Positive Affirmations
I put a sun in my lamp
I put a Post-It note on my mirror
So I might love myself
So I might be enough today
I'm not okay, thanks for asking
I can tell I've said too much I'm out of touch
Guess no one ever really wants to know
Jamila Woods lyrics from her song, Lonely, resonate for a lot of people. Her debut album, HEAVN, was one of the best albums of 2016, and came at a perfect time for me. So much so that my forthcoming poetry book, I’m NOT OK, Thanks for Asking, is directly inspired by the words she offers in this verse.
In the 12-18 months after she dropped a soulful compilation of Black liberation, feminism, artistry and independence, I took the lyrics above and put them practically in place. It started out with a simple sheet of paper from a legal pad. It expanded to actual post-it notes on the bathroom mirror. Now, I decided to turn it into a shirt.
A lot of things helped me learn to love life again. I’ll never be able to write about them all. In the past few years, I have learned to appreciate and value the power behind positive and optimistic thoughts; the importance not only of positive affirmations, but of positively affirming myself. I don’t need anyone else to do it for me.
Society often tells us that we are not worthy. That because we made a series of mistakes, we are failures. That because of something we said one time, did accidentally, a characteristic we can’t control, or even a mental illness we may be struggling with, that we are not worthy of love. Sometimes, that feeling of unworthiness seeps into feeling like we are not worthy of life either. But you are. Believe that you are.
Trying as these times may be, you are still more than what others say you are. You are more than your past mistakes and failures, and as long as you are living, there’s always time to right your wrongs and commit to loving and living for yourself. Be affirmed.
You never know what someone is going through, and believe it or not, a simple smile and a positive message can be just enough to get a person through the day. Remind the people in your life that they matter with this sleek, embroidered crewneck.