Choose Self-Talk that Empowers You

In forging a path towards success, you should pay particular attention to how you talk to yourself. Especially because how you talk to yourself represents the attitudes and beliefs that determine how you think and feel and act. For most people, their self-talk often unconsciously suggests and reinforces feelings of victimhood, burden, and resistance to authority. The images and feeling generated by such self-talk almost always halts your progress through procrastination, self-defeating behaviors, or lower self-esteem.

When you are trying to motivate yourself to get something done, you usually speak to yourself in an authoritarian voice. It is common practice to try to motivate through statements such as "I have to do it" or "I should do it". However, these statements actually communicate the message, "I don’t want to do it, but I must force myself to". By applying pressure we attempt to motivate ourselves through threats that indicate the task required of us is unpleasant, and one we would not do if we could choose to. These messages evoke anxiety and create a negative reaction toward the work. Just as a child is resentful and rebellious towards their parents’ demands. Trying to get work done in this way is exhausting. Your mind and body must provide double the amount of energy needed. Some energy to actually do the task at hand, some more to force you to do it, and still yet more to rebel against the task.

To move forward, choose to adopt a language towards yourself that is empowering. By learning to challenge and replace your negative internal dialogue, will free yourself from counterproductive attitudes. Through a language of choice, you will learn to direct all your energy towards a goal of your choice, feeling empowered, rather than victimized.