The Affirmations from Conference That Helped Me Change How I See Myself
General conference taught me how to change my perspective of myself.
I joined my roommate Lizzie at the mirror to prepare for the day. As she finished, she gave herself a flirtatious wink in the mirror. I laughed in surprise.
Lizzie grinned. “What? It helps me feel positive about myself.”
I nodded my understanding. I had trouble feeling positive about myself sometimes. I knew I was doing my best, but I continued to judge my mistakes and imperfections.
Maybe Lizzie was onto something. I copied her action, feeling just a little ridiculous. But it didn’t really change much about how I felt about myself.
Then I watched Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speak during general conference. He gave this invitation to the youth: “Tomorrow, this week, this year, always, pause as you look at yourself in the mirror. Think to yourself, or say aloud if you like, ‘Wow, look at me! I am amazing! I am a child of God! He knows me! He loves me! I am gifted!’”1
I knew that taking this challenge was my chance to change my perspective.
Since conference, I have sought to understand how these self-affirmations can help.
“I Am Amazing”
“Amazing” can seem like a basic compliment. But my favorite definition is “causing great wonder.” Wonder, in turn, can mean “a cause of astonishment or admiration.”2
Elder Alan T. Phillips of the Seventy said: “You are not an accidental by-product of nature. … Where there is design, there is a designer.”3
Our bodies are deserving of wonder. We were created by God. Our bodies are miracles! When we call ourselves amazing, we are glorifying God.
The scriptures illustrate this. The word “amazed” is often used when people react to the miracles of Jesus Christ. If we are similarly amazed of ourselves, it dispels our pessimism and humbles us as we give God the credit for the miracle of us.
“I Am a Child of God”
Elder Christophe G. Giraud-Carrier of the Seventy said of divine lineage, “I pray that we may come to a greater appreciation of this wonderful truth. It changes everything!”4
I considered what this self-affirmation would change. If “amazing” helped me see my body as divine, then reminding myself that I am a child of God could help me see my divine potential. As the Primary song “I Am a Child of God” says, “If I but learn to do His will, I’ll live with Him once more.”5 It is hard to think negatively about ourselves when we anticipate inheriting all that God has.
“God Knows and Loves Me”
When people I care about show love for me, my feelings of self-worth increase. But the feelings can fade as I wonder if they really know me.
With God’s omniscient, eternal, and perfect love, the feelings of self-worth can last forever. Elder Phillips testified: “You are [Heavenly Father’s] precious child and of great worth. He knows and loves you.”6
“I Am Gifted”
To see myself as gifted, I turned to my patriarchal blessing. I added the gifts listed in my blessing to my self-affirmations. This helped me praise God for my divine gifts while feeling more confident.
In fact, I found that each self-affirmation fostered humility as it gave God the glory. After learning this, I am thankful for the people in my life—and the messages from general conference—who helped change my perspective. I hope to encourage others to do the same as we use positive self-talk together.