You are

What are some of the most powerful words in the world? The words that make a difference at the end of the day? 

"You are". 

What comes after these words can make a difference. Whether you say them to someone else, or to yourself. 

You are important. You are brave. You are strong. You are able to handle whatever comes your way. 

These words work, because we all have egos, and when we hear something positive, even in the gloomiest mood, there's a little more spring in our steps. When we hear something negative, we can react in two ways. We can believe it, or we can question it. 

The interesting thing about these words is that we believe whatever comes after them. If we use negative words, then that is what sticks with us, and the same is true about positive thoughts. 

It's difficult to change this habit. We hear mean things, we take things personally, and we ignore them sometimes when we're stuck in a rut. But they do have meaning, and they shape our world. 

Whatever we believe about ourselves really is important, and it really does effect our work and life. When we say "You are" to someone, what you put at the end can effect how they view themselves, and how they view you. 

Some people could look at this post and roll their eyes. I did that, a long time ago, but then I began to pay attention to what I said, what I heard, and what I believed. 

It's one step toward self confidence, deciding what you believe about yourself, and believing in others. 

Because life is hard. We all have painful memories, obstacles and challenges in our lives, but they don't have to be as powerful as we make them. 

Once we create the words after "You are" we are shaping our own reality. 

And we can also remember that "You are" is a complete sentence and "I am" is even more powerful. 

Writing prompt 49: What is changing in your life right now?

Everything.
People are not who they used to be. Places are not what they used to be. I'm not who I used to be. My view of the world and people in general changes everyday: Wavering from positive to negative, negative to positive and sometimes even somewhere in between. My entire life is changing from small steps to giant leaps or even giant steps back. My music playlist changes with each song I add to it. My stories change with each sentence I write. My thoughts and actions change with each word I hear.
Change is a constant in life, and I have learned to understand it, but I can't honestly say that I always accept it. When something changes, it is no longer what you've known, and there is fear there. Even good changes like getting a job or applying to writing contests can be scary because you don't know anything about their outcome. You know how hard you worked, and you know what effort you put in to apply, but you don't know what the outcome will be. You can guess, but you could be wrong.
This constant, yet fragmented element of life can come softly, or nearly blow you away. You can be hurt, you can be healed and you can grow. This is really the only guarantee of life. It will change. We take for granted the patterns that we're used to, and once something happens to tip that scale or shake the world you thought you knew, you can only accept it and continue on. But that isn't easy. It could take months or even years before you realize that since your world has changed, you need to change to deal with it. Even after changing you may not accept this. It's a challenge, and not always one that you are prepared for. A therapist will tell you to take your time but make sure you're progressing. A friend or family member will tell you to hurry up before the world leaves you behind. But no matter what they say, you have to look inward and decide what you can handle, and what you can practice until you get it right.
Change is difficult. Change is tough. Change is inevitable.