TAKE CARE HOW YOU SPEAK ABOUT YOURSELF AND OTHERS!

Have you ever looked in the mirror and said, “Oh yuck” or put on your pants and went “ufffda”? Have you said, “I could never do that” or “I am so bad at ____” (fill in the blank)? You know you have. We all have. But why? Could it just be a bad habit?

Negative self talk is a habit that 85 percent of the adult population does on a daily basis for at least 70-85 percent of their thought time. Imagine that! People think negative thoughts and the result is generally negative. However, the reverse is also true. When we think positive thoughts, our life results in more positivity!

Breaking the negative self talk habit is of paramount importance to any kind of sustainable success in life. If I can break it the habit of negative self talk, I know for a fact that anyone who “wants to” can do it too. (Now don’t go to your default and say, “But, I can’t”, because you can!!)

You simply need to erase the negative tapes and begin fresh and new with your programming language. You just gotta stop and then start:

• STOP listening to the peanut gallery in your head that seems to be so adept at slinging negative little zingers into every situation.

• STOP all criticism, condemnation and complaining right now! Come on! You can do it!

• START saying more positive things to yourself about yourself and about others.

• START encouraging yourself and others.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Sometimes we will slip up. But don’t let that give you an opportunity to keep going with the negative self talk. Just last week, I said something quite negative about myself to my wife, She gently reminded me of what I was doing, and I stopped, but honestly, what I said is still haunting me today! I am working at this very moment at shaking that thought and poor decision out of my head.

Fortunately, I am a work in progress. We all are. None of us can say we have arrived. I am working diligently everyday to change my habits and am encouraging you to do the same. Let’s work to see the good in ourselves and believe the good within.

This week, make it a point to take care how you speak about yourself and others. You may also want to consider having those close to you bring it to your attention when they hear you say something negative about yourself or another person. Give them permission and your blessing to bring whatever you have said back to your attention so that you can make life change. Trust me that will motivate change within!