Use your “I Am” wisely: a guest post from Coach Linda Ryan

“Well, in Whoville they say – that the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day.”–Dr. Seuss

Regulars to this blog know all about my series: “Why I’m the Luckiest Person on the Planet.” There’s Episode One, Two, Three, etc…..

Today, one of the gazillion things I’m celebrating about my life is that Coach Linda Ryan sent me the following blog post. It’s called (how could I resist clicking on it immediately?) “How Pam Grout fixed my printer.”

There’s even an audio version for those who’d rather listen than read. Check it out here and below:

Thanks, Linda!

“A few weeks ago, I interviewed one of the coolest people I know, Pam Grout.

“One of the topics we discussed was the power of intention; the “I AM” statement. You know the one I mean: it’s when we make broad, sweeping statements like ~

“I AM lazy”

“I AM a procrastinator”

“I AM disorganized”

“I AM addicted to binge-watching Friends.” (Wait…is that one just me?)

It’s pretty normal to say these things. After all, we were taught to “tell it like it is.” So when we take the easy way out, we think it’s because we’re lazy. We don’t consider that we might just be a hardworking, dedicated person who chose the easy way in this one scenario.

We tend to define our identities with some harsh judgement and criticism; more than we’d probably give a friend in the same situation. And this is a very dangerous habit if you want to change your future self.

You see, the “I AM” statement is extremely powerful; in many religions, it refers to God. And in the grand scheme of life, it sends a proclamation to the world.

I AM disorganized.
I AM always late.
I AM forgetful.
I AM overweight.
I AM so stupid.
I AM (fill-in-your-blank).

Saying you ARE whatever sends out a strong message, not only to yourself, but to The Universe too. Tying your identity to a characteristic or behavior is powerful stuff, so it’s important that you send the message you want to send.

This idea of sending the right message applies to “I AM” statements as well as the general thoughts and intentions we put out there to the world. It’s a pillar of the Law of Attraction, and it’s a lesson I re-learn every single day. And I really learned it the day I spoke with Pam Grout.
Here’s what happened….

I have this convoluted “system” to printing documents. My wireless printer is…well, let’s just say she’s got spunk…and I’ve gotta do this whole song and dance when I want to print something.

It goes like this:

I click “print,” on my computer, then I click the “Detect LAN Settings” button on my printer. Then I walk downstairs and push the “WPS” button (absolutely no idea what WPS stands for, btw) on my wireless router, then back up the stairs to wait for the printer to recognize the signal, then I click “OK” on the printer… and then it prints.

Oy Vey!

The day after I spoke with Pam, I was sitting in my office getting ready to start the “printing process.” I did what I always do and found myself thinking “okay, now I’ve got to go downstairs and hit the stupid button…..” when I caught myself. I realized I was putting out the thought (based on my past experience) that the printing would be complicated, instead of considering that it could be simple and easy.

I remembered what Pam said and I shifted my thoughts to “how great would it be if it just printed on its own? How awesome would it be not to have to go downstairs and push that WPS button?!”

While holding that thought, I clicked print, and guess what happened?

Oh yeah, that’s right ~ it printed!

If you know me, you know what a fan of “little” miracles I am. To me, that was a little miracle. It wasn’t earth-shattering; it didn’t end world hunger, but it was still a miracle. I found it uber cool and for the rest of the day, I was buzzed and amazed at what a difference a single thought can make.

Today, think about the thoughts and intentions you’re inadvertently sending out to The Universe. Notice the signals and the “I AM” statements that may be sending the wrong message, and change them to project what you want.

Let me know in the comments what little miracles creep into your day today ~ I live for and love hearing these stories!

Thanks, Linda.

Pam Grout is the author of 17 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the recently-released sequel, E-Cubed, 9 More Experiments that Prove Mirth, Magic and Merriment is your Full-time Gig.