All this self help, and my self still needs help!

You can scroll through any given social media feed and come across hundreds upon hundreds of self help/encouragement posts.  You see things like "Today is a great day to have a great day!" or "Don't look back, you're not going that way..." Everyone seems to be looking for that one little something that'll lift their spirits, even if only for a few seconds. It can get a bit out of control. You see the post, you click like and you keep going. You rarely remember it, or reference it when you need some encouragement.  Lately I've come across a lot of "affirmation" posts. From what I gather, you're supposed to take something about yourself you'd like to improve, write it down, and repeat it to yourself (affirm it) throughout the day. It could also be a negative thought that you've made into something positive. At first I thought it was just another cliche thing people do so they can post "positive vibes" on social media. But after a few eye- opening experiences, I decided to give this affirmation thing a try. 

#StoryTime -- At the end of this semester I was in class and the professor gave us the task of writing down 3 goals you have for your life. It was kind of a lighthearted last assignment.  I thought to myself "Oh, that's easy. Let me just jot some things down real quick." I quickly realized that for me, it wasn't easy. I couldn't write anything down. Any goal I thought of, I would immediately cancel it because in my head it was completely unattainable for me. I'd think, "That's too big of a goal, start smaller" or "What makes you think YOU can accomplish that?" Before I knew it everyone had finished. They were talking about how hard it was to narrow all of their goals down to just three. One girl said that the activity showed how indecisive she was. She couldn't decide which three she wanted to write down. I was still sitting there with nothing on my paper; not because I was indecisive, but because I was insecure. It was heartbreaking. Something had to change. This is an affirmation that I like to/have to revisit occasionally.