“The words I AM are so powerful that they must be used with extreme care. Why? Because the words I AM are your actual identity. They are your spiritual name, the identity of your spiritual self. Your I AM is the name of the God nature in you and of all the divine potential in you. If you want to feel the power of the words I AM, substitute the words “It is my essence to be…” or “It is my nature to be…”
Thus a seemingly innocuous comment, “I am so worried,” translates into “It is my very nature to be worried.” A comment said in frustration, “I am completely devastated,” becomes “It is my essence to be devastated.” Restated that way, those statements feel so uncomfortable to you because they more clearly point out that you are claiming something you don’t really want. You are identifying yourself with something far, far removed from your essence. Yet that’s exactly what happens when you use the words I AM. You put a claim into the great Creative Intelligence of the universe to transform yourself into whatever it is with which you are identifying.”
Richard and Mary-Alice Jafolla, in “The Quest“