You Become What Follows “I Am”

Years ago, I heard a message on a radio station that often replayed podcast episodes. One in particular stuck with me.

“You become what follows I am.”

At the time, I didn’t think much of it. The station played it often, and while I heard the words more than once, I can’t say they resonated. Not yet.

I don’t remember what changed, but one day I started paying attention to what followed my “I am” statements. And honestly, it was scary.

I am worthless.

I am fat.

I am lazy.

I am not disciplined.

I am unorganized.

You name it, it probably crossed my mind. The radio message said that we become what we tell ourselves we become, and I realized I had done a pretty good job convincing myself that all those negative statements were true.

It was self-inflicted torture. I don’t think I fully understood how damaging those words were until I started to notice how often they played in the background of my thoughts.

I remember standing in front of the mirror one day, trying to practice new statements. “I am beautiful. I am smart. I am strong.”

It felt awkward. I even laughed at myself.

But then I thought about it. The negative statements worked. They convinced me. So logically, why wouldn’t the positive ones eventually do the same?

That was the beginning of a quiet shift. I started paying closer attention to what I said to myself, and I do the same with my clients now. It’s truly eye-opening to notice how harsh we can be inside our own heads when we aren’t paying attention.

Words matter. Especially the ones that follow “I am.”

What are some of your “I am” statements lately? Are they helping you or holding you back?