Living life the affirmative way

So, I was tweeting earlier in the week and a new friend, @Londonschilling, and I got on the topic of motivation.  I need it to keep painting, she needs it to keep working on her projects.  This was when I got the idea and told her I would paint something to help her stay motivated.  I sat back and thought for a bit and decided a triptych showing three affirmations would do the trick and maybe help all of us get through the January blahs that seem to have hit everyone suddenly.

Now, I needed to decide what three positive statements would do the job and that was when I got the thought that rather than use a statement, one word per canvas, each expressing a positive thought was the way to go.  The problem of what canvas to use was resolved Monday afternoon when my shipment of canvas arrived and the first carton I opened had three canvases in a package and each canvas was 8" x 24".  Sounded like the perfect size to work with for this project.  Now, what words would I use to express positive thoughts, affirmations that we all need to hear.  The first word that came to mind was "believe."  We all need to believe in ourselves and in what we are doing.  So, @Londonschilling, this one is for you!  Believe in what you are doing and that you are doing it to the best of your ability, because you are doing just that.  From what you have told me, your daughter is the focus of your life and you are very much concerned that she has a normal life, one that every child should have despite having diabetes.  She will be fine because you are so focused on knowing all there is to know to help her and you set a good example for her by your food selections.  She watches you and learns from what she sees you doing even though you might not realize that.  Have faith my friend, and believe.

The second canvas would use the word "dream" as its affirmation.  We are all so reality based these days that we have forgotten how to sit back and just dream.  When was the last time that you made a cup of tea, sat down and just let your mind wander?  Go on a little vacation mentally.  Yes, I know, there is laundry to be done, you have more projects on the go in the office than you feel comfortable with and you still have not decided what to make for dinner tonight.  Well, let the world take care of itself for ten minutes while you sit back, sip your tea and just dream a little.  Dream about your last vacation and think about where you might want to go this year.  Dream about how you felt that about the way that the movie ended that you watched last evening on the telly.  You were not really satisfied with the ending, so how would you like to have seen things finish up?   Go ahead, think up a different way to put everything in order and end the scene with the vampire getting the girl instead of the other young man who doted on her.  Sorry, I am a little caught up with vampires lately.  Really do need to switch up the reading material!

The third and final canvas had to have my personal favourite affirmation on it.  "Imagine" is a word that is often in my vocabulary and I practise using my imagination several times a day.  Imagine yourself wearing that killer cocktail dress to the next party you attend.  Imagine how great you will look and how wonderful you will feel.  My favourite for this affirmation is to imagine myself living in a much larger flat and having room to spare.  A room to use as a studio/office.  I can see myself working away in that special room and having enough storage for all the various papers, paints, canvas and other things that I use.  Sighhhhhh.  Yes, imagine is a wonderful word and the more you practise, the better you get at it.  And, there is a side benefit - according to the world of karma, if you really believe in your dreams, really feel that they are going to come true, they will.  Now, maybe that sounds a little too simple, but slow down and think this through.  By using positive thinking and imagining yourself living in that larger flat, purchasing and enjoying the new furniture you have been looking at in the flyers or imagining how good you feel when you get word of that promotion at work going through.  When you start thinking like this, you stand a little taller, you feel better about yourself, and you exude confidence.  All this has happened from just imagining something.  Good karma attracts good, bad attracts bad.  But, what you need to remember through all of this is that you need to be grateful.  Grateful for what you have right now.  Things could be a lot worse.  And when things start happening the way you imagine them to, be grateful for your new flat, your new cocktail dress or that job promotion.  Do not take these things for granted!  Be grateful that they did and keep the positive karma flowing.   So, this is why "imagine" had to be on my third canvas.  I have Mary-Jo to thank for putting that thought in my mind!

Colours, I knew that these had to be bright and eye catching and that the word used on each canvas should be done in the same colour.  That turned out to be ultramarine blue.  That seems to be my go to colour lately when I just cannot settle on a colour.  Ultramarine blue is deep enough to be taken seriously, but, still bright enough to have some life in it.  The other colours used would all stay in the bright tones on my palette and nothing too serious would be put into the paintings.

I hope you get a smile out of the scenes I put together.  "Believe" is a bright spring/summer day.  The flowers are in bloom, butterflies are out and about, it is just the perfect day that we all enjoy and we will if we believe that warmer days will return along with the sunshine staying out just a bit longer each day now to let us know that our belief is rewarded with just that little more day time each day.  "Dream" has a dream catcher to hold on to those terror riddled dreams that haunt our nights.  A fairy with a rose petal flounce on her dress runs through leaving the scent of roses as she runs by.  A castle in the background could be a setting for our next mental holiday and the flowers scattered around are there just to give some colour to our lives.   This is a dream worth having!  Lastly, "imagine" also shows flowers in bloom, vines with blossoms open to the sun, green grass growing lush in our back yard.  But, there are a few surprises in this last painting.  You will have to look closely to see what all is there.  I believe that if I am going to imagine, I should do it well and have a few unexpected pleasures turn up just for the fun of it.  You never know, if I imagine myself in such a setting, it just might happen if my good karma pulls in some more good karma from the universe.

The moral of today's post - believe, dream and imagine, these are all words that should be on every one's mind through the day.  Letting yourself dream is not a waste of time.  Believing that things will be better for us just might make it so.  At the very least, believing will make us feel better about life and how we are handling it.  Imagining ourselves living the good life, having the job of our dreams or writing a best selling novel just might motivate us to make these things happen.  I will take my chances on these affirmations and practise them every day, several times in fact.  As good as life is right now, I am choosing what colours will be used in my new, larger flat and I have been looking at storage units to hold my new supplies.  When I put these new paintings up on the wall later today, I will have a constant visual of what life is going to be like.  Feel free to print off the photos and post them where you will see them as a constant reminder of what it is you are hoping for.  Go to my online gallery and click on the painting to enlarge it and print it off. 

I hope this helps you beat the January blahs!  This is a difficult time of year for many.  Take some time for yourselves each and every day.  You deserve it and do not let anyone guilt you for taking that time.  Tell them to go find their own dream to mess around with.

Sincerely,   Rutheemac

P.S.  I would love to hear about your affirmations!  What do you tell yourself each day?  Does it make a difference in how you feel?  Do you believe that you are the master of your own destiny?  Leave a comment and I will share them with the rest of our readers.  I check for comments usually twice a day, so it might be a few hours before your comment does appear.  I have not forgotten about you, I just have not gotten to the computer to check for messages for a bit.  But not to worry, this cyber chica is online pretty much every day for a few hours.  Painting does hold me back a bit, but I consider it a necessary part of every day.  After all, where would my journey take me if I did not paint?  Have a great week!