Affirmations

In my workplace, we hold a Wednesday morning circle. We face each other and speak our affirmations. These are thoughtfully crafted statements of the unique value we bring to the world and workplace. We spent the first month of the school year composing three affirmations each and trying out different versions of them to find statements that resonated with us.

What happens when you say an affirmation out loud in front of others?

You hear yourself produce language. It’s a very intriguing place to stand facing your teammates and to declare something uniquely positive about yourself, so much more so because these affirmations have been handcrafted over time. As you hear yourself produce language that carries affirming thoughts about yourself before the group, you place yourself momentarily in others’ shoes — you hear yourself talked about, you view yourself from the outside, you are forced to receive the attention and blessing of the community. Just as there is affirmation in the content of the words, there is affirmation in the listening community.

What else happens when you say an affirmation out loud in front of others?

You issue a challenge and a call for help.

The challenge? You’re blessed and burdened with the responsibility of fulfilling your destiny. Be what you have said you are.

The call for help? The community is blessed and burdened with the responsibility of helping you along your road. They will help you be what you have said you are.

This is and always has been true. Our affirmations become our scripts. Our scripts become our parts. Our parts become our actions, which forms our character.

Jessica is a purveyor of hope. She is a designer. She has powerful intuition.

Brad is a voice for the voiceless. He is a defender of justice. He has a right to be here.

Bryan is uniquely creative. He is freaky, crazy determined to see things through. He is a peacemaker.

Maria takes care of her people. She is an excellent organizer. She is patient.

I am a gifted leader. I tell stories with light. I craft timely questions.

This year, with this team, sharing our affirmations together, I experienced the best year of my adult work life. The team enjoyed a strong sense of respect and support. Our work community knew the “best” ideas and ideals to which we held ourselves, and saw us in that light. Our team’s reflection and understanding of each other became a boat that floated us across passages that seemed impossible to cross, and brought us to new lands of learning and understanding.