At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking this keyring is little more than a commercial by-product of today’s affirmation culture - the same one which sees the most inanimate possessions, cheesily trying to life-coach us through the everyday!
Far from having been cut from the heavily commercialised ‘good vibes only’ cloth, however, this keepsake-shaped nod to positive self-talk, is a precious one off.
You see, this keyring belonged to my Dad!
The affirmation was his, and it hung on every door-unlocking, engine-starting moment that hindsight has since used to bookend those childhood memories held most dear!
Despite the ‘you got this’ feels, the item hails from a time BEFORE positivity quotes and sayings had filtered into the mainstream.
A time when proclaiming our own greatness through the medium of car keys, suggested a sense of humour at best…and arrogance at worst.
Fast forward 30 years, and these words are now read with very different eyes…and not just for the fact that self-affirmation is now officially ‘a thing.’
Yes, the practice of back-patting ourselves into a more positive, empowered head space now has roots in neuroscience, with a proven ability to influence the subconscious mind. In particular, to boost confidence and self-integrity, according to the self-affirmation theory of 1988 (Steele).
This, however, isn’t the only or main reason why these words resonate on the regular. Instead, it is the comforting, familiar mouthpiece that the memories lend to those three. Magic. Words.
DAMN…I‘M GOOD!
With this affirmation - given the back story - comes an unshakable sense of responsibility to ‘repeat after me…’ at every key-grabbing moment!
On a day of the year that celebrates things with a past greater than the sum of their parts (hello National Old Stuff Day), this feeling is even more poignant.
Granted, the sentiment is not always easy to digest (such is the nature of self-doubt) but luckily, DAMN I’M GOOD is open-ended enough, to transcend even the most wavering of skill sets and self-esteems!
What this means, is that it can theoretically be applied as much to the genetic, inherited writing flair that would arguably be most apt, as it can to napping, say… or finding loopholes in affirmations that weren’t there otherwise!
(Damn… I really am good!)