Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, either way you are right.” – Henry Ford One of the most important things we can all practice daily is…
Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, either way you are right.”
– Henry Ford
One of the most important things we can all practice daily is the art of positive self-talk. The way that we speak to ourselves or about ourselves speaks volumes to our subconscious and the world around us. The quote above is one of my favorites of all time. It depicts the importance of believing in oneself in a very plain and understandable manner — you decide.
Speaking Life Into Yourself ✨
Although it is wonderful to have a support network that believes in you and your goals. You must also be able to support and motivate yourself. Self-talk can have a great impact on your confidence. The first step to improving your self-talk is to start by just listening to what you routinely say to yourself.
You can benefit from this practice if:
Your self-talk is mainly negative
Your personal/professional goals are not being met
You are working through low self-esteem
You are working to feel better about yourself overall
What is self-talk?
Self-talk is the voice in your mind that says the things you don’t necessarily say out loud. We many times don’t even comprehend that this voice is constantly going on in the background, but how and what this voice says can have a big impact on how we feel about who we are.
How To Increase Positive Self-Talk
There are three things you can do to practice positive self-talk:
1. Listen to what you’re saying to yourself.
We don’t always consciously take note of what our inner voice is saying. The first step in improving your self-talk is to really listen to what your mind is saying. Is it mostly positive or mostly negative? Each day take time to listen and take notes of what you are thinking.
2. Question what you hear.
Ask yourself these qualifying questions:
- Is there evidence to support that statement?
- What would I say if this were someone I love?
- Is there a different way to look at this?
- Am I looking at the whole picture?
- Is this productive?
3. Modify your self-talk.
This is not a practice that happens overnight, it will take time. Try countering your negative thoughts with positive ones. For example, if you find yourself thinking, ‘I’ll never live that life’, ask yourself: ‘What can I do to get me one step closer?’. Avoid speaking in finite terms, and try to look for things that might put a more positive spin on a tough situation.
There are two types of self-talk; Positive and Negative.
👍🏼Positive self-talk makes you feel good about yourself and the things that are going on in your life. It’s like having an optimistic voice in your head that always sees the silver lining.
Examples: ‘Traffic was terrible this morning, but I made it safe!’, ‘Man! I am rocking these new boots!’
👎🏼Negative self-talk makes you feel down about yourself and the things that are going on. It can put a downer on anything, even something good.
Examples: ‘Gosh I look so fat today’, ‘Why do I even bother, no one is listening’, ‘Luck is just never on my side.’
Practice, Practice, Practice
The more you work on improving your self-talk, the easier it will come. It is kind of like practicing for a sport or learning a new habit; with more positive self-talk, you’re more likely to feel in control of the things that go on in your life.
Does anyone have any tips they could share?
Leave them below! 👇🏼
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