THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN (MITCH ALBOM)

1. It might seem strange to start a story with an ending. But all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time. 

2. No story sits by itself. Sometimes stories meet at corners and sometimes they cover one another completely, like stones beneath a river.

3. Well. People often belittle the place where they were born. But heaven can be found in the most unlikely corners. And heaven itself has many steps.

4. There are five people you meet in heaven. Each of us was in your life for a reason. You may not have known the reason at the time, and that is what heaven is for. For understanding your life on earth.

5. This is the greatest gift God can give you: to understand what happened in your life. To have it explained. It is the peace you have been searching for.

6. Take one story, viewed from two different angles. It is the same day, the same moment, but one angle ends happily, and the other ends badly.

7. You are here so I can teach you something. All the people you meet here have one thing to teach you. That there are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind.

8. "Fairness," he said, "does not govern life and death. If it did, no good person would ever die young".

9. Look at the mourners. Some did not even know me well, yet they came. Why? Did you ever wonder? Why people gather when others die? Why people feel they should? It is because the human spirit knows, deep down, that all lives intersect. That death doesn't just take someone, it misses someone else, and in the small distance between being taken and being missed, lives are changed.

10. You say you should have died instead of me. But during my time on earth, people died instead of me, too. It happens every day. When lightning strikes a minute after you are gone, or an airplane crashes that you might have been on. When your colleague falls ill and you do not. We think such things are random. But there is a balance to it all. One  withers, another grows. Birth and death are part of a whole. It is why we are drawn to babies and to funerals.

11. A: I still don't understand. What good came from your death?

B: You lived

A: But we barely knew each other. I might as well have been a stranger

B: Strangers... are just family you have yet to come to know.

12. No life is a waste. The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone.

13. War could bond men like a magnet, but like a magnet it could repel them, too. The things they saw, the things they did. Sometimes they just wanted to forget.

14. His running was over. His dancing was over. Worse, for some reason, the way he used to feel about things was over, too. He withdrew. Things seemed silly or pointless. War had crawled inside of Eddie, in his leg and in his soul. He learned many things as a soldier. He came home a different man.

15. If I couldn't keep you alive, I thought I could at least keep you together.

16. "I took your leg," the Captain said, quietly, "to save your life".

17. Time is not what you think. Dying? Not the end of everything. We think it is. But what happens on earth is only the beginning.

18. "SACRIFICE," the Captain said. "You made one. I made one. We all make them. But you were angry over yours. You kept thinking about what you lost. You didn't get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to. Little sacrifices. Big sacrifices. A mother works so her son can go to school. A daughter moves home to take care of her sick father".

19. Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else.

20. "I shot you, all right," he said, "and you lost something, but you gained something as well. You just don't know it yet. I gained something, too. I got to keep my promise. I didn't leave you behind".

21. Through it all, despite it all, Eddie privately adored his old man, because sons will adore their fathers through even the worst behavior. It is how they learn devotion. Before he can devote himself to God or a woman, a boy will devote himself to his father, even foolishly, even beyond explanation.

22. "You have peace," the old woman said, "when you make it with yourself".

23. The worst part is not the sleeplessness. The worst part is the general darkness the dream leaves over him, a gray film that clouds the day.

24. Things that happen before you are born still affect you. And people who come before your time affect you as well.

25. Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them. They move on. They move away. The moments that used to define them—a mother's approval, a father's nod—are covered by moments of their own accomplishments. It is not until much later, as the skin sags and the heart weakens, that children understand; their stories, and all their accomplishments, sit atop the stories of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones, beneath the waters of their lives. 

26. "He was hard on you," the old woman said. "Perhaps you were hard on him, too.

27. It was wrong. But things are not always what they seem.

28. "Better," she said, "to be loyal to one another".

29. Silence was his escape, but silence is rarely a refuge. His thoughts still haunted him.

30. Which was worse when left unexplained: a life, or a death?

31. Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves. Forgive, Edward. Forgive.

32. That's because no one is born with anger. And when we die, the soul is freed of it. But now, here, in order to move on, you must understand why you felt what you did, and why you no longer need to feel it.

33. "When he died," Eddie said, "he took part of me with him. I was stuck after that".

34. "I was angry with you, Dad. I hated you. You beat me. You shut me out. I didn't understand. I still don't understand. Why did you do it? Why?" He drew i long painful breaths. "I didn't know, OK? I didn't know your life, what happened. I didn't know you. But you're my father. I'll let i go now, all right? All right? Can we let it go?"

35. People say they "find" love, as if it were an object hidden by a rock. But love takes many forms, and it is never the same for any man and woman. What people find then is a certain love. And Eddie found a certain love with Marguerite, a grateful love, a deep but quiet love, one that he knew, above all else, was irreplaceable. Once she'd gone, he'd let the days go stale. He put his heart to sleep.

36. Love, like rain, can nourish from above, drenching couples with a soaking joy. But sometimes, under the angry heat of life, love dries on the surface and must nourish from below, tending to its roots, keeping itself alive. 

37. "Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form, that's all. You can't see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it. 

38. "Life has to end," she said. "Love doesn't".

39. It is never hard to act ordinary if you feel ordinary.

40. A: I was sad because I didn't do anything with my life. I was nothing. I accomplished nothing. I was lost. I felt like I wasn't supposed to be there

B: Children. You keep them safe. You make good for me.

MITCH ALBOM

THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN

MIRROR WORK: 21 DAYS TO HEAL YOUR LIFE PART 2 (LOUISE HAY)

DAY 12: OVERCOMING YOUR FEAR

Today you learn about how to defuse the power fear has over you and trust that life is taking care of you.

1. Fear is rampant on the planet today, in the form of war, murder, greed, and mistrust. Fear is a lack of trust in yourself. When you can overcome your fear, you will begin to trust life. You will begin to trust that life is taking care of you. In her international bestseller Feel the Fear...and Do It Anyway, Susan Jeffers wrote, “If everybody feels fear when approaching something totally new in life, yet so many are out there ‘doing it’ despite the fear, then we must conclude that fear is not the problem.” She believed that the real issue is not the fear itself but how we hold it. We can approach fear from a position of power or from a position of helplessness. The fact that we have the fear becomes irrelevant.

2. When a fearful thought comes up, it is really just trying to protect you. When you become physically frightened, adrenaline pumps through your body to protect you from danger, and the same thing happens with the fear you manufacture in your mind. I suggest that when you do your mirror work, you talk to your fear. You can say, “I know you want to protect me. I appreciate that you want to help me. And I thank you”. Acknowledge the fearful thought for wanting to take care of you.

3. I believe that we have a choice between love and fear. We experience fear of change, fear of not changing, fear of the future, and fear of taking a chance. We fear intimacy, and we fear being alone. We fear letting people know what we need and who we are, and we fear letting go of the past. But the mind cannot hold two opposing thoughts at once, and at the other end of the spectrum from fear is love. Love is the miracle worker we’re all looking for. When you love yourself, you can take care of yourself.

4. When you are frightened, remind yourself that it means you are not loving and trusting yourself. The belief that you are not good enough is often at the root of your fears. But when you love and approve of yourself completely, you can begin to overcome your fears. Do everything you can to strengthen your heart, your body, and your mind. Turn to your mirror and the power within you.

Let’s affirm: All is well. Everything is working out for my highest good. I am safe. Love is my strength. Only love is real.

DAY 13: STARTING YOUR DAY WITH LOVE

Today you discover that how you start your morning can determine your experiences for the day. You learn how the power of positivity can change everything for the better.

1. Let’s begin with how you start your day. Did you know that the first hour of the morning is crucial? How you spend it will determine your experience of the rest of your day. How did you start your day today? When you woke up, what were the first words that came out of your mouth? Did you complain? Did you think about what wasn’t working in your life? How you start your day is often how you live your life.

2. When you get up, it’s important to do a ritual that feels good to you and to say something to yourself that makes you feel good. Set in motion the best day possible for yourself. You don’t have to make these changes in your life all at once. Just pick one ritual for the morning and start there. Then once you have the ritual down, pick another one and keep practicing. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Remember: the idea is to feel good.

Let’s affirm: Today I create a wonderful new day and a wonderful new future.

3. From time to time, I ask those I love how I can love them more.

I choose to see clearly with eyes of love. I lqove what I see.

I draw love and romance into my life, and I accept it now.

Love is around every corner, and joy fills my entire world.

I rejoice in the love I encounter every day.

I am comfortable looking in the mirror and saying, “I love you. I really, really love you.”

I now deserve love, romance, joy, and all the good that life has to offer me.

I am surrounded by love. All is well.

I am in a joyous, intimate relationship with someone who truly loves me.

I am beautiful, and everybody loves me.

I am greeted by love wherever I go.

I attract only healthy relationships. I am always treated well.

I am very thankful for all the love in my life. I find it everywhere

DAY 14: LOVING YOURSELF: A REVIEW OF YOUR SECOND WEEK

Today you review your progress in your mirror work and learn how to give yourself more time and encouragement on the journey.

1. You have accomplished so much already. You have seen how your mirror helps you become much more aware of what you say and do. You are learning how to let go of whatever does not serve you. You are becoming more aware of your self-talk, listening carefully to your words and learning how to turn them around into positive affirmations. You are also working hard to transform your inner critic into an admiring fan who will praise and compliment your efforts and your commitment to change. Good for you!

2. Your inner child was the subject of two lessons this past week, and you bravely tackled them both. Give yourself a big cheer! You introduced yourself to your inner child, and you are beginning to understand what this little one is feeling. You are also finding time to hold this child in your arms and let it know how safe and loved it is. I am so proud of you for taking this enormous step toward loving yourself.

3. After these first 14 lessons, you are discovering how your body mirrors your inner thoughts and beliefs. You are beginning to pay attention to your body’s messages. You are beginning to feed your body the loving nourishment it needs: encouraging thoughts and positive affirmations. You are also noticing how good you can feel when you express your true feelings and emotions, even if they are negative ones. You must also congratulate yourself for all the hard work and exercises you are doing to release your anger toward others. This is such a healing experience that can truly change your life.

Let’s affirm: Here I am, world—open and receptive to all the wonderful things that this mirror-work course is teaching me.

4. Choose to eliminate from your mind and your life every negative, destructive, fearful idea and thought. No longer listen to or become part of detrimental thoughts or conversations. Today no one can harm you because you refuse to believe in being hurt. You refuse to indulge in damaging emotions, no matter how justified they may seem to be. You rise above anything that attempts to make you angry or afraid. Destructive thoughts have no power over you. You think and say only what you want to create in your life. You are more than adequate for all you need to do. You are one with the Power that created you. You are safe. All is well in your world.

5. Welcome this new day with open arms and love. Feel your power. Feel the power of your breath. Feel the power of your voice. Feel the power of your love. Feel the power of your forgiveness. Feel the power of your willingness to.change. You are beautiful. You are a divine, magnificent being. You deserve all good—not just some good, but all good. Feel your power and be at peace with it, for you are safe. 

DAY 15: FORGIVING YOURSELF AND THOSE WHO HAVE HURT YOU

Today’s lesson is about forgiveness—forgiving yourself and those who have hurt you, thus opening your heart to a new level of loving yourself.

1. Forgiveness opens our hearts to self-love. If you have a problem with loving yourself, you can get stuck in an unforgiving state. Many of us carry grudges for years and years. We may feel self-righteous because of what someone did to us. I call this being stuck in the prison of self-righteous resentment. We get to be right, but we never get to be happy.

2. One of the biggest spiritual lessons you can learn is to understand that everyone is doing the best they can at any given moment. People can do only so much with the understanding, awareness, and knowledge they have. Invariably, people who mistreat others were themselves mistreated in childhood. The greater the level of violence, the greater their inner pain and the more they may lash out. This is not to say that their behavior is acceptable or excusable. However, for your own spiritual growth, you must be aware of their pain.

3. The incident you are holding on to is over—perhaps long over. Let it go. Allow yourself to be free. Come out of this personal prison you have built and step into the sunshine of life. If the situation is continuing, then ask yourself why you think so little of yourself that you still put up with it. Why do you stay in such a situation? You have a choice: you can stay stuck and bitter, or you can do yourself a favor by willingly forgiving the past and letting it go, and then moving on to create a joyous, fulfilling life. You have the freedom to make your life anything you want it to be, because you have freedom of choice.

4. The purpose of today’s lesson is to help you raise your self-esteem to such a level that you will allow only loving experiences in your life. Please do not waste your time trying to get even. It will not work. What you give out always comes back to you. So drop the past and work on loving yourself now. Then you can have a wonderful future.

Remember, forgiveness is seldom for others. It is for you.

Let’s affirm: As I forgive myself, it becomes easier to forgive others.

5. I am one with life, and life loves me and supports me. Therefore, I claim for myself an open heart filled with love. We are all doing the best we can at any given moment, and this is also true for me. The past is over and done. I am not my parents or their patterns of resentment. I am my own unique self, and I choose to open my heart and allow love, compassion, and understanding to flush out all memories of past pain. I am free to be all that I can be. This is the truth of my being, and I accept it as so. All is well in my life.

The door to my heart opens inward. I move through forgiveness to love.
As I change my thoughts, the world around me changes. The past is over, so it
has no power now. The thoughts of this moment create my future.
It is no fun being a victim. I refuse to be helpless anymore. I claim my own
power.
I give myself the gift of freedom from the past and move with joy into the now.
There is no problem so big or so small that it cannot be solved with love.
I am ready to be healed, I am willing to forgive, and all is well.
I know that old, negative patterns no longer limit me. I let them go with ease.
As I forgive myself, it becomes easier to forgive others.
I forgive myself for not being perfect. I am living the very best way I know how.
It is now safe for me to release all of my childhood traumas and move into love.
I forgive everyone in my past for all perceived wrongs. I release them with love.
All of the changes in life that lie before me are positive ones, and I am safe.

DAY 16: HEALING YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Today you learn about releasing an old love, healing a broken relationship, and looking for a new love.

1. Forgiveness is the miracle cure we have all been looking for. You probably feel much lighter and more beautiful today. Celebrate your freedom and surround yourself with love. If you want to heal a relationship, the first relationship you need to improve is the one you have with yourself. Why would anyone want to be with you if you don’t want to be with you? When you are happy with yourself, then all your other relationships improve, too. A happy person is very attractive to others. If you are looking for more love, then you need to love yourself more. It is as simple as that.

It means no criticism, no complaining, no blaming, no whining, and no choosing to feel lonely. It means being very content with yourself in the present moment and choosing to think thoughts that make you feel good now.

2. There is no one way to experience love, for everyone experiences it in different ways. For some of us to really experience love, we need to feel love through being hugged and touched. Others need to hear the words I love you. Still others need to see a demonstration of love, such as a gift of flowers. Often our preferred way of receiving love is the way we feel most comfortable demonstrating it in return.

3. Say your loving affirmations every moment you can. Demonstrate the growing love you have for yourself. Treat yourself to romance and love. Pamper yourself. Show yourself how special you are. Life always mirrors back to us the feelings we have inside. As you develop your inner sense of love and romance, the right person to share your growing sense of intimacy will be attracted to you like a magnet. If you want to go from loneliness thinking to fulfillment thinking, then you need to create a loving mental atmosphere within and around you. Let any negative thoughts about love and romance fade away. Instead, think about sharing love, approval, and acceptance with everyone you meet.

4. When you truly love who you are, you will stay centered, calm, and secure, and your relationships at home and at work will be wonderful. You will find yourself reacting to people and situations differently. Matters that were once desperately important to you will not seem quite as crucial anymore. New people will enter your life, and perhaps some old ones will disappear. This may be scary at first, but it can also be refreshing and exciting. Remember: when you think joyous thoughts, you will be a happy person. Everyone will want to be with you, and all of your relationships will improve and flourish.

Let’s affirm: Deep in the center of my being is an infinite well of love. I am love.

If you are having trouble in your relationships, look into your eyes, breathe deeply, and say, I am willing to release the need for relationships that don’t nourish and support me.

5. Love is the most powerful healing force there is. Send everyone you know lots of comfort and acceptance and support and love. Be aware that as you send these thoughts out, you also receive them in return. Visualize a circle of love that embraces your family members, whether living or not, as well as friends, co-workers, and everyone from your past. Put yourself in the circle. You are worth loving. You are beautiful. You are powerful. Open yourself to all good and to the unconditional love within you. Affirm:
I open myself to love.
I am willing to love and be loved.
I see myself prospering. I see myself healthy. I see myself creatively fulfilled.
I have wonderful, harmonious relationships in which there is mutual respect and caring.

DAY 17: LIVING STRESS FREE 

Stress is a fear reaction to life and its constant changes. Today you learn how to stop feeling so stressed.

1. Stress is a fear reaction to life and to the constant change that is inevitable. Stress has become a catchword: we use it as an excuse for not taking responsibility for our feelings, above all our fear. But if you can equate stress with fear—and understand that feeling stressed is really a fearful reaction—you can begin to eliminate the need for stress in your life.

2. A peaceful, relaxed person is neither frightened nor stressed. So if you’re feeling stressed, ask yourself what you are afraid of. Most people have a long list of worries, with things like work, money, family, and health at the top. Your concern then becomes how to eliminate the fear and move through life feeling safe. You can start by doing your mirror work and practicing positive affirmations. When you do this, you can replace your negative, constricting thoughts with positive thoughts that create peace, joy, harmony, and a stress-free life.

3. Most of our beliefs about life and about ourselves are formed by the time we are five years old. We may expand on them a little as teenagers and maybe a tiny bit more when we are older, but very little changes overall. So we live in the limitations of our five-year old consciousness. You have a choice to accept these limitations or to go beyond them. Remember: the limitations you feel are all in your mind and have nothing to do with reality. When you learn to drop your limiting beliefs and allow yourself to move into the totality of possibilities, you will discover that you are good enough. You do have what it takes. You can handle whatever is on your plate. And you have all the time you need. You can see all sorts of possibilities, and you are capable of remarkable things.

Let’s affirm: I become more confident and proficient every day. There are no limits to my abilities.

4. Negative, fearful thinking only brings more stress into your life. Here are some affirmations you can say wherever you are—in front of your mirror, in the car, at your desk—when negative thoughts begin to surface:

I let go of all fear and doubt, and life becomes simple and easy for me.

I create a stress-free world for myself.

I breathe in and out slowly, relaxing more and more with each breath.

I am a capable person, and I can handle anything that comes my way.

I am centered and focused, and I feel more secure with each day.

It is safe to express how I feel.

I can remain serene in any situation.

I trust myself to deal with any problems that arise during the day.

I realize that stress is only fear. I now release all fears.

DAY 18: RECEIVING YOUR PROSPERITY

Are you a magnet for miracles, money, prosperity, and abundance? Today you learn how you can be when you open yourself to receiving.

1. There is so much abundance in the world just waiting for you to experience it. There is more money than you could ever spend. There is more joy than you could ever imagine. There are more people than you could ever meet. If you fully understood this, you would realize that you can have everything you need and desire. The Power within us is willing to give us our fondest dreams and enormous abundance in an instant. Are you open to receiving it? If you want something, the Universe doesn’t say, “I’ll think about it”. It readily responds and sends it through. However, you must be open and ready in order to receive it.

2. Prosperity can mean many things—money, love, success, comfort, beauty, time, knowledge. You create prosperity by talking and thinking about your abundance. You cannot create prosperity by talking or thinking about your lack. When you concentrate on lack, it only creates more lack. Poverty thinking brings more poverty. Gratitude thinking brings more abundance. 

3. Whatever you give out comes back to you. Always. If you take from life, then life will take from you. It’s that simple. Be aware of the beliefs that may be blocking the flow of money and prosperity in your life. Then use your mirror work to change those beliefs and create new, abundant thinking. The best thing you can do if you are having money problems is to develop prosperity thinking.

4. There are two prosperity affirmations I have used for many years that work well for me. They will work for you, too. They are: My income is constantly increasing and I prosper wherever I turn. When something good comes into your life, say Yes! to it. Open yourself to receiving good. Say Yes! to your world. Opportunities and prosperity will increase a hundredfold. Once a day, stand with your arms open wide and say with joy: I am open and receptive to all the abundance in the Universe. Thank you, life. Life will hear you and respond.

Let’s affirm: Life supplies all my needs in great abundance. I trust life.

5. If you want to bring more money and prosperity into your life, repeat these affirmations with feeling:

I am a magnet for money. Prosperity of every kind is drawn to me.

At work, I am deeply appreciated and well compensated.

I live in a loving, abundant, harmonious universe, and I am grateful.

I am open to the unlimited prosperity that exists everywhere.

The law of attraction brings only good into my life. I move from poverty thinking to prosperity thinking, and my finances reflect this change.

Good comes to me from everywhere and everyone.

I express gratitude for all the good in my life. Each day brings wonderful new surprises.

I pay my bills with love, and I rejoice as I write out each check. Abundance flows freely through me.

I deserve the best, and I accept the best now.

I release all resistance to money and allow it to flow joyously into my life. My good comes from everywhere and everyone.

DAY 19: LIVING YOUR ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE 

Today is devoted to thanking life for all its many gifts and learning how to live with an attitude of gratitude every day.

1. Did you know that prosperity and gratitude go hand in hand? I am always grateful to be one with Universal Wisdom and backed by Universal Power. I have noticed that the Universe loves gratitude. The more grateful you are, the more goodies you get. When I say goodies, I don’t mean only material things. I mean all the people, places, and experiences that make life so wonderfully worth living. You know how great you feel when your life is filled with love and joy and health and creativity, and you get green lights and parking places? This is how our lives are meant to be lived. This is how our lives can be if we are grateful. The Universe is a generous, abundant giver, and it likes to be appreciated.

2. Be grateful from the moment you wake up in the morning. If you start the day by saying, “Thank you, bed, for a good night’s sleep,” from this beginning it is easy to think of many, many more things to be grateful for. In the evening, just before you go to sleep, review your day and bless and be grateful for all your experiences—even the challenging ones. If you feel that you made a mistake or made a decision that was not the best, forgive yourself. Be grateful for all the lessons you have learned, even the painful ones. They are little treasures that have been given to you. As you learn from them, your life will change for the better. Rejoice when you see a portion of the dark side of yourself. This means that you are ready to let go of something that has been hindering you. At that moment, you can say: Thank you for showing me this, so I can heal it and move on.

3. Spend as many moments as you can today and every day being grateful for all the good in your life. If you have little good in your life now, it will increase. If you have an abundant life now, it will increase. This is a win-win situation. You are happy, and the Universe is happy. This attitude of gratitude increases your abundance. When you interact with people today, tell them how grateful you are for what they’ve done. Let’s help make this a world of grateful and thankful giving and receiving!

Let’s affirm: I joyously give to life, and life lovingly gives back to me.

4. Appreciation and acceptance act like powerful magnets for miracles every moment of the day. Compliments are gifts of prosperity. I have learned to accept them graciously. If somebody compliments me, I smile and say, “Thank you”. Today is a sacred gift from life. I open my arms wide to receive the full measure of prosperity that the Universe offers. Any time of the day or night, I can let it in.

5. The Universe supports me in every way possible. I live in a loving, abundant, harmonious Universe, and I am grateful. There are times in life, however, when the Universe gives to me but I am not in a position to do anything about giving back. I can think of many people who helped me enormously at times when there was no way I could ever repay them. Later, however, I was able to help others, and that’s the way life goes. I relax and rejoice in the abundance and gratitude that are here now.

DAY 20: TEACHING MIRROR WORK TO CHILDREN

Children also face the stresses of life. Today you learn how to practice mirror work with little ones, and you watch the miracles that happen.

1. Every day you practice your mirror work, you are letting go of old, negative beliefs you have been carrying around for so long. Where did these negative beliefs come from? We picked them up as children. We absorbed every word that was said to us. The more we heard our parents or other adults saying negative things about us, the more we believed them.

2. We can change all that for our children now. One of the most important things we can do for them is to remind them of the basic truth that they are lovable. Our role as parents is not to be perfect, to get everything right, but to be loving and kind. Children today have a lot more issues to deal with than we did when we were their age. They are steadily barraged with news about the critical state of the world and are continually having to make complex choices. How children handle these challenges is a direct reflection of how they truly feel about themselves. The more children love and respect themselves, the easier it will be for them to make the right choices in life.

3. Young people are looking up to us and listening to every word we say. Be a shining example of positive statements and affirmations. When you begin to believe them, so will your children. Nurture the children in your life just as you are learning to nurture yourself. Remember: nobody has the “perfect” child or the “perfect” parent. We are bound to make poor choices at one time or another. That is simply part of the learning and growing process. What is important is to love your child unconditionally and, most important, to love yourself unconditionally. Then watch the miracles happen for your children as well as for yourself.

Let’s affirm: I can be what I want to be. I can do what I want to do. All life supports me.

4. It is vitally important to keep the lines of communication open with children, especially during the teen years. So often children are told things like Don’t say that. Don’t do that. Don’t feel that. Don’t be that way. Don’t express that. When all they hear is don’t, don’t, don’t, they stop communicating. Then, when the children are older, parents complain, “My children never call me”. Why don’t they call? Because the lines of communication have been cut, that’s why. When you are open with your children—using positive statements like “It’s okay to feel sad” and “You can talk to me about it”—and you encourage them to share their feelings, the lines of communication will be restored.

We’re so glad you came. We’ve been waiting for you. We wanted you so much to be part of our family. You’re so important to us. The family wouldn’t be the same without you. We love you. We want to hold you. We want to help you grow up to be all that you can be. You don’t have to be like us. You can be yourself. We love your uniqueness. You’re so beautiful. You’re so bright. You’re so creative. It gives us such pleasure to have you here. We thank you for choosing our family. We know you’re blessed. You have blessed us by coming. We love you. We really love you.

5. Let your little child make these words true for you. Be aware that every day you can look in the mirror and say these words. You can tell yourself all the things you wanted your parents to tell you. Your little child needs to feel wanted and loved. Give that to your child. No matter how old you are or how sick or scared the little child within you is, it needs to be wanted and loved. Keep telling your inner child, “I want you, and I love you”. It is the truth for you. The Universe wants you here. And that’s why you are here. You’ve always been loved and will always be loved throughout eternity. You can live happily ever after. And so it is.

DAY 21: LOVING YOURSELF NOW

Through mirror work, you discover that you are perfect just as you are and that loving yourself can heal every problem.

1. Congratulations, dear ones! This is the last day of your 21-day adventure in mirror work. It has brought you closer to discovering one of the biggest treasures of your life—the gift of loving yourself. Throughout this journey, you have used your mirror work to help you examine your self-talk, quiet your inner critic, forgive those who have hurt you, let go of past fears, and release old beliefs and negative thought patterns. In doing so, you have opened a storehouse of treasure within you.

2. My wish for you is to always remember that there is one thing that heals every problem, and that is to love yourself. When you start to love yourself more each day, it’s amazing how your life will get better. You will feel better. You will get the job you want. You will have the money you need. Your relationships will improve, and the negative ones will dissolve and new ones will appear.

3. Although you have completed this course, your mirror work has only just begun. It is something for you to practice every day. You will most likely encounter more bumps and even a few detours as you continue the journey. But you will be ready. You will be able to pick yourself up, look into your mirror, and remind yourself that you are worth loving. You are perfect just as you are. You deserve all the goodies in life. You are a magnet for miracles. Carry your mirror with you. Keep reminding the beautiful person looking back at you that you love this person with all your heart.

Let’s affirm: When I express love toward myself and everyone I meet, that love comes right back to me!

4. Divine right action is guiding us every moment of the day. We say the right words at the right time and follow the right course of action at all times. Each person is part of the harmonious whole. There is a divine blending of energies as we work joyfully together, supporting and encouraging one another in ways that are fulfilling and productive. We are healthy, happy, loving, joyful, respectful, supportive, and at peace with ourselves and with one another. So be it, and so it is.

5. Let’s open our hearts so that we can take in everyone with love, support, and caring. Let’s move that love to people in the street who have no homes and no place to go. Let’s share our love with those who are angry, frightened, or in pain. Let’s send love to the people who are in the process of leaving the planet and those who have already left. See peace breaking out all over the planet. Know that you are contributing to that peace right now. Rejoice that you have the ability to do something positive to help. Acknowledge how wonderful you are. Know that it is the truth for you. And so it is.

AFTERWORDS

 

12 WAYS YOU CAN LOVE YOURSELF NOW--AND ALWAYS

1. Stop All Criticism

Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.

2. Forgive Yourself

Let the past go. You did the best you could at the time, with the understanding, awareness, and knowledge that you had. Now you are growing and changing, and you will live life differently.

3. Don’t Scare Yourself

Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts. It’s a dreadful way to live. Find a mental image that gives you pleasure and immediately switch a scary thought to a pleasant thought.

4. Be Gentle and Kind and Patient

Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patient with yourself as you learn new ways of thinking. Treat yourself as you would treat anyone you really love.

5. Be Kind to Your Mind

Self-hatred is hating your own thoughts. Don’t hate yourself for having the thoughts. Gently change the thoughts to more life affirming ones.

6. Praise Yourself

Criticism breaks down your inner spirit. Praise builds it up. Praise yourself as much as you can. Tell yourself how well you are doing with every little thing.

7. Support Yourself

Find ways to support yourself. Reach out to friends and allow them to help you. It is being strong to ask for help when you need it.

8. Be Loving to Your Negatives

Acknowledge that you created them to fulfill a need. Now you are finding new, positive ways to fulfill those needs. Lovingly release the old, negative patterns.

9. Take Care of Your Body

Learn about nutrition. What kind of fuel does your body need in order to have optimum energy and vitality? Learn about exercise. What kind of exercise do you enjoy? Cherish and revere the temple you live in.

10. Have Fun!

Remember the things that gave you joy as a child and incorporate them into your life now. Find a way to have fun with everything you do. Let yourself express the joy of living. Smile. Laugh. Rejoice, and the Universe rejoices with you!

11. Love Yourself . . . Do It Now

Don’t wait until you get well or lose weight or get a new job or find a new relationship. Begin loving yourself now—and do the best you can.

12. Do Your Mirror Work

Look into your eyes often. Express the growing sense of love you have for yourself. Forgive yourself while looking into the mirror. Talk to your parents while looking into the mirror. Forgive them, too. At least once. 

LOUISE HAY

MIRROR WORK: 21 DAYS TO HEAL YOUR LIFE

MIRROR WORK: 21 DAYS TO HEAL YOUR LIFE PART 1 (LOUISE HAY)

WELCOME

1. Mirror work—looking deeply into your eyes and repeating affirmations—is the most effective method I’ve found for learning to love yourself and see the world as a safe and loving place. These affirmations are messages to your subconscious that establish habitual ways of thinking and behaving. Positive affirmations plant healing thoughts and ideas that support you in developing self-confidence and self-esteem, and creating peace of mind and inner joy.

2. The most powerful affirmations are those you say out loud when you are in front of your mirror. The mirror reflects back to you the feelings you have about yourself. It makes you immediately aware of where you are resisting and where you are open and flowing. It clearly shows you what thoughts you will need to change if you want to have a joyous, fulfilling life.

3. It’s so important to give yourself little positive messages throughout the day. The more you use mirrors for complimenting yourself, approving of yourself, and supporting yourself during difficult times, the deeper and more enjoyable your relationship with yourself will become.

DAY 1: LOVING YOURSELF

1. I want to like you. I want to really learn to love you. Let’s go for it and really have some fun. I’m learning to really like you, [name]. I’m learning to really love you.

2. If we do mirror work to create good in our lives but there’s a part of us that doesn’t believe we are worth it, we are not going to believe the words we are saying as we look in the mirror. We will reach a point at which we start thinking, Mirror work doesn’t work.

3. Each one of us has the ability to love ourselves more. Each one of us deserves to be loved. We deserve to live well, to be healthy, to be loved and loving, and to prosper. And that little child within each of us deserves to grow up into a wonderful adult. So see yourself surrounded by love. See yourself happy and healthy and whole. And see your life as you would like it to be, putting in all the details. Know that you deserve it.

4. And then take the love from your heart and let it begin to flow, filling your body and then moving out from you. Visualize the people you love sitting on either side of you. Let the love flow to those on your left and send the comforting thoughts. Surround them with love and support, and wish them well. And then let the love from your heart flow to the people on your right. Surround them with healing energies and love and peace and light. Let your love flow around the room until you are sitting in an enormous circle of love. Feel the love circulating as it goes out from you and then comes back to you multiplied.

5. Love is the most powerful healing force there is. You can take this love out into the world and silently share it with everyone you meet. Love yourself. Love one another. Love the planet and know that we are all one. And so it is.

DAY 2: MAKING YOUR MIRROR YOUR FRIEND

Today you begin to practice basic mirror work exercises, learning to look closely at yourself and beyond your old beliefs.

1. I love you. I really, really love you. I LOVE you. I really, really LOVE YOU.

How does that feel? You can be honest and say that it feels strange or stupid. Because it does feel strange and stupid at first. Or maybe you find it hard to do. It’s okay to feel this way. Loving yourself unconditionally is something you haven’t done before. Let yourself feel these feelings. Whatever you’re feeling, it’s a beginning, a very good place to start. I know that telling yourself I love you is difficult for many of you. I also know that you can do it, and I’m very proud of you for hanging in. 

2. Using your name, say this affirmation [Name], I love you. I really, really love you. Take a few moments now to say it two or three more times: I really, really love you, [Name]. Keep repeating this affirmation over and over. I want you to be able to say it at least 100 times a day.

3. When you find it difficult to tell yourself I love you, it is most likely because you are judging yourself, repeating those old, negative messages. Don’t add to your discomfort by judging yourself for making judgments. Just relax and commit to saying the affirmation. Remember: you are committing to an affirmation that’s true. The truth is, we do love ourselves, when we are not judging ourselves.

4. It’s a good idea to have a tissue at hand when you are doing mirror work, because this work can be very evocative. Often it brings up emotions from the deep. The fact is, we may have been very unkind to ourselves. So when we start to love ourselves again, we become aware of the unloving attitudes we’ve been carrying for a long time, and that causes a certain amount of grief. But the grief is being released. So let yourself feel what you feel and accept those feelings. Don’t judge them. Mirror work is all about self-love and self-acceptance.

5. I’ve encouraged you to practice your mirror work first thing in the morning. Sometimes that’s the hardest time of day to do it because we feel that we don’t look our best in the morning. But that is just a judgment, and what we are doing in mirror work is looking into the mirror without judgment so we can see who we really are.

Deserving has nothing to do with being good. It is our unwillingness to receive the good in life that gets in the way. Allow yourself to accept the good, whether you think you deserve it or not.

DAY 3: MONITORING YOUR SELF TALK

Today you learn more about changing the messages you give yourself, clearing out negative thoughts from the past so you can live in the present moment.

1. The best way to love yourself is to release all the negative messages from your past and live in the present moment. So today, I’d like to work with you on changing what I call your self-talk—what you say to yourself in your head. The way we talk to ourselves inwardly is really important because it becomes the basis of our spoken words. It sets up the mental atmosphere in which we operate and attracts our experiences to us. If we belittle ourselves, life is going to mean very little to us. However, if we love and appreciate ourselves, then life can be a wonderful, joyous gift.

2. You can practice positive self-talk during your mirror work, making only positive statements about yourself and repeating only positive affirmations. If any of the negative self-talk from your childhood comes up, you can turn it around into a positive statement. For example, “You never do anything right!” could become the affirmation I am a capable person, and I can handle anything that comes my way. As you listen to yourself and others, you can become more aware of what you say and how and why you say it. This awareness will help you change your self-talk into affirmations that will nurture and heal you in body and mind. What a wonderful way to love yourself! Let’s affirm: I release all the negative messages from the past. I live in the present moment.

3. Say this affirmation: Whatever I say to myself, I will say it with love. Is there a statement that you heard as a child that still sticks in your head? Maybe something like “You’re stupid” or “You’re not good enough,” or whatever else comes to mind. Take time to work with negative statements and turn them into positive affirmations: I am smart. I am more intelligent than I realize. I am a genius with an abundance of creative ideas. I am a magnificent person. I am lovable. I am worth loving.

4. Most of us have foolish ideas about who we are and many rigid rules about how life should be lived. Let’s remove the word should from our vocabulary forever. Should is a word that makes prisoners of us. Every time we use should, we are making ourselves wrong or someone else wrong. We are, in effect, saying: not good enough. What can be dropped now from your should list? Replace the word should with the word could. Could lets you know that you have a choice, and choice is freedom. We need to be aware that everything we do in life is done by choice. There is really nothing we have to do. We always have a choice.

DAY 4: LETTING GO OF YOUR PAST

Today you start to let go, release blame, forgive, and move on.

1. Can you imagine how wonderful it would be if every day you learned a new way to let go of the past and create harmony in your life? My dear ones, you have already started by doing your daily mirror work. Each day you are clearing out the layers, the blocks of the past. Each time you say an affirmation in front of the mirror, you are removing another layer. What are the layers of your past that are keeping you from living a happy and fulfilling life? What are the blocks preventing you from forgiving yourself and your past?

2. Everything in your life is a mirror of who you are. Just as a mirror reflects your image, your experiences reflect your inner beliefs. You can literally look at your experiences and determine what your beliefs are. If you look at the people in your life, you will see that they are all mirroring some belief you have about yourself. If you are always being criticized at work, it is probably because you are critical and have become the parent who criticized you as a child.

3. Remember: When something that’s happening in your life does not feel comfortable for you, you have the opportunity to look inside and ask, How am I contributing to this experience? What is it within me that believes I deserve this? How can I change this belief? How can I forgive myself and my past and learn to let go and move on?

4. Say these affirmations aloud: I am willing to let go. I release. I let go. I release all tension. I release all fear. I release all anger. I release all guilt. I release all sadness. I let go of old limitations and beliefs. I let go, and I am at peace. I am at peace with myself. I am at peace with the process of life. I am safe.

5. We create habits and patterns because they serve us in some way. It is amazing how many illnesses we create because we want to punish a parent. We may not be doing this consciously—in fact, in most cases it is not conscious. But when we start looking within, we find the pattern. We often create negativity because we do not know how to handle some area of life. If that’s the case, ask yourself: What am I feeling sorry about? Who am I angry at? What am I trying to avoid? How do I think this will this save me?

If you are not ready to let something go—you really want to hold on to it because it serves you—it doesn’t matter what you do; you will not be able to let it go. However, when you are ready to let something go, it is amazing how easy it is to release it.

DAY 5: BUILDING YOUR SELF-ESTEEM

Today you learn more about loving yourself with respect, gratitude, and the realization that your body, mind, and soul are miracles to be appreciated.

1. How did you feel when you woke up this morning? Did you smile when you looked in the mirror and said, I love you, darling, I really love you? Are you starting to believe it? After just a few days of mirror work, you may see that it has already started making a difference in your life. You may be smiling a little more today. You may be feeling much better when you look in the mirror and see your beautiful face. You may be feeling much better about yourself. Are you beginning to love and approve of the person you see in the mirror?

Love is the great miracle cure. Loving ourselves works miracles in our lives.

2. Loving yourself means having great respect for everything about you, inside and out. It is deep gratitude for the miracle of your body and your mind and your soul. Loving yourself is appreciation to such a degree that it fills your heart until it bursts, overflowing with the joy of being YOU.

3. Think how perfect you were when you were a tiny baby! Babies do not have to do anything to become perfect; they already are perfect, and they act as if they know it. They know they are the center of the Universe. They are not afraid to ask for what they want. They freely express their emotions. You know when a baby is angry—in fact, the whole neighborhood knows. You also know when babies are happy—their smiles light up a room. They are full of love. Tiny babies will die if they do not get love. Once we are older, we learn to live without love—or try to—but babies will not stand for it. Babies love every part of their bodies.

Affirm: I am good enough. I am worth loving.

4. If any negative thoughts come up—such as "How can I approve of myself when I am fat?", or "It’s silly to think that I can think this way", or "I am no good"—don’t resist them, don’t fight them, don’t judge them. Let them just be there. Stay focused on what you really want to experience, which is to love and approve of yourself. You can gently let.go of other thoughts that intrude and stay focused on I love myself and approve of myself. What we are doing in mirror work is trying to get back to the heart of who we really are. We want to experience who we are when we are not judging ourselves.

5. I am totally adequate for all situations.

I choose to feel good about myself.

I am worthy of my own love.

I stand on my own two feet.

I accept and use my own power.

It is safe for me to speak up for myself.

I am loved and accepted exactly as I am, right here and right now.

My self-esteem is high because I honor who I am.

My life gets more fabulous every day. I look forward to what each new hour

brings.

I am neither too little nor too much, and I do not have to prove myself to anyone.

Life supports me in every possible way.

My consciousness is filled with loving, positive, healthy thoughts that are

reflected in my experience.

The greatest gift I can give myself is unconditional love. I love myself exactly as

I am. I no longer wait to be perfect in order to love myself.

DAY 6: RELEASING YOUR INNER CRITIC

Today you learn to break the habit of judgment and self-criticism, and to go beyond the need to put yourself down.

1. The more mirror work you do, the more aware of your self-talk you become. If I asked you to play a tape of your inner dialogue today, what would it sound like? It is so important to do your mirror work, because it makes you acutely aware of judgments and negative self-talk and allows you to release your inner critic as soon as you can. You will never be able to love yourself until you go beyond thenneed to put yourself down and make life wrong.

2. When you make it okay to be yourself, then you automatically allow others to be themselves. Their little habits no longer bother you as much. You release the need to change others as you want them to be. Then, as you stop judging others, they release the need to judge you. Everybody gets to be free.

3. Our feelings are thoughts in action. There is no need to feel any guilt or shame about them. They serve a purpose, and when you release negative thoughts fromnyour mind and body, you allow space inside for other, more positive feelings and experiences. Let’s affirm: It is now safe for me to release my inner critic and move into love.

4. When we complain about someone, we are really complaining about ourselves. When we can truly love and accept who we are, there is nothing to complain about. We cannot hurt ourselves, and we cannot hurt another person. Let’s make a vow that we will no longer criticize ourselves for anything.

5. In order to be whole, we must accept all of ourselves. So let your heart open, and make plenty of room in there for all parts of yourself: the parts you are proud of, the parts that embarrass you, the parts you reject, and the parts you love. They are all you. You’re beautiful. We all are. When your heart is full of love for yourself, then you have so much to share with others.

You are perfect, whole, and complete, and all is well in your wonderful world. And so it is.

DAY 7: LOVING YOURSELF: A REVIEW OF YOUR FIRST WEEK

Today you look at how far you’ve come and how much you’ve accomplished toward breaking free of your old beliefs and discovering future possibilities.

1. Doing mirror work is a true act of love, one of the most loving gifts you can give yourself. Each day that you practice your mirror work, you may fall in love with yourself a little bit more. The best way to love yourself is to release all the junk from your past—the self-judgments, then old stories that hold you back—so you can live in the present moment. When you can turn these negative affirmations into positive statements and practice them looking into your mirror, you can let go of some of these past hurts and move on.

2. Each day that you do your mirror work, you are clearing out the layers of the past. Each time you say an affirmation in the mirror, you are removing another block in these layers. It has taken years for these layers to form, built of blocks like the bricks that make up a large wall. It will take time to break through these layers, but you can start with one block. 

3. If every now and then you hear the voice of your inner critic picking on you for something or making a negative remark, it is okay. You always have your friend and companion—your mirror—to turn to. Look yourself deeply in the eyes and say, I am worth loving. And keep up the good work!

Let’s affirm: I celebrate this week of loving myself with mirror work. I now move into a new space of consciousness in which I am willing to see myself differently.

4. We came to this lifetime equipped with everything we need in order to live fully and richly. We have all the wisdom and knowledge we need. We have all the abilities and talents we need. We have all the love we need. Life is here to support us and take care of us. We need to know and trust that this is so.

5. Doors are constantly closing and opening, and if we stay centered in ourselves, then we will always be safe, no matter which doorway we pass through. Even when we pass through the last doorway on this planet, it is not the end. It is simply the beginning of another new adventure. Trust that it is all right to experience change. Today is a new day. We will have many wonderful new experiences. We are loved. We are safe.

DAY 8: LOVING YOUR INNER CHILD--PART ONE

Today you look beyond the adult you see in the mirror and meet your inner child.

1. It doesn’t matter how old you are; there is a little child within you who needs love and acceptance. If you are a woman, no matter how self-reliant you are, you have a little girl inside who is very tender and needs help. If you are a man, no matter how self-confident you are, you have a little boy inside of you who craves warmth and affection.

2. Every time you feel scared, realize that it is the child within you who is scared. The adult isn’t afraid, yet it has disconnected and isn’t there for the child. The adult and the child need to develop a relationship with each other. How do you connect with your inner child? The first step is getting to know the child through your mirror work. Who is this child? Why is this child unhappy? What can you do to help this child feel safe and secure and loved?

3. Talk to your inner child about everything you do. I know it may sound silly, but it works. Let your inner child know that no matter what happens, you will never turn away from it or leave it but will always be there for it and love it. All your inner child really wants is to be noticed, to feel safe, and to be loved. If you can take just a few moments a day to begin to connect with the little person inside of you, life is going to be a lot better.

Let’s affirm: I am willing to love and accept my inner child.

4. Take care of your inner child. It is the child who is frightened. It is the child who is hurting. It is the child who does not know what to do. Be there for your child. Embrace it and love it and do whatever you can to take care of its needs. Be sure to let your child know that no matter what happens, you will always be there for it. You will never turn away or desert it. You will always love this child.

DAY 9: LOVING YOUR INNER CHILD--PART TWO

Today you use mirror work to forgive the past and begin to love the beautiful child within.

1. Many of us have an inner child who is lost and lonely and feels rejected. Perhaps the only contact we have had with our inner child for a long time is to scold and criticize it. Then we wonder why we are unhappy. We cannot reject a part of ourselves and still be in harmony within..Today, let’s use our mirror work to move beyond our parents’ limitations and connect with the little lost child inside. Let’s forgive the past and begin to love.this beautiful child within. This child needs to know that we care.

2. Your inner child still carries the beliefs you developed early on. If your parents had rigid ideas and you are now very hard on yourself or you tend to build walls around you, your inner child is probably still following your parents’ rules. If you continue to pick on yourself for every mistake, it must be very scary for your inner child to wake up in the morning thinking, What is my parent going to yell at me about today? What our parents did to us in the past was a product of their consciousness. We are the parents now. We are using our consciousness now. If you are still refusing to take care of your inner child, you are stuck in your own resentment. Invariably that means there is someone you still need to forgive. What resentment do you need to let go of? What haven’t you forgiven yourself for?

3. For now, visualize that you are taking your inner child by the hand and going everywhere together for a few days. See what joyous experiences you can have. This may sound silly, but please try it. It really works. Create a wonderful life for yourself and your inner child. The Universe will respond, and you will find ways to heal your inner child and the adult you. No matter what your early childhood was like—happy or sad—you and only you are in charge of your life now. You can spend your time blaming your parents, or you can embrace love.

4. Love is the biggest eraser I know. It erases even the deepest and most painful memories, because love goes deeper than anything else. Think for a moment: Do you want a life of pain or one of joy? The choice and power are always within you. Look into your eyes, and love yourself and the little child within. 

Let’s affirm: I love my inner child. I am in charge of my life now.

5. Life is an endless opportunity to love yourself—past, present, and future. Loving and accepting every part of yourself is healing. How can you possibly be whole or healed if you are rejecting any part of yourself? Healing is to make yourself whole again. Love yourself, every part of yourself, and be whole. All is well. And so it is.

DAY 10: LOVING YOUR BODY, HEALING YOUR PAIN

The lesson today is about pain: what it is, where it comes from, what it’s telling you, and what you can learn from it.

1. No one wants to be in pain, but if you have it, what can you learn from it? Where does pain come from? What is it trying to tell you? Since pain can be a manifestation of either physical or mental disease, it is clear that both the body and mind are susceptible to it. The body, like everything else in life, is a mirror of our inner thoughts and beliefs. It is always talking to us, if we will only take the time to listen. Every cell within our body responds to every single thought we think and every word we speak.

2. The body is always aspiring to achieve optimum health, no matter what we do. However, if we abuse the body with unhealthy food and unhealthy thoughts, we contribute to our discomfort. Pain is the body’s way of waving a red flag to get our attention—a last-ditch effort to inform us that something is wrong in our life.

3. Sometimes people actually want to be sick. In our society, we’ve made pain and illness a legitimate way to avoid responsibility or unpleasant situations. If we cannot learn to say no, then we may have to invent a disease to say no for us. At some point, however, you have to pay attention to what’s going on. Allow yourself to listen to your body, because fundamentally your body wants to be healthy, and it needs you to cooperate with it.

Let’s affirm: I love my body. I return my body to optimal health by giving it what it needs on every level.

4. In this world of change, you choose to be flexible in all areas. You are willing to change yourself and your beliefs to improve the quality of your life and your world. Your body loves you in spite of how you may treat it. Your body communicates with you, and you now listen to its messages. You are willing to get the message. You pay attention and make the necessary corrections. You love m your body and give it what it needs on every level to bring it back to optimal health. You call upon an inner strength that is yours whenever you need it.

5. Here are some positive affirmations to support your health and healing. Repeat them often:

I enjoy the foods that are best for my body.

I love every cell of my body.

I make healthy choices.

I have respect for myself.

I look forward to a healthy old age because I take loving care of my body now.

I am constantly discovering new ways to improve my health.

I return my body to optimum health by giving it what it needs on every level.

Healing happens. I get my mind out of the way and allow the intelligence of my body to do its healing work naturally.

I have a special guardian angel. I am divinely guided and protected at all times.

Perfect health is my divine right, and I claim it now.

I am grateful for my healthy body. I love life.

I am the only person who has control over my eating habits. I can always resist something if I choose to.

Water is my favorite beverage. I drink lots of water to cleanse my body and mind.

Filling my mind with pleasant thoughts is the quickest road to health.

DAY 11: FEELING GOOD, RELEASING YOUR ANGER

Today you address anger: how to process it and release it before it makes you sick, and how to allow space inside for more positive emotions.

1. While you were digging into your past and releasing your emotions, you may have discovered some angry feelings aimed at yourself or a particular event. So today I’d like to help you work on forgiving and releasing any anger you might have, so that you can feel good about yourself. Anger is an honest emotion. But when it is not expressed or processed outwardly, it will be processed inwardly, in the body, and usually develops into a disease or dysfunction of some sort.

2. We generally get angry about the same things over and over again. When we are angry, we feel we don’t have a right to express it, so we swallow it, which can cause resentment, bitterness, or depression. So it’s good to handle our anger and release it whenever it comes up. If you feel like expressing yourself physically, then get.some pillows and start hitting them. Don’t be afraid to let your anger take its natural course. You have already kept your feelings bottled up too long. There is no need to feel any guilt or shame about feeling angry.

3. Go within and know that there is an answer to your anger and that you will find it. It is very healing to meditate and visualize the rage flowing freely out of your body. Send love to the person who is the object of your anger and see your love dissolve whatever disharmony there is between you. Be willing to become harmonious. Perhaps the anger you feel is reminding you that you are not communicating well with others. By recognizing this, you can correct it.

Let’s affirm: It is okay to have my feelings. Today I express how I am feeling in positive ways.

4. Life is very simple. We create our experiences by our patterns of thought and feeling. What we believe about ourselves and about life becomes true for us. Thoughts are only words strung together. They have no meaning whatsoever. It is we who give meaning to them. We give meaning to them by focusing on the negative messages over and over in our minds. What we do with our feelings is very important. Are we going to act them out? Will we punish others? Sadness, loneliness, guilt, anger, and fear are all normal emotions. But when these feelings take over and become predominant, life can be an emotional battlefield.

What we give out comes back to us multiplied. Give your love. And so it is.