Self-talk is the act of communicating to oneself, either aloud or in your head. Self-talk can be positive, such as when we pump ourselves up for a job interview, “This is the job of my dreams and I’m going to get it,” or negative, “I’m never going to get the job. I don’t have enough experience.” Self-talk is incredibly powerful. It affects our confidence, our motivation, and even our relationships. When it’s negative, which unfortunately most people’s is, it can have devastating effects on all of these.
It’s time to put a stop to negative self-talk. You wouldn’t let a stranger call you an idiot or tell you that you didn’t stand a chance of getting a job, so why allow yourself to do so?
This week, try treating your negative self-talk as if it was coming from someone else and give that someone a name. If you want to think of it as your negative alter ego, try a variation of your name. Mine might be LAMY! Alternatively, you can name it after a childhood bully or your least-favorite cousin. The name doesn’t matter; what matters is that you think of this voice as coming from an enemy. When you hear that enemy telling you, “you can’t,” “you won’t,” or “you’ll never,” you can tell it to shut up! Then, counter that voice with your own, positive self talk! YOU CAN and YOU WILL!
