Dear Black Men, You
are Wonderful
“I am a black man dedicated to expression; expression of the joy and pride of blackness. I consider myself neither poet, composer, normusician.Thesearemerelytoolsusedbysensitivementocarve outapieceofbeautyortruththattheyhopemayleadtopeaceand salvation.”
- Gil Scott-Heron
Malcolm Takes Flight
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 They did everything, but Malcolm only grew more and more withdrawn.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 he’d 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,aretheotherchildreninschoolgivingyouahardtime?”
Malcolm didn’t say anything, but his eyes grew wet, and he just gave a little nod, uncertain and afraid. His father sighed. “CanItell youalittlesecret?” He nodded again.
“Didyou know that I used to wake up every day of my life feeling afraid and worthless? I would think of the minute I’d walk into my swankyworkspace,surroundedbypeoplewhoare strangers tome. I’d always wonder if they were trying to judge me or my next moves. It used to be overwhelming.” Malcolm listened with wideeyed wonder, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
“Howdidyouchangethat,dad?”
“Ididn’t,son.WhatIdidwaschangethewayIthought.”
“How?”
“Well,ittooktime.Yousee,wheneveryouwanttomakeahabitout ofsomething,youhavetobewillingtonurtureit.It’slikegrowinga littleplant.You love roses, right?Let’s say Ibringa littlerose home and askyou to take care of it. Now, ifyou don’t water it or give it enoughsunlight,itwillwiltanddieina day. Nurture it,andyou will havethemostbeautifulroseyou’lleverlayyoureyeson.
Back then, I began taking self-help classes, and I came across somethingcalledaffirmations.Doyouknowwhataffirmationsmean, son?”
“No,Dad,whatarethey?”
“Well, they’re little words and phrases that can act as a personal army defendingyou. Let’s think of them as your soldiers. So, when you employ these soldiers and train them regularly, they give you somethingveryimportant.”
“What?”
“Faith,son.Theygiveyousomuchfaith. They remindyou thatyou are strong and thatyou deserve all the good things, thatyou are worthy ofeverything beautiful.Theygive youthecouragetofacetheunknownandtobelieveinyourself. And most of all, they prepare you to take every day by its collar and makeityourown.”
“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. “Hereyougo. Ahundredoftheseat
night,anda hundredwhenyou wakeup inthemorning.Thatisall youwillneed,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 isthebestversionofhimself, andwhotrulybelieves that hehasthepower andtheabilitiestodogoodthingsandtoachieve 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 hundredinthemorning.”
That, my dear readers, listeners, and friends, is the singular power of affirmations.
Before We Begin
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 don’t 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. You’ve fought with yourself and your close ones,
you’ve degraded yourself constantly, and you’ve even thought that perhaps you don’t deserve a good life.
I’m 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 I’d 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 andisreinforcedbyfutureorientation”.
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 “I will score first-class/ I will meet that deadline/ Thatpromotion is mine” daily, it will light up the parts of your brain that respond positively to different pleasurable experiences, such as consuming a delicious meal. So, affirmations fire up human neural pathways and create
positive changes in those parts of the brain which respond by making you feel uplifted and happy (Casico et al., 2016).
A key theory supporting positive affirmations is the theory of selfaffirmation (Steele, 1988). It is part of the empirical studies that base themselves on the notion that we can maintain or even enhance our self-integrity by affirming the notions that we believe in, in positive manners. In a nutshell, self-integrity is a measure of how confident we are in our capacity to influence moral outcomes and react quickly when our individuality is in jeopardy (Cohen & Sherman, 2014). It is a measure of how we as human beings are compelled to defend ourselves from potential harm by upholding our own authenticity.
The self-affirmation theory has three concepts that are important when you try to apply your mind to the practice of positive affirmations.
Firstly, we maintain an identity about ourselves via selfaffirmation. We are conscientious, versatile, and ready to adjust to any situation. Our self-image is based on this. Individuality and self-concept are two distinct concepts that should not be confused. We are capable of taking on a variety of identities and responsibilities. The natural corollary is that success may be defined in a variety of ways. This is good because it allows us to see ourselves in a positive light and accommodate a wider range of circumstances.
Maintaining one's identity is not a matter of being unique, flawless, or wonderful, according to self-affirmation theory. It is not necessary to be perfect to be decent, adaptive, and excellent; rather, it is sufficient to be enough in the areas that we value individually. Theimportance lies in feeling a personal senseofadequacy.
Finally, we keep our self-integrity intact by performing in ways that are really deserving of acclaim and admiration. We don't say things like "Iam a law-abidingcitizen" because we would like to be lauded for them. Rather, our statementisa reflectionofbeingdeservingof thatcomplimentbecausewehaveactedina way thatfitsoursense ofpersonalethics.
So, why are affirmations this effective?
Before I elaborate on that, let me tell you about the three cunning sisters that play games on our minds allthetime.
The first is the Dunning-Kruger Effect. This effect involves a tendency for newbies to become inflicted with a superiority bias (they overestimate their talents with no training); and on the converse end, they make experts underestimate their talents.
The second is the Observational Selection Bias. This involves the human proclivity to see something once we’ve become really familiar with it. For instance, we buy a new table, and suddenly, we see that table in every house around us.
The third is the Confirmation Bias. It represents an inclination towards seeing and believing more of what presently supports our preconceived notions. For example, we see something on social media and actually think it's real and true, and are convinced that everyone else thinks and feels the same way as us.
In actuality, the brain uses these shortcuts in order to escape the thought process. Back when our ancestors were always on the lookout for hazards, spending too much time on thought processes could be a hazard since they often had to be on their feet. Like, imagine being attacked by a tiger- how much time would you spend
thinking? You'd have to act immediately. Imagine living like that every day of your life. Obviously, times are different now, but our minds like the concept of nostalgia, and often revert back to these patterns.
These cognitive biases may be hijacked by affirmations and used for the advantage of the person using them. They retrain your brain to see the world in a different manner. If you repeatedly tell your brain that you'll obtain the job or lose the weight you want, your brain begins to look for evidence that this is really going to be the case in the future. When this occurs, the brain will signal the conscious mind about the stimulus. You'll start seeing facts and evidence that will assist you to reach your objectives out of nowhere. Just give the affirmations a little time to work their magic. To be honest, it can be a little weird. The concept of affirmations is not unknown to most of us, but we have an inner resistance to getting up and repeating phrases like “I am amazing” every day, and that’s expected. It can seem a little awkward. But, and hear me out. What if you practiced something daily, and it resulted in immense positive changes in your life? That’s just what positive affirmations will do for you. The only two things that it asks for in return are patienceand practice.
With this, we are positioned to begin. In each chapter of this book, we will cover a set of affirmations designed to uphold your sense of self. Remember to approach the chapters with an open heart, and trust that only good things will ensue. Dear black man, you are everything that you are required to be – adequate, strong, powerful, and whole. You are in the right space and within the right gambit of
time. You are making the right choices for your health and happiness. You are meant to be here. And, as we begin, let us say three words, taken from a poet who weaves words like they are magic on a tapestry of love, Rumi.
Whatyouseekisseekingyou,
Whatyouseekisseekingyou
Whatyouseekisseekingyou.
I am Upliftment, I am All Soul and Fire
“Justwhenthecaterpillarthoughtthattheworldwasending,it turnedintoabutterfly.”
- An old proverb.
I am going to devote this chapter to a complete illustration of affirmations on upliftment. But, before I begin, I’ll take a minute to share the story of a black man who faced immense struggles in his life, but went on to achieve greatness nonetheless. His life’s goal was to play basketball. The first let-down came early in his life, when he was rejected from the school basketball team. He challenged himself constantly, and set his own goals of evaluation when it came to measuring progress. In 1993, he astounded the whole world with his decision to quit basketball and transition to playing baseball. By then, he’d won the third NBA championship with the Bulls. When he was asked about his seemingly odd decision, he went on to say that he wanted to test his limits once again. His work ethic set
him a world apart, and he believed in one core principle – if you want to achieve something, you must practice, and you must be committedtobetteringyourself.
In 1995, the Chicago Bulls were banished from the NBA playoffs by the Orlando Magic. This was an obvious let-down, but the man I speak of returned to court to get better at his game the very next day. His philosophy behind this was that we need to accept that loss is a part of life, but that does not mean that we are not good enough. It only means that you need to keep trying, that there is room to improve and grow, and there are other means to get to the goals you aspire towards.
It is no secret that I speak of Michael Jordan. And, as a premise of the belief I want you to instill in this chapter, here’s what he had to say about failure. He said that he’d missed more than 9000 shots in the span of his career. He’d lost about 300 matches. He’d been trusted with the winning shot and failed to deliver 26 times.
“I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Dear reader or listener, that is the spirit I want you to carry forward as we read these affirmations together.
Affirmations To Uplift And Bring Out Your Inner Fire
1. A wide range of positive characteristics that I possess come to my attention with tremendous zeal.
2. The characteristics that are so beautifully and uniquely black define me, and I define them.
3. With each passing day, the intensity of my self-satisfaction becomes more pronounced.
4. On each given day, I am open to new possibilities.
5. I am so enthusiastic about how wonderfully I am growing into a mature black man.
6. I have all the things I need to shape my life to the ideal version of the reality that I want it to be.
7. I am using my black identity to get closer to my most ideal self.
8. My soul is a source of infinite gratefulness and joy.
9. Positive feelings contribute to helping me make the life of my choice with each new day.
10. I am a beautiful black man.
11. My life is filled with blessings because I am a magnet for an abundance of brilliant energy.
12. My soul accepts the deep hemoglobin of my skin for it has lit me with a fire of divine purpose.
13. Accepting myself as I am and loving myself unconditionally as a competent and strong black man is the only way I am willing to exist.
14. Every day, I can see new positive things in my life.
15. Positivity and joy contribute to the fullest essence of the amazing black man that I am.
16. I've made the decision to see myself in a positive light.
17. I accept radiant light into my life as a part of my inner being, and it becomes a part of my soul and the dark glory of my skin.
18. I accept positive energy as naturally as breathing and existing.
19. The divine and beautiful energy that comes with being black is given unto me, and I channelize it to grow stronger each day.
20. My coffee is hot and my table has food. I am grateful.
21. I have a mind that can turn all imagination to reality, a body that takes me through life, and the gift of life itself.
22. My blackness calls out to me to celebrate how unique and beautiful it is, and I choose it, I claim it, I channelize it.
23. The world is big and beautiful.
24. Every day is a new opportunity for me to enjoy life with the uniqueness of my existence.
25. I give myself the permission to be content in just who I am in this present moment, while being open to the possibility of changes.
26. I have a soft bed to sleep in every day.
27. My tiredness is a testimony to how hard I work.
28. I choose to define my identity in three clean phrases- I am black, I am hardworking, I am successful.
29. I enjoy everything that life gives to me.
30. I am open to new experiences.
31. Life is full of endless opportunities for a black man like me.
32. I am a constant source of creation, making everything that my heart desires the most.
33. I am extremely happy with myself as a complete and independent black man.
34. I have clean water to drink. It nourishes my soul and heals my body.
35. I replenish myself every day because I deserve a beautiful and wholesome life with the best of things.
36. Everywhere around me, I am surrounded by people who bring out my best qualities.
37. I invite good friendships into my life.
38. My close circle admires me because of how proud I am for my unique nature and skin, and how open and accepting I am to the world around me.
39. I'm on a quest to become the greatest version of a black man that I can be.
40. The life that I wish to live is the one that I am living right now, made possible by my own capabilities and willingness to look for positive energy and use it for good.
41. I am continually evolving in the direction of my greatest nature as a black man.
42. With each new dawn, I become a better version of myself.
43. Today is a new opportunity for me to be the best I can be. I accept that it will give me only abundance and joy.
44. Following my instinct as a black man indicates the road that will lead me to the finest version of myself.
45. My decision to be cheerful has allowed me to maintain excellent health.
46. Everyone in my immediate vicinity is ecstatic about my good fortune and how I project myself as a black man- proud and infallible.
47. By being joyful, I open the door to the potential of happiness for others.
48. A joyful life is designed for me, and I intend to live it to the fullest.
49. When I share my inner happiness with others, it grows exponentially.
50. It is only because I am determined to find pleasure in each moment that I have received everything wonderful in my life.
51. Being a black man has never been a cause for problems in my life. Rather, it has only brought me immense pride and joy.
52. I am getting ready for sleep with a feeling of fulfillment for all the good things that I have achieved today.
53. I have total faith in and acceptance of myself as not just a strong, but a completeblack man who commands every aspect of his life.
54. I believe and accept that happiness is my true and most authentic state of being.
55. I am not a victim of my own inadequacies or failings or my beautiful black skin. I embrace them as tools that help me become a better person.
56. I am a creative force, created to be open to and accepting of change on a day-to-day basis.
57. The divine maker has made me black so that I know how much strength flows through me.
58. I am overcome with awe and astonishment at how amazing my life as an assured black man has been thus far.
59. I am open to new experiences and do not want to feel the same way every day.
60. I am quite optimistic about the direction my life is going.
61. I have no regrets about anything that has happened to me. All my pains are testimony to the great powers of my endurance.
62. Every difficulty I have encountered has been beneficial to my development.
63. I am strong and flexible, and I have what it takes to overcome any and all challenges.
64. I have immense love and respect for the black man that I am today.
65. I am open to new versions of myself.
66. I am open to changes in the way I perceive life as a black man who knows what he wants from life.
67. I deserve everything that is good.
68. I deserve to be surrounded by love and optimism.
69. I deserve to be in complete love with myself and the journey that I am on as a black man.
70. I release all negativity from my system, and leave room for only good thoughts.
71. I accept that I have my shortcomings, but they are not reasons for failure, rather, tools to help me succeed in life.
72. I do not cling to the fear of failure, but embrace it as a learning mechanism.
73. I attract good energy from the world around me.
74. I am grateful to be given the gift of life, with all of its little marvels.
75. I am going to enjoy every second of being alive as a black man with unabashed abandon.
76. I am clear in the expression of my feelings toward others.
77. Whatever I am right now is just alright. That is all that is needed.
78. Whenever I change, it is organic, and because I desire it.
79. Nothing external forces change on me. My blackness is a source of divine wisdom and inner fire, and only I command myself.
80. I decide the direction that my life is taking.
81. I accept any and all new developments with grace and make the best of whatever situations I land in.
82. I acknowledge that living life as a black man is amazing and beautiful and deserves to be enjoyed on my own terms.
83. My life is full of boundless opportunities that lead me to different kinds of success in all areas.
84. I do not have to be perfect, I am wonderful just as I am.
85. My inadequacies have brought me this far, helped me survive, thrive, and exist with renewed drive.
86. I choose to not shun the beauty of my color or the validity of my existence.
87. I am all the selves I will ever need to be. I possess everything that is needed to live independent of anyone’s will.
88. As a complete and independent black man, I choose to live life on my own terms.
89. I am wholly abundant and open to all suggestions that will facilitate growth and progress.
90. I have fought with myself for too long, but I accept that I am completely wonderful now.
91. I am an extremely courageous black man, capable of tackling all adversity that comes my way.
92. I have what it takes to face all troubles with immense strength.
93. My people and past are the sources of all my powers of endurance.
94. My color has let me exist, my limbs have let me walk, my eyes have let me see, my heart has let me feel, my lungs have let me breathe, and my hands have let me create.
95. I am made of magic.
96. I attract positive situations and create them with my own capabilities.
97. I begin each day with the renewed vigor and urge to make my life as a black man beautiful.
98. I am a strong and vigorous black man, a magnet for energy and vitality.
99. I grow stronger each day.
100. I am bestowed with a divine energy of worthiness of my own self.
101. I have abundant positivity and gratefulness, and immense selfesteem.
102. I am all the black man I will ever need. I am divine and powerful.
103. I am confident, capable, and driven.
104. I am smart and energetic. The outer world cannot bring me down.
105. I am my own boss.
106. I am so excited to see the new versions of the road to becoming the greatest black man and to walk this road with full faith and confidence.
107. I am more and more in love with my black skin and every change that I embrace with each passing day.
108. I attract positive changes and shun all negativity.
109. My body is a vessel for radiant energy.
110. My beautiful black body is made for love, and of love.
111. I attract good people and relationships, I welcome love and support.
112. Time is my friend.
113. I invite time to let me grow older and wiser and more graceful and compassionate with the immensity of being black and whole with each passing moment.
114. I am filled with wonder and how every day is full of new promises, and a gift unto itself.
115. My table is full of wholesome food, I have water to drink, and a bed to sleep on. Life has blessed me in multiple ways.
116. I have amazing qualities, and I recognize more and more of them each day.
117. My qualities are rare and invaluable, and they make me uniquely myself, and a unique black man.
118. I am loved and appreciated for just who I am.
119. I am blessed with little joys and successes.
120. To survive in a world that pits so many against the dark beauty of my skin is a success unto itself, and I do it with renewed vigor each day.
121. I care immensely about my well-wishers, and I attract their love into my life.
122. I care deeply about myself and my growth as a black man.
123. I approve of all the directions that my life is taking.
124. I value the beauty of my mind, the sheen of my dark skin, the strength of my body, and the indomitable courage of my spirit.
125. I can walk through fire with an open heart because I am strong and confident in my capabilities as a black man.
126. I am made of radiant molecules, divine energy, and the immense willpower that makes me push through each minute with so much grace.
127. I am wholly independent and reliant only on my own judgment to do what is best for me as an independent black man.
128. I am calm and contained in the face of resistance.
129. I act on behalf of my better interests.
As part of this chapter, we are also going to look at affirmations to invite good people into our lives, people who uplift and nurture us.
I’ll share a recent conversation I had with one of my friends, Aaron, to give more context to this.
Aaron is an extremely successful corporate worker, and he is magnetic and charismatic. He’s the kind of person who actually thrives in dynamic work settings, and he loves to surround himself
with people. His family migrated from Johannesburg two generations back, and since then, they have built a fortune and a home in the States.
In spite of his family’s wealth, surviving as a man of color in a predominantly white world can be tough, but Aaron has always taken everything in his stride, the good and the bad. To be honest, the only time I really saw him struggling was in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ironclad lockdown that it brought. Stuck within the confines of his home, Aaron grew steadily depressed. Of course, I would call to check on him, but this was back when we were too afraid to even step outside into our gardens. I realized how lonely he was feeling. In one of our conversations, he told me that it was a strange thing, for he had automatically assumed that the work-from-home culture would be great – he’d be his own boss, decide his own timelines, wear what he wanted to, sleep when he wanted to. What he didn’t factor in was how much he relied on being in a dynamic setting and around other people. I encouraged him to form more online friendships. Now, don’t get me wrong, nothing beats the adrenaline and the joy you get from face-to-face interactions, but when you are stuck in the confines of your home, you need options. And just because you meet a person over Facebook or Instagram or even encounter a hapless freelancer on Upwork or LinkedIn, it doesn’t relegate them to the standards of obscurity. They are still people, and if you approach them in the right mind and with the right spirits, who knows, you’ll end up making friends that will last you a lifetime.
Aaron got married at the beginning of this year. We know and love his wife – she’s actually his childhood sweetheart. What added a touch of genuine warmth to the ceremonies was the presence of two friends he had met online – two wonderful people who helped him get through the lonely days of the lockdown, who shared his anxieties and apprehensions, and most of all, who made him see thatevenontheloneliestofdays,hestillhadsomeonehecouldfall backon–himself.
These two boys helped him touch base with his inner strengths and helped him discover how dependent he had been on the outer world for his own happiness. Aaron is more mature than the boy I knew a few years back. His happiness radiates from him and onto others around him. It is a joy.
A cheerful outlook on life and a contented disposition are the hallmarks of individuals who are most successful. Success is influenced by happiness and positivism. Of course, there is a lot more to being successful at work and in life than just sitting and smiling, but, and as I shared with you, studies show that those who are content with their circumstances on all levels — physical, intellectual, and spiritual — are more likely to achieve success. In the long run, if you're depressed, sickly, and lethargic, you'll only feel worse. It's impossible to stop when you're in a good mood. Every little joy adds to it and makes you feel more uplifted. You see, positivity and happiness is really contagious. There’s a reason why, when you enter an environment that is lit by bubbly, energetic, and vibrant people, you feel their positivity and love for life rub off on you. Other people’s emotions do impact you, which is
why whenever we spend too much time in the company of those who are constantly cribbing about their lot in life, we end up feeling anxious and depressed and just as hopeless. So, when you invite and keep happy people around you, their happiness feeds into your own.
The thing is that when you are around positive people, you’ll be able to draw inspiration from them. There’s this indomitable trait that they all exhibit – the will to carry on in the face of immense adversity. That takes courage and power, and when you are faced with that kind of spirit, you inevitably end up thinking, “theyare so amazing,andIwanttoaspire totheirkindoflife.”It gives you live, walking, talking people to aspire towards, rather than stars and fragile versions of humanity that you see in films or Netflix shows. Of course, the inspiration you garner from there is amazing too, but it just doesn’t hold up to being inspired by someone whoiswithinthe physicalboundariesofyourexistence.
We can’t deny this – being good makes the soul feel good. When you surround yourself with good, happy, and positive people, you automatically veer towards supporting good causes and living an upstanding life. You aspire towards becoming a better version of yourself every day. People who are irresponsible, purposeless, and negligent will gradually infringe on your lifestyle if you interact with them daily. They will make you feel that the only fun in life comes from deviant causes and routes – and you must not feel that way.
Being a genuine person doesn't entail being dull. Most importantly, positive people are grateful people. They are happy for the blessings in their lives, and they are immensely happy
with the little things that have come their way. So, keep grateful people around you and reflect on what makes you thankful. Is it your life, your friends, your job, or your health? Dear black man, there istrulyso muchto begratefulfor in life,rightfrom thefresh cupofsteamingteatothewaybuttermeltsonhottoast.Appreciate all of it.
Now, let’s go through some uplifting affirmations to attract good people and retain them in your life.
Affirmations to Draw Uplifting People into Our Lives
1. I meet uplifting and wonderful people every day.
2. My friends help me make all the right choices and move in the right direction as a competent black man.
3. I am a warm, happy, and friendly black man, and people like and enjoy being around me.
4. I am helpful and I have a good influence on others.
5. I am in the process of creating lasting friendships in my life.
6. I cherish all my friends and they cherish me.
7. The friendships I am making right now will last my whole life and be a testimony to how compassionate my black history has made me.
8. My friends appreciate who I am, love spending time with me, and make me feel happy and full of life and laughter.
9. It is easy for me to have fun with my friends. Our conversations flow naturally and make me happy and uplifted.
10. My friends love me for the person that I am- black and perfectly amazing.
11. I am looked up to as a force to be reckoned with, and as someone who is immensely proud of their black skin and nature.
12. My opinion is valued and respected, and I make positive changes in the lives of those around me.
13. My friends value my input and my wisdom.
14. All my friendships are designed to add value to my life.
15. I shun all negativity from the outside world.
16. I do not need or want to be under the influence of people who expend negative energy.
17. I invite people who look at me as a human first and choose to not associate prejudice with the beautiful color of my skin.
18. There is no shame in shunning those who shun me for being black.
19. I find it easy to make conversations that are meaningful and add value to not just my life as a black man, but the lives of those I converse with. They value me for my input.
20. The people around me are naturally warm, caring, and immensely uplifting, and they are all invested in my best interests.
21. My friends want me to soar and become a powerful, confident black man.
22. My friends and I agree on all the bigger values of life.
23. My friends and I look out for each other.
24. My friends know the struggle that comes with being black, and they admire and love me for how wonderfully I face these challenges and deliver in spite of them.
25. I attract plenty of beautiful friendships into my life.
