Steps to Positive Self Talk Most of us are in constant
mental chatter. We talk to ourselves all day long and, unfortunately, this self
talk is frequently negative. Often it is tainted(玷污) with guilt about our past
or anxiety about our future. This negativity can destroy any seed of hope that
we may otherwise have in striving for our dreams. Our actions
are inspired by our thoughts. If we can change the way we think, we can begin to
change the actions we take. It is human nature to seek personal growth; whether
financially, emotionally, physically or spiritually. Practicing positive self
talk can help us set in motion actions that will bring us greater
rewards. The following are several steps to positive self talk. By following
these steps you will begin to rid your inner conversations of negativity and
instead have empowering thoughts. Eliminate internal negative
chatter The first step is one of awareness. It will be hard to
make a change to positive thinking without being acutely intimate with the
thoughts that run through your mind. Recently, I was amazed to discover
deep negative emotions that I had {or fewer than 10 minutes. Without awareness,
I would have carried the hurt and anger inside. Awareness helped me to bring
them out to the open for me to deal with. Undoubtedly it will
not be easy to make a switch if you have a long history or negative self talk.
Your talk became negative over the years due to various factors. For instance,
if your first grade teacher repeatedly told you that you were "stupid", you
might believe it to be truly the case. You would find that your inner chatter
would often be filled with talk of "I am so slow" and "it is so hard to learn".
If you constantly tell yourself such negative stories, your actions are going to
reflect your low self esteem. It will be difficult to get very far if you are
always putting yourself down. A common negative talk involves
telling you "I can’t". When you say to yourself "I can’t" or "it is too
difficult", you are creating a resistance. Having such a mental block will
prevent you from achieving a task you could otherwise succeed at.
Anytime you catch yourself saying "I can’t... ", turn around and challenge
your own claim with, "Why can’t I" Research shows that most geniuses became the
people they are also because of the hard work they put in. So if you would like
to be successful, you need to start saying "I can" a lot more.
Positive affirmations Affirmations are positive statements
of a desired outcome or goal. They are usually short, believable and focused. By
repeating them over and over again, you build inroads into your subconscious
mind, opening up the possibility of a new state of thoughts.
An important step when repeating affirmations is that you need to read
your affirmations aloud with feeling. The mere reading of the words bears no
consequence unless you put some emotions behind them. Of significant fact is
that your subconscious mind takes any orders given in complete faith and after
repeated self talk. So the daily practice of repeating affirmations is
important. Initially you may be skeptical toward the
statement of your positive affirmation. However, if you follow this simple set
of instructions your skepticism will soon give way to a new set of beliefs and
then crystallized into absolute faith. Replace negative
influences with positive ones It is important that you
identify external negative factors in your life which may be holding your
thoughts hostage. For instance, your mental state can become toxic by being
around friends who are negative. If you are not vigilant enough, you will start
to adopt their thoughts as your own. Hence, be alert to what your negative
influences are. If they come from certain friends, limit your exposure to them
as much as you can. Refrain from discussing your plans with people who will be
ur/supportive of your dreams and goals. Instead surround
yourself with thoughts and actions from people who will empower you.
Being inspired and motivated, you will accomplish greater self
growth. The positive energy that they vibrate will start affecting the
self talk that you engage in as well. Present tense
messages You may find yourself daunted by the many things you
need to do in order to reach your goals. It just seems overwhelming to become
the success that you secretly desire for. Your mind gets caught up in an endless
stream of worry. What may be helpful is to concentrate on
steps you can take in the present. If you find yourself becoming stuck, stop and
say, "What can I do right now" Change your internal talk from a future
anxiety-ridden one to one that is about the more manageable present. You cannot
control what will happen in the future but you can take the necessary steps now
that will build a better tomorrow. Taking the necessary steps requires you to
focus on your inner talk about the present. Confront
fears Fear is often what holds you back from your success. You
are scared of taking chances because you fear losing the security that you enjoy
now. You try to convince yourself that you are happy in your current state when
in fact, you are not. Your self talk may sound positive in your attempt to lie
to yourself. But somehow, there is an inner knowing that you are short of
changing yourself. Ask yourself what you are afraid of. What
can be the worst that can happen Take a step-by-step approach in breaking down
your fears and see if there is any way round to looking at things more
positively. When you confront your fears, you will often realize that the
worst-case scenario(局面，场景) is not as bad as you think. In fact, the benefits of
change are worth the risk. Your inner talk begins to change at this
point. Focus on enjoyable moments It is much
easier to have a positive attitude if you focus on the enjoyable moments in life
rather than the difficult ones. While there will inevitably be challenges, you
need to remember that life consists of ups and downs and the good times are
forged through the bad. So choose to fill your mind with
positive images and thoughts. Make it a conscious habit. Simply bring your mind
hack every time it goes astray in its thoughts. For a start, if you can be
grateful for what you have presently, your self talk will also change to be in
alignment with one of joy. A state of gratitude does wonders to your
psyche. Conclusion Replacing self talk from a
negative to a more positive one is not going to happen overnight. If your mind
has ingrained habits of thinking negatively, it will take some work and time.
However, if you find yourself often struggling, unable to achieve your goals and
talking yourself down, then you should grit your teeth and commit to the process
of change. By following the above tips to positive self talk,
you will experience an improvement in the quality of your life. The rewards are
plentiful with greater happiness, peace and joy. Best of all, you feel
empowered. With the change in energy, you are more likely to reach your highest
potential and achieve success. According to the author, if we want to change our action, we should ______.