If you’d told my teenage self in the early 1990s that I’d be practicing daily affirmations in 2025, I’d have laughed in your face. Back then, I only knew about affirmations thanks to Saturday Night Live’s Stuart Smalley, Al Franken’s character who looked in the mirror and declared: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”

But here I am, all grown up, a librarian in his late 40s, starting each morning by running through ten affirmations in my head. And guess what? They actually work.

This episode is part two of my three-part Morning Routine Series. Today I’m diving into my 10 daily affirmations. These are simple, repeatable statements that keep me present, grateful, accountable, and moving in the right direction.

Why affirmations matter: