Meditation | Susannah Rose Rogers

I have to be strong for a lot of people

I have to be strong for a lot of people. But a lot of times I do not feel strong within myself. Most of my inner thoughts are positive self-talk, to make myself feel stronger and encourage myself through really hard situations. The more I do it, the more energy I seem to have and the things that used to scare or exhaust me don’t seem that bad anymore. To solve a problem you must address the root. But it is a daily practice. I hope in the future someone else can read these positive statements and believe in them the way I have, for clarity and mental peace when life seems really shitty. These statements have many times saved my life. They can be read as little or as much as needed, but should be used by the reader’s inner voice, and directed toward themself only. Only our own minds have the power to believe good things about ourselves—no one can force a mantra on anyone, for each person’s own voice is the one they listen to the most.

I honor myself
I honor the voice inside me
I honor the way I think
I honor who I am
I honor ME for ME

I honor my body
I honor every cell within me
I honor every organ, every limb, all my blood, all my skin, all the fats that make my body’s physique
I honor my muscular and skeletal structure, and how tall I stand
I honor my feet and every step I have ever taken
I honor my hands and everything I have ever made
I honor my eyes and everything I have ever seen
I honor my mind and every thought I have ever had
I honor my existence and the fact that my body came from the earth

I honor how unique I am
I honor how different I am
I honor my good intentions and also the ways I thought I failed
I honor my truth and my foresight
I honor my past and everything I have gone through
I honor everything I have learned and what I have worked hard to commit to memory

I honor the hard things I have lived through
I honor every single time I felt successful at something
I honor the times I have tried to do good for others, and also the times I struggled to do the right thing
I honor who I used to be, and I honor who I am today

I honor my hopes and dreams
I honor the things I am looking forward to in my future
I honor the light in me, and also the dark
I honor my voice, how my voice sounds, and the words I choose to speak
I honor my mouth, how it is shaped, what I have eaten, and what I have nourished myself with

I honor my smile, exactly how it curves, and the times I have shown friendliness to others
I honor my frown and the times I have been upset or in pain
I honor every whisper, scream, and song that has sprung out of me

I honor every tear that has fallen from my eyes, and for every reason I have cried
I honor every emotion I have ever had
I honor how I think about myself
I honor every time I have closed my eyes to rest
I honor every time I have opened my eyes wide to become awakened and to see more clearly

I honor my journey and my life
I honor everything I believe in
I honor my health as it is today, and also the areas of me that need healing

I honor my Power
I honor my generosity
I honor my wisdom and also the times I have been naive
I honor every lie I’ve told and the reason I felt I needed to
I honor every mistake I have ever made because they have all helped me grow
I honor my desire to be stronger inside, for me

I honor my place in the Universe
I honor the date I was born, the name I was given, and the name I call myself
I honor everything I want to be, and I honor the parts of me that I wish were different
I honor everything that brings me pride, and everything that brings me sorrow
I honor all my fears and anxieties
I honor every time I have impressed myself and inspired myself

I honor my personalities and the ways in which I express myself
I honor my humor and what makes me laugh
I honor myself for the times I have gotten overwhelmed, overreacted, and angry
I honor my joy and my pain

I honor what I believe about God and why I see it that way
I honor the truths I cling to and also the times I have made errors
I honor my efforts to make the world a better place, and also the ways I feel I have failed
I honor the spirit inside me, my soul, my being
I honor myself for who I am in this moment, and what it took to get me here
I honor every mile I have driven, every minute I have flown, every inch I have hiked or biked, and every trip I have taken

I honor the ways I have tried to understand cultures much different than my own
I honor every language I have ever heard or tried to learn
I honor myself for visiting every country or new place I have ever gone
I honor every different cuisine and spice I have tasted
I honor the beauty I have seen in different places

I honor every song I have ever listened to
I honor the sounds that relax me, and the ones that stress me out
I honor every feeling, emotion, thought, perception, premonition, problem, and solution in my life
I honor who I love, how I love them, and also the ways I don’t feel ready to love

I honor my tenderness
I honor my thorns

I honor the fact that there are people out there who don’t like me, and that’s okay
I honor the fact that right now I’m listening to myself and processing what I need to, and letting the rest go

I honor every season in my life, and every season in Nature
I honor every constellation I have admired in the sky, the wind I have felt during a storm, the water I have felt wash over me, the earth in between my toes, and the fire that lights the way
I honor all Life because I am a part of that Life

I honor every single day I will walk the Earth
I honor my time and what I do with it
I honor all of my intentions and the energy I have put out
I also honor the energy inside of me that fills me up, makes my heart beat, excites me, and drives me forward

I honor myself for the times I have listened to sound reasoning, and also when I have protected myself from untruths
I honor everything about me, and the fact that I’m choosing to listen to my own voice

I honor all of my flaws, my diseases and conditions, my imperfections, my struggles, my pain
I honor all of my mistakes and own up to each of them, for they have taught me many things
I honor all of my embarrassments, and also all of my excellence

I honor the ways I have hurt people, perhaps not meaning to, and the fact that right now I can fully forgive myself and let the past go
In this moment, I honor all of me for who I am and who I’m not
I honor all of my divine gifts, skills, intelligence, abilities, wisdom, grace, and everything good in my heart

I honor everything from the core of my being, to the outermost distances that my essence has reached

The reason I focus on the word honor first is because it suggests that something is truly seen for what it is. There is honor in us when we acknowledge ourselves. You. Me. There is honor in us when we not only see, but also accept everything that makes us who we are. Owning up to something means we accept it as fact.

The next step is not only noticing and accepting, but furthermore valuing ourselves. To do this, I reread the above mantra, but insert the word [RESPECT] every time you see [HONOR]. Now that you see yourself for who you are, it’s time to put stock in it. It’s time to know your value, to know your worth, to believe that you mean something in this world. Because you do! Respect is not something given away flippantly, it is earned. Today you have earned your respect. I hope you can read this again, and feel your own self-respect, deeply and unapologetically.

The final phase of this reassuring mantra is to appreciate all of you for who you are. It means that you rejoice in being YOU, and that you no longer need to be ashamed about it. You not only see, but you understand deeply, and become victorious in your own complex mind. So, the third and final read-through of the above mantra can be inserted with the word [LOVE] in the place of [HONOR] and [RESPECT]. When we tell ourselves that we love who we are, the mind can relax into a state of appreciation and peace. A tranquil calm. It’s the same chemical network in the brain as when someone is “in love” …except this time it’s deep enjoyment within. Like a roaring river never to dry up. Like winds that will never quell. Like a fortress of peace about our lives and who we are inside. Like we can bask in our own GLORY. And no one can ever take it away. Your love is eternal.