Meditations in the Car

I’m sure you’ve heard how important it is to meditate every day. Some people will meditate an hour or more daily, and say they get more done by taking that hour to clear their mind than they would by physically doing some activity. Wayne Dyer, a favorite speaker and writer of mine, recommends getting up sometime during the unholy hour of 4 AM to meditate, and that it acts as sleep for him. Guess what acts as sleep for me at 4 in the morning? Actual sleep!

Though I am not knocking Dr. Dyer for taking early morning for meditation (it’s actually suggested by a lot of people, who claim that the early morning hours are when they get their best inspiration), it simply doesn’t work for me. Perhaps when I’m a bit older and not mommying small, medium, and big-sized children I’ll want to take the early morning for meditation. But right now I believe people should only experience ONE 4:00 hour in a 24-hour period, and it’s not the one that comes when it’s still dark outside!

I also take issue with clearing my mind. Having attempted it several times, it is something my mind will not obey when I command it to clear! Too many things going on up there, too many things waiting to be checked off my to-do list, too many things already going on.

But I do believe in the power of affirmations that create, and I also believe time needs to be set aside to repeat and feel these affirmations, and that affirmations can serve as meditations when used appropriately. The following is what I have given myself permission to do:

Upon waking, but before getting up in the morning, I use several minutes in creative “I Am” statements. To me these are much more powerful than the traditional affirmation, for I Am declares your truth, an absolute fact in your life.

Jehovah is known all through the Old Testament as I AM, and Jesus proclaimed Himself to be I Am that I Am. Dr. Dyer taught me that using I Am statements are the most powerful statements we can make, and we use them to our detriment every day. How? By putting something negative behind them. ie: I AM so fat. I AM so poor. I AM unlovable…The list is endless.

By using the I Am statement we’re declaring what truth we will and are living. And, by the Law of Attraction, we will attract more of those negative declarations that are our truth.

I decided to make my affirmations into I Am declarations. Instead of saying “I have high energy all day”, I declare “I Am positive energy!” What a difference owning it as a part of me has made! I feel the power of that declaration, own the power and start my day from a position of power. I’ve also found that this kind of meditation goes by quickly and I’m surprised when 20 minutes have passed, and I only meant to be there for five.

I’ve found that whatever qualities I’m wanting for myself are those that become my I Am statements. For instance: I am perfect health. I am joy. I am integrity. I am patience. I am trusting. I am trustworthy. I am generous. I am unconditional love. I am a positive force for good in this world. I am high energy. I am flexible. I am approachable. I am friendly. I am bold and loving….

The reason this takes longer than I think it will, is that as I get going more and more qualities come to my mind that I want to claim for myself! When I want to experience abundance, I am NOT just abundance. Instead, I am abundant in material wealth, I am abundant in strong friendships, I am abundant in love, I am abundant in laughter, I am abundant in peace, I am abundant in safety…There are so many ways to experience abundance, and I don’t want to limit myself to only experiencing an abundance of wealth. The world has plenty of wealthy but unhappy people trying to fill a void in their lives with unhealthy things (see Hollywood and the music industry for specific examples). I am wealth AND happiness.

When normal affirmations start feeling rote and routine, it’s time to shake things up. When it’s the heavy sigh and the quick recitation of your affirmation list, that’s a signal that you’re no longer feeling them. And remember, feeling an affirmation trumps thinking an affirmation every single time. I’ve been doing I AM creations for months and haven’t tired of doing them.

They’re still working for me, and I am experiencing more of those things in my life every day. The power is subtle, but real. Like a 15 watt light bulb; it is subtle but illuminating all the same. And even low wattage bulbs chase away darkness the instant they are turned on.

Instead of demanding myself to clear my mind, I now aim to quiet my mind. There is so much chatter going on in there all day every day, and every time I’ve tried to do a “real” meditation it only ends up as an exercise in frustration because I can’t clear the darn thing! But I can certainly calm and quiet it, and active meditations like the I Am Meditations do that easily and effortlessly. Then I don’t feel like a failure, and the I Ams rejuvenate and empower me on so many levels.

The best part about I Am Meditations is that you can literally do them anywhere! Though I do suggest starting and/or ending your day with them, when life is a little bit more naturally quiet, declaring your I Am creations are a great way to power up when you’re sitting in your car waiting for the light to change. Or anytime spent waiting. I especially love doing them when I’m walking or exercising outside.

It’s fun for me to see what new creations come to me as I declare what positive things I Am. You’ll be dazzled and delighted by how quickly and easily they come. And best of all, I no longer want to ram the car in front of me for going too slowly, for I am lighthearted, easygoing, flexible, and patient!