Do you want to be an intense, creative, excellent producer? Do you want to enjoy the fruits of being a self-starter, motivated to reach the greatest heights and pull the most potential out of every present moment?
In your efforts to achieve ultimate clarity, and the subsequent success, it’s crucial that you stop your greatest competitor: yourself
That’s right… your competitor is not “out there” somewhere. Your enemy is your own bad habit of allowing yourself to think about yourself and your actions in negative, unproductive, and unsupportive ways.
The challenge is to watch what you’re saying to yourself in much the same way you might watch what you say to others. Would you come right out in a meeting and tell a colleague that you think he is boring, too reckless, too fat, undisciplined, or a wasteful spender? Of course not. So why would you ever allow yourself to say similar things to yourself?
We are trained to think in this way as a social mechanism – an inefficient way to ensure that we behave with proper protocol.
While this habit may keep us from making waves, the bad news is that, if we allow ourselves to continue the bad habit of negative self-talk, we will not succeed at reaching our goals. What’s worse, the collateral damage will include unhappiness, non-existent or dysfunctional relationships with others, and even poor health.
To see future success, filled with the best possibilities, you need to control what you say, even if those words never get expressed audibly.
How do you control your thinking and attain this level of emotional mastery?
The solution is not as complex as it might first appear. You can destroy negative self-talk easily - one small step at a time. In particular, the solution is found in the systematic realignment of your habits.
In particular, you want to do two simple things:
1) On a daily basis, take advantage of every opportunity to give yourself praise. Be appreciative of even the smallest of good things you do or think.
2) Each time you catch yourself thinking something negative, simply smile and replace it with something positive. It doesn’t have to be a big, laborious process. The fact is that each moment of self-monitoring success is a healing. Each time you see what you’re doing, simply say “No, no, no” with a kind-hearted giggle in your voice.
This awareness, coupled with a kind forgiving attitude toward yourself, will help you move on and grow to the highest of heights.
With the precision of daily habits – spending a few minutes each morning practicing positive self-talk, and smiling away that negative voice – you will find the solution. Your vision will be clear. You will feel more competent. You’re ability to be persuasive and efficient will improve ten-fold, and that’s just in the first few months!
In your efforts to achieve ultimate clarity, and the subsequent success, it’s crucial that you stop your greatest competitor: yourself
That’s right… your competitor is not “out there” somewhere. Your enemy is your own bad habit of allowing yourself to think about yourself and your actions in negative, unproductive, and unsupportive ways.
The challenge is to watch what you’re saying to yourself in much the same way you might watch what you say to others. Would you come right out in a meeting and tell a colleague that you think he is boring, too reckless, too fat, undisciplined, or a wasteful spender? Of course not. So why would you ever allow yourself to say similar things to yourself?
We are trained to think in this way as a social mechanism – an inefficient way to ensure that we behave with proper protocol.
While this habit may keep us from making waves, the bad news is that, if we allow ourselves to continue the bad habit of negative self-talk, we will not succeed at reaching our goals. What’s worse, the collateral damage will include unhappiness, non-existent or dysfunctional relationships with others, and even poor health.
To see future success, filled with the best possibilities, you need to control what you say, even if those words never get expressed audibly.
How do you control your thinking and attain this level of emotional mastery?
The solution is not as complex as it might first appear. You can destroy negative self-talk easily - one small step at a time. In particular, the solution is found in the systematic realignment of your habits.
In particular, you want to do two simple things:
1) On a daily basis, take advantage of every opportunity to give yourself praise. Be appreciative of even the smallest of good things you do or think.
2) Each time you catch yourself thinking something negative, simply smile and replace it with something positive. It doesn’t have to be a big, laborious process. The fact is that each moment of self-monitoring success is a healing. Each time you see what you’re doing, simply say “No, no, no” with a kind-hearted giggle in your voice.
This awareness, coupled with a kind forgiving attitude toward yourself, will help you move on and grow to the highest of heights.
With the precision of daily habits – spending a few minutes each morning practicing positive self-talk, and smiling away that negative voice – you will find the solution. Your vision will be clear. You will feel more competent. You’re ability to be persuasive and efficient will improve ten-fold, and that’s just in the first few months!
I love reading your posts! Thanks for another great one!
Posted by: Will | March 05, 2010 at 01:34 PM
thanks for a refreshingly simple post, I suffer from this a lot and kind of expect any change I make to have to be all encompassing and immediate and your comment about every single time you do this being part of the healing really lifted my spirits. Thanks and I look forward to more!
Posted by: Emma Callaghan | March 07, 2010 at 07:27 AM
Funny - My version of this - "if someone told us what we normally tell ourselves, we would have to kick their a$$."
Posted by: Joey | March 07, 2010 at 08:07 AM
Thanks, Jim, for this healthy and uplifting post!
Posted by: Amy Wadley | March 08, 2010 at 11:10 AM
Great, Great Post! You hear a lot to avoid Negative self-talk, but its so habitual, and involuntary, that its hard to get a handle on it. I like how you broke it down to just notice you are doing it and correct yourself to break the habit.
Thanks Jim!
Posted by: Jendra | June 04, 2010 at 06:09 AM
Thanks Amy, Jendra, Joey, Emma, and Will!
It continues to prove itself true to me: when you grant audience to negative self-talk, you become your worst competitor.
When you become aware of it, and minimize it - one tiny step at a time - you become your greatest CHAMPION!
You are all champion warrior kings (and queens) :)
Posted by: Jim Miotke | June 07, 2010 at 11:11 AM