Mumbo Jumbo

It seems silly to suggest that a sentence can change the world. To repeat an idea over and over again with the intended goal of changing our deepest selves and the way we see each other appears as juvenile. Really? Repeat a bunch of words and my world will shift? Sounds like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo.

And yet, one week ago I stood on an incredible TEDx San Joaquin stage in Stockton, California and said just that.

Aristotle gets it. “We are what we repeatedly do," he says. "Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” This ancient Greek dude had it right. What we consistently do or say trains our minds and bodies to reflect it. We embody our habits.

“I look fat, I am ugly,” looks like a person with shrugged shoulders, suspicious eyes and over - or -  under weight. “I don’t look like them, my clothes aren’t stylish. They laughed at me. If only I had this hair, body, eye-color, smile...,” is reflected in a constant struggle to fit in, missing entirely the beauty of our unique loveliness. “I like boys..., I am supposed to like boys..., I don’t like girls,” results in self doubt and often self hate. I could go on. Through years of coaching, counseling, teaching and leading retreats I know that many of us are weighed down by the repetition of ideas that tell us we are not good enough.  Not enough for God, for parents, for someone to like me: just not good enough.

Standing in the spotlight on that TEDx stage I recited the sentence that had powerfully shaped me into the person I used to be. (Yes, used to be! Habits can be broken!)

“I confess that I am by nature sinful and unclean and cannot free myself.” It goes on from there, but let’s not. We don’t need to encourage focusing on the unhelpful and unhealthy habits that weigh us down. But there it is, and its power sculpted me.

The idea contained within the words acted as the hands and tools of a sculptor and shaped me into who I was. Believing that I was naturally bad and I could not, on my own accord or will, change that for the better made me fat. I literally gained weight, physical pounds and mental, spiritual and emotional baggage. 

I wanted to kiss. I wanted to have a boy’s hands on me. I masturbated. I was terrified because no matter what I did, the desires did not subside. I still wanted all of it and I hated myself for it. I could not get enough of the “God-goodness” in me no matter how often I went to church, prayed, took communion or participated in church activities. None of it stopped or reduced the desires I had burning within my mind that literally jolted through my body when "that particular boy" touched my arm. I knew that I was a sinner and likely going to hell.

Does a sentence have power? Oh, ya.

We become our habits, the good and the bad.  Let’s go for the good!

We need to reverse the damage done by the sentence that reflects the idea of The Doctrine of Original Sin, and we need to replace it with the Affirmation of Human Goodness.

I am naturally good, and have in me the power to make more good for me and for others.

That’s it. That is the sentence that will change the world. I know, because it’s changed mine. I am sure of it because I have witnessed it altering the self image of my kids. I am positive of it because I daily see it change the self image of my clients, giving them a sense of inner power they have not known before.

Silly? One sentence changing the world? Not at all.

It takes 21 days to form a habit. Taking advice from the ancient Greek dude, we need to become excellent at rehearsing, repeating and reminding ourselves that we are naturally good. We need to reshape our self image and the vision we use to see each other and the world.

I am naturally good and have in me the power to make more good, and so are you. We share the same core good and same capacity to make more of it to benefit ourselves and others.

To train with this sentence is to hone our community to open mindedness that reaches beyond tolerance to listening and understanding. To be disciplined with this sentence is to awaken our whole bodies to the truth that our desires, ideas, hopes and questions are first, good.

Repeating this sentence gives us the capacity and power to better handle those times and events when our goodness seems far away or missing. We will no longer be defined by the bad that occurs around us, but rather we will confidently confront it with partnership, respect and the expectation that we each come to the table with an equal capacity to problem solve.

One sentence?  21 Days? For you? Do you, adult person who does not need or like silly little gimmicks of self improvement (neither do I), need to make this sentence your own?

Yes, yes, and yes!

We need a movement that covers the airwaves, car bumpers, Twitter-sphere, Facebook-likes and posts that will adorn our bodies, backs and arms, shouting that we are GOOD!

21 Days. One Sentence. I am good and have in me the power to make more good.

Change the world!