I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!

If any of you were brave enough to read the post about my marathon then you know that in order to finish the marathon, it took a lot of mental work. Alot of positive thinking. Focusing on the good, ignoring the bad. Pushing the negative thoughts out. Well, I just thought that I would share the source of this positive thinking, and the powerful affirmations that enabled me to complete 26.2 miles. This book by Louise Hay:



My neighbor gave me this book when she learned that I had an injury, less than one week before the marathon. She said that last year she had a strange neural problem with her foot and ankle that was very painful. Since she worked as a hair stylist at the time, it made working very difficult. She found this book and gained a testimony of the power of positive thinking, especially in healing one's body. Basically, she started doing what Louise Hay recommends, doing daily affirmations in front of the mirror, and writing them down, sometimes 100 times a day. Even though it took about 10 weeks to find relief from her pain, and to recover from her problem, the doctors told her that it usually takes the better part of a year for most people to heal from that same neurological condition.

According to the official site, this book "offers positive new thought patterns to replace negative emotions. It includes an alphabetical chart of physical ailments, the probable causes, and healing affirmations to help you eliminate old patterns."



Because I had never done anything like this before, I found it a little hard to digest at first. All I could think of was Stuart Smalley, on SNL, doing his affirmations in his light blue sweater in front of the mirror. But I made myself go through the exercises she recommended. I didn't have much time before the marathon, but I finished the book and got the gist of what the program was about. Even though she's a little fruity at times, the concepts absolutely make sense and I believe, would benefit anyone who completed the steps. A lot of what she teaches is about forgiving others, letting anger go, moving on from past negative experiences (she was abused as a child), and seeing the potential in ourselves. But even if you do not have serious issues like this, the book can help you to change your self-talk. It's about choosing not to let others make us feel unworthy or unsuccessful. Telling ourselves that we deserve to be successful, and that we are capable of achieving our goal, and that we are happy with ourselves just the way we are. It was reading this book that gave me the foundation I needed to finish the marathon in 'less than ideal' condition. (Feeling like my hip flexors were being pulled out of my body and a knife was cutting into my knee... no big deal, right?)

I don't doubt that if I had not read this book a week before the marathon, I would not have had the mental strength to finish the marathon. Employing the concepts presented in this book and using the affirmations that she teaches was absolutely the backbone that kept me together for 26.2 miles. I am so thankful that my neighbor shared this book with me and I am trying to figure out how I can thank her enough! I hope that someone out there can benefit from my experience and utilize this method to overcome a difficult trial or other negative experience. I know it's possible! And if you want to check out Stuart's book, just click here.