Maurice Pearson - Powerful Affirmations for Black Men: Empowering Affirmations for Black Men to Increase Health, Wealth, Confidence, and Achieve Success. Uplifting Words to Becoming a Fearless Example of Black

Copyright 2022 by Maurice Pearson

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This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events, or locations is purely coincidental.

I am a black man dedicated to expression; expression of the joy and pride of blackness. I consider myself neither poet, composer, nor musician. These are merely tools used by sensitive men to carve out a piece of beauty or truth that they hope may lead to peace and salvation.
- Gil Scott-Heron

Young Malcolm was born to a loving family. He had everything one could ask for in a good home parents who loved him dearly, siblings who looked up to him, and a promising future ahead of him. His parents had risen from nothing, building their home and their fortune brick by brick, dollar by dollar. They had painstakingly instilled the correct values in their children, teaching them to always do what was correct, even in the face of great adversity.

Things changed when Malcolm began attending a swanky school at the upper East side of the city. His parents wanted Malcolm to do well in life, and this meant that even if he had to face some hardships associated with settling in, he would have to make his way in the world. Malcolm became progressively quieter and unhappier. There was a drastic change from the bubbly, happy boy who loved to share everything about his day, to the somber and sad little child who did not talk to anyone. His parents could not understand what had happened to change his personality so much, so they took him to one of the most reputed counselors in town. They did everything, but Malcolm only grew more and more withdrawn.

One day, his father decided to talk to him before bedtime. They had a hearty dinner of pot-roast with vegetables, and Malcolm asked to be read a story. His father said hed do it that night, and they went up to his room together. His father sat beside him as he curled inside the soft woolen quilt, and stroked his hair gently.

Malcolm, are the other children in school giving you a hard time?

Malcolm didnt say anything, but his eyes grew wet, and he just gave a little nod, uncertain and afraid. His father sighed. Can I tell you a little secret?

He nodded again.

Did you know that I used to wake up every day of my life feeling afraid and worthless? I would think of the minute Id walk into my swanky workspace, surrounded by people who are strangers to me. Id always wonder if they were trying to judge me or my next moves. It used to be overwhelming. Malcolm listened with wide-eyed wonder, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

How did you change that, dad?

I didnt, son. What I did was change the way I thought.

How?

Well, it took time. You see, whenever you want to make a habit out of something, you have to be willing to nurture it. Its like growing a little plant. You love roses, right? Lets say I bring a little rose home and ask you to take care of it. Now, if you dont water it or give it enough sunlight, it will wilt and die in a day. Nurture it, and you will have the most beautiful rose youll ever lay your eyes on.

Back then, I began taking self-help classes, and I came across something called affirmations. Do you know what affirmations mean, son?

No, Dad, what are they?

Well, theyre little words and phrases that can act as a personal army defending you. Lets think of them as your soldiers. So, when you employ these soldiers and train them regularly, they give you something very important.

What?

Faith, son. They give you so much faith.

They remind you that you are strong and that you deserve all the good things, that you are worthy of everything beautiful. They give you the courage to face the unknown and to believe in yourself. And most of all, they prepare you to take every day by its collar and make it your own.

Oh! How do I get them, dad? Malcolm's eyes were positively gleaming now. His father smiled and withdrew a little book from the spacious pocket of his overcoat. Here you go. A hundred of these at night, and a hundred when you wake up in the morning. That is all you will need, son.

It has been twenty years to this day. Malcolm is now married and has two beautiful children. He is a very successful life coach, and he spends most of his waking hour's training and bolstering black youth, reminding them of their worthiness and teaching them to aspire to higher ends and versions of themselves. People love Malcolm. They find him aspirational, and they know that here is a man who is the best version of himself, and who truly believes that he has the power and the abilities to do good things and to achieve great success. Sometimes, Malcolm gets questions as to how he manages to be so upbeat every day. He always smiles at this and says the same thing to each such question.

I take a hundred little doses of happy thoughts at night, and a hundred in the morning.

That, my dear readers, listeners, and friends, is the singular power of affirmations.

Dear reader or listener,

This is a letter from me to you. Believe me when I tell you that I know how hard life can be at times, especially when you are forced to believe that you dont fit in. Today, if you have come across my book, there is a chance that you are ardently looking for something that will help you to establish deeper faith in yourself. Perhaps you have tried a number of tools and found that none have yielded the results you seek. Youve fought with yourself and your close ones, youve degraded yourself constantly, and youve even thought that perhaps you dont deserve a good life.

Im here to tell you that none of that is true. You are whole and beautiful, you deserve all the good things, and all you need to do is find a route, a belief system, that will help you to re-establish a relationship with yourself that is founded on trust, love, and faith. In my personal life, I have known a lot of struggles. I used to think that nothing good would ever happen to me, that I was weak and undeserving, that Id always have to rely on the goodwill of others to get by. As time went on, my destructive thought patterns kept sending me down a rabbit hole of negativity. This was until I read my first book on affirmations. I was fascinated by the concept and immediately wanted to learn more.

You may not be aware of this, but there is a certain science that operates behind the belief system that comprises affirmations. As humans, we tend to gravitate towards compassion and kindness.

In 2016, a study was published in the credited Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Journal, labeled Self-affirmation activates brain systems associated with self-related processing and reward and is reinforced by future orientation.

This study employed Magnetic Resource Imaging (MRI) to confirm that a daily routine incorporating self-affirmation practices activates reward centers in the human brain. So, if you simply repeat