However much some journalists may criticize me, I know that I

The words of Joan Collins, “However much some journalists may criticize me, I know that I look, feel, and behave several decades younger than my actual age, and much of that is because I believe you are what you think you are. This is called positive affirmation, and it's a really strong tool,” resound like a declaration of defiance against time itself. In them is a truth older than stone: that the mind shapes the body, and the spirit has power to command the years. What others call vanity is, in truth, an act of courage—the refusal to let the world’s judgment dictate one’s sense of life and youth.

The origin of this wisdom lies in the eternal principle that thought precedes being. From the mystics of the East to the Stoics of Greece, sages have proclaimed that a man—or a woman—is what he believes himself to be. The body follows the command of the mind, and the heart beats in rhythm with belief. Positive affirmation is not a modern invention but an ancient weapon, sharpened anew for every age: the practice of shaping reality with the conviction of the soul.

Consider the tale of Nelson Mandela, who endured twenty-seven years in prison, stripped of freedom, comfort, and youth. Yet he emerged not broken, but radiant, declaring that his spirit had never aged, his vision had never dimmed. By holding to the affirmation of dignity and destiny, he preserved his strength far beyond what flesh alone could sustain. His example proves what Collins claims: you are what you think you are, and thought can make the spirit invincible even against time and suffering.

Collins’ words also strike against the cruelty of journalists and society that worship youth while mocking age. She turns their judgment into nothingness by proclaiming mastery over her own being. This is a lesson for all: the voices of the world will always clamor with criticism, but the voice within—the one that declares affirmation—is stronger, if only we dare to believe it.

The teaching here is not mere vanity, but liberation. To wield positive affirmation is to reject the chains of fear, doubt, and decay, and to step boldly into the life you claim for yourself. It is to say: I am not the prisoner of years, nor of others’ opinions—I am the author of my being. Such belief does not merely preserve youth; it grants power, joy, and resilience.

Let this wisdom be carried forward: the body may wrinkle, the years may pass, the critics may speak, but the soul is ageless. And when we hold to affirmation, declaring ourselves vibrant, worthy, and alive, we awaken a strength that time cannot diminish. For truly, you become what you dare to believe.