How many times have you called yourself a big fat pig? How many times have you looked in a dressing room mirror and picked apart every single body part until you were so depressed you walked out of the store? How many before and after stories do you need to read or watch on television until you "own" that you're really beautiful too?

I'm the queen of self-deprecation. I come from a family of sarcastics. It's how we cope. When we're sloshing around in life-crisis soup, we crack jokes, we make fun of each other, we eat. For the most part, it works. We've survived accidents, care-giving, financial meltdowns, death, destruction, weddings, births and moves. And we did it without killing each other.

Surviving at Any Cost Isn't Really Surviving at All
No matter what your goals in life are, to be successful and happy, you absolutely must change your internal dialogue. I don't make this stuff up you know. You Live the Truth You Believe. It's not, you will live the truth you believe. The phrase is, you live the truth you believe.

You are living your truth right now. Do you love your truth? Do you respect your truth? Are you patient with your truth? Be kind to yourself as you go through the positive growth and change you deserve.

Keep an affirmation journal. Write something in your journal every day. Even on days you feel blah, sad or empty. Just do it. You deserve the freedom and the emotional space to create the truth you want to live today, the truth you want for tomorrow and the truth you want for your future.

You're really and truly in charge or your destiny. It's up to you to give yourself permission to think freely, to act freely and to live freely. Writing freely is the first step. Don't over think things. Don't second-guess yourself. And don't edit yourself. You're not writing a novel and no one is "grading your paper."

Until you come up with your own positive affirmations, consider these. You'll know, when you no longer need to "borrow" these.

I love my body because…

I'm thankful my body can still…

I am proud of the fact that I regularly eat…

Today, for exercise, I will…

I am thankful for the opportunity and the freedom to…

Today, my truth is…

Tomorrow I will….

I can't wait until…

kd@chefkathleen.com