Affirmation

My name is David, and this is an affirmation of myself.  I am a good and decent person, and I deserve to live.  I deserve to be happy and I deserve to be loved.

I have bad habits, and I wish to reduce or correct them.  But they do not define who I am.  I also have good habits, and I wish to cultivate them.  These do not define me either; I am neither the sum nor the balance of my habits.  I am a human being, as worthy of life and the good things in life as any other human being.

I am private, introverted, and sensitive.  With these attributes I often find it exhausting and difficult to live and operate in the world around me.  But it is not impossible for me to do so.  There are ways in this world for a person like me to find peace and satisfaction.

These attributes do not make me a bad person, and they do not make me weak either.  In fact, they are sources of virtue and strength.  Because I am private, I have much to share with those closest to me.  Because I am introverted, I have a good vantage point from which to understand myself.  Because I am sensitive, I can experience the rich pleasures of life as deeply as I can experience its pains and disappointments. 

I can survive the pains and disappointments of life, and have done so for many years.  It is worthwhile to survive them, because life is also filled with happy surprises and joy.  I will not live forever, but I may live for a long time, and I do not know what the rest of my life has in store.  It would be wrong to assume that there is only sorrow waiting for me.

I have many talents and fine qualities.  I have a good memory and deep thoughts.  I have some skill as a writer and an artist.  I am an effective teacher.  My body is healthy and resilient, and physically attractive.  These things do not make me better than other people, and they are not the sources of my worth as a human being.   However, they are treasured gifts, and sources of great joy to myself.  With these qualities I can make a valuable contribution to my world, as well as improve the state of my own life.  They are proof that I am not helpless.

I am sometimes alone, and it is all right that I should be that way.  I will not be alone forever.  My friends care for me, and they are happy that I am alive.  I am blessed with a family that loves me and helps me.  I will succeed in finding a romantic partner who will love and cherish me for my strengths and accept me for my faults.

I have accomplished much in my life, and I will accomplish much more.  For this reason, I deserve to feel proud of myself.  I do not have to feel guilty for taking the time needed to live a happy life, nor for the time I have spent feeling unhappy.  Though I may be sad or angry or depressed, I am still a good person.