will help you develop the mindset needed to accomplish your goals.

How do you use affirmations? What are some of your favorites? Together we are brilliant, so I’d love to connect! Tweet and tag me (@me1odystacy) or feel free to start a conversation by commenting below.