As we kick off a brand new year (and decade!), I’m reminded of a story about a Red Indian father who tells his son, “There are two wolves fighting inside of us. One wolf is a wolf of negative emotions that swallow you whole – fear, anger, greed, guilt and shame, while the second wolf is one with positive attitudes – confidence, abundance, passion, gratitude and love.” His curious son asks him, “Which wolf wins?” to which he replies, “The wolf that wins is the one that you feed every single day.”

I often go back to this story when I think about starting anew and improving my life. I believe everybody has those same two wolves inside of them and it’s up to us to choose which wolf to feed.

In my case, I always make sure that I’m feeding my positive wolf. Honestly, this is easier said than done as no one is immune from anxiety, self-doubt, insecurity and fear.

This is why I started a habit of cultivating positive self-affirmation and an optimistic outlook on life.

I’ve been practising a morning ritual with my kids, Chantelle and Elliot. Every morning, they recite a list of positive affirmations. We’ve been doing this for almost three years and I believe it’s made a positive impact on their lives. It started with 17 affirmations in 2017, and now we have 20 for 2020. (Read till the end of this post to find out the full list!)

This is a simple way to boost your confidence and self-esteem. As the old saying goes, “Whether I believe I can or I can’t, I am right.” If you don’t have a routine for positive self-talk yet, why not start this habit today?

Here are three points that I want to cultivate in 2020.

1. I’m Committed to Learn

As human beings, we often fail to estimate just how long life is. We think of life as a series of “levelling up” between institutions – elementary school, high school, college and the workforce. But the truth is, life is a lot more than just completing your academic years or doing well at work. Knowledge, in its many forms, lies outside the four walls of school, home or the office. This is why it’s important to be committed to life-long learning.

Life is a continuous series of learning, and that’s something we need to cultivate. As a person in his 40s, I’ve been through so many bouts of doubt and stagnation. One lesson I’ve learned is that the best way to kill stagnation is to have a growth mindset. This way, you’d never have to feel stuck because there are always new things to learn.

2. I Love and Accept Myself Completely

Once you’ve established a growth mindset, it might be easy to fall into the trap of thinking you’re not good enough. Well, this isn’t true! There has long been a false dichotomy between self-acceptance and self-improvement. You can’t have one without the other.

We need to be okay with ourselves and our flaws. This is the only way to know what we need to improve. For example, you can’t get better at cooking if you aren’t self-aware enough to accept there are recipes you haven’t mastered yet. You need to be okay with the level of experience you’re at. This is the only way you can get to the level of excellence you aspire to be.

3. I’ll Never Give Up

Ultimately, none of these matters if you quit. This is why regularly psyching yourself up is important. If you keep motivating yourself so that you won’t give up, then the bottom line is that you won’t.

You need to tell yourself that you’re accountable for your growth. It’s not something anyone else can do for you or stop you from achieving. Owning your growth and your journey towards achieving your goals gives you incredible power. And this is the power that will make 2020 your best year ever.

Here’s the full list of words of affirmation that I’m practising with my children every day.

  1. I’m awesome.
  2. I believe in myself.
  3. I’m committed to learn.
  4. I have discipline.
  5. I’ll enjoy today.
  6. I’ll focus at work.
  7. I’m grateful for my family.
  8. I’ll honour God in everything I do.
  9. I love and accept myself completely.
  10. I’m responsible for my things.
  11. I’ll always tell the truth.
  12. I’m fearless.
  13. I have self-control.
  14. I’ll try everything.
  15. I’ll treat my parents with respect.
  16. I’m happy with what I have.
  17. I’ll overcome all challenges.
  18. Every day in every way, I’m getting better.
  19. I’m the best.
  20. I’ll never give up.

I’ll promise you one thing – if you do this consistently, it will set your mood for the entire day and make 2020 your BEST YEAR YET! In fact, your best decade yet.

2020 has admittedly been a really rocky year so far, but maybe watching this video can make things a little better and help you get back on your feet: Make 2020 Your Best Decade!

To your success,

Mario

[Visit www.mariosingh.com now to enjoy a FREE e-book of my latest “37 Essential Principles for Massive Success” when you subscribe!]