(many thanks to ilco at sxc.hu for the free stock photo)
What we say to ourselves every day influences how we think… and how we think controls what we do, which controls our level of success.
Have you ever heard yourself saying…
‘I don’t like to…’
‘I don’t think I could…’
‘That’s not my thing…
‘I’m no good at that…’
If you hear it enough times, you’ll eventually believe it!
It can also affect your health…
How do you think you’ll feel if your inner voice keeps saying…
‘I think I’m getting a cold…’
‘I think I can feel a headache coming on…’
‘I think I’m sickening for something…’
And your inner voice affects the way you do things…
‘I’m having one of those days, today…’
‘I’m so clumsy…’
‘Butter fingers!…’
self talk…
If you want to influence your thoughts in a positive way, you need to break the habit of talking yourself down, and replace the negative thoughts with positive ones.
The most effective way to do it, is to use a positive self talk.
points about a good self-talk…
- It’s short
- It’s written in the present tense
- It’s written in the first person
- It contains only positive statements
think about your faults…
I used to write lots of to-do lists… and often I’d carry the things I needed to do onto the next to-do list. And the list after that!
I was really good at procrastinating.
It had to stop, so one of the lines in my self talk is: ‘I do not procrastinate: I do it now.’
I’ve heard that line so many times, that now, when I catch myself putting something off until later, a little voice in my head says: ‘Do it now!’ …and I do it now.
start on a thankful note…
I like to start by appreciating what I’ve got.
Many people go to sleep at night and never wake up again, and if I open my eyes and see a new day, I’ve got something to be thankful for…I’ve been blessed with another day, with Heide.
So my first line is: ‘I look forward to this new day with Heide, and thank the Lord for them both.’
continue on a healthy note…
I don’t want to feel miserable, and I certainly don’t want to be ill, so the next line is: ‘I’m happy and I’m healthy.’
move on to business aspects…
When we first started our GNLD business, we shared our enthusiasm with everyone who came within two metres of us… whether they wanted to hear about it or not!
We succeeded in talking people into our business, who didn’t really want to be there. Of course, they did nothing, and eventually dropped out.
That was before we discovered Tim Sales, and his method of finding out if people are looking for what we’re offering, before we invite them. There’s more about that in the post ‘Qualify your prospects‘.
The two lines in my self talk to help me overcome the desire to invite absolutely everyone to look at our business are…
‘I qualify people first.
I invite sharp, productive people.’
and to give myself a bit of encouragement…
‘I’m good at inviting.’
Our business works best, not with a what-can-I-get-out-of-it attitude, but with the belief that the business can change the lives of other people for the better.
It’s a help-other-people-first business, and just so I never forget that, a line reads: ‘I help people help themselves.’
Here’s my self talk, then…
I read it several times every day, aloud to myself. I’ve printed it, and have put a copy on the bathroom mirror, my computer’s start-up screen, in my diary, everywhere…
‘I look forward to this new day with Heide, and thank the Lord for them both.
I’m happy and I’m healthy.
I qualify people first.
I invite sharp, productive people.
I’m good at inviting.
I help people help themselves.
I do not procrastinate: I do it now.’
A positive self-talk is a really powerful tool in all areas of life.
Write one, and experience the power of it for yourself.
