A Letter From Chris Suarez

TWO WORDS.

I am.

This week someone told me that those were the two most powerful words in the English language. They were wrong.  They are the two most powerful words in every language.

Yo soy

Ich bin

Eu sou

我是

मैं हूँ

я 

English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Mandarin, Hindi, Russian...

With those two words we define our past, we describe our present, and we design our future. The beauty of those two words is that they allow us to fill in the blank. They allow us to choose our truth. We are not stuck in the past, controlled by our present, or destined for a future.

Those two words allow us to redefine our past, re-describe our present, and redesign our future.  

“I am” is not a “you do you” conversation. That expression and movement often times comes with ego and a selfish disregard for others. While choosing to “do you”, we forget about affect and effect. We often give little regard to how that may affect those around us or the effects it could have on our environment.

By owning those two words both verbally and non-verbally we will find ourselves in complete control of our lives and of who we are.

We show up with simple word or phrase that follows:

I am happy.

I am prepared.

I am loved.

I am leading.

I am successful.

I am winning.

These are very simple sentences… with a subject and a predicate.

YOU are the subject. The word you CHOOSE is the predicate.  

Now for our English lesson. The subject in the statement will always be you.  Remember, YOU are your most important subject. The predicate will always contain a verb.  Why? Well aside from the fact that is how English works, it is because the I AM statement is about being.  And “being” in this sentence is a verb.   

Life isn’t passive. Being is active.

Not hyperactive. Just active.  

We live into the “I am” statement that we tell ourselves and that tell others.  So where did we go wrong?

Unfortunately many of us have allowed too many people to mistreat us.  If not careful, adults have a way of breaking children by changing their “I am” statements. Too often I hear parents or teachers use phrases that begin with “You are”. We need to end that. No human should be allowed to define who or what another human is. And yet I hear people shout  “you are lazy” or “you are inconsiderate” or “you are bad” or “you are good for nothing” or worse. The “you are” expressions can quickly be adopted into our “I am” statements.

Keep in mind, “I am” does not allow for an “I was”.  The past is irrelevant and inconsequential when we take control of who we are today. This needs to happen every day. If our “I am” statements are not changing, it means we are not growing.  

The popular “Be…Do…Have model” comes into play. Ram Dass popularized that model after his trip to India in the mid 60’s, but it is said to be hundred of years old. It has now been incorporated into organizational theory, behavioral psychology, and shared by the likes of Steven Covey, Tony Robbins, and others.

The power of an “I am” statement is that it brings you to the front of the model - the “being”. I am allowed to be who and what I stated I am. Be.

Now I need only act or behave like the statement that I adopted. I will build habits and activities around it. I will build schedules and conversations around it.  Do.

We need to implement an I am model and system. 

Each morning choose an “I am” statement to redefine your past, to re-describe your present, and to redesign your future.

I am grateful.  I am growing.  I am fulfilled.

I am calm.  I am ready.  I am wise.

I am blessed.  I am energized.  I am admired.

Those two words have the power to heal, create, and change - three of the most difficult things we are called on to do every day.  

I am

Je suis

Είμαι

わたし 

আমি=

English, French, Greek, Japanese, Bengali... 

Those two words are the most powerful words in every language.

Chris