Change Your Self Talk for the Better

from Christine Harvey

Yesterday, I had the good fortune of reconnecting with a friend of mine, David Brooks, while in Austin, Texas. David had the distinction of being the 1990 World Champion Toastmaster. Since then, David has coached five subsequent World Champions in Toastmasters, a very highly acclaimed title achieved through numerous levels of speaking competitions with thousands of Toastmasters from countries around the entire globe.

In his book ‘The Seven Strategies of Master Presenters,’ written with Dr. Brad McRae, one segment jumped out at me immediately. It’s perfect for those of us interested in raising our self esteem, or raising the self esteem of someone important in our lives or our business. Brooks and McRae say, “Most adults don’t fully realize what they say to themselves or how it influences their behavior.” And their results, of course!

I’VE SEEN SO MANY TALENTED PEOPLE WASTE THEIR POTENTIAL DUE TO NEGATIVE SELF TALK. Don’t let this happen to you! Instead, do as these authors recommend – learn to convert three types of negative self talk to three types of positive self talk, as follows.

Change talk which is irrelevant to talk which is task relevant. Instead of “I hate this career,” say, “I have one hour to work. What do I want to accomplish?”

Change talk which is self-depreciating to talk which is self-appreciating. Instead of “I never could do this,” say, “I worked well this morning.”

Change talk which is task-depreciating to talk which is task-appreciating. Instead of “There are no opportunities here, why knock myself out doing a good job?” say, “Being able to do a good job gives me more opportunities in the future.”

3 SECOND FOCUS TIP – Commit to watching yourself talk today. WHEN YOU CATCH YOURSELF SAYING ANYTHING NEGATIVE TO YOURSELF, STOP! Make it a game. Say ‘cancel, cancel.’ Then replace it with a positive example, as above. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes in your day. Do this everyday, and you’ll be amazed at what it does to heighten your health, wealth, and happiness. No kidding. Some things in life are that easy, AND BRING HUGE RESULTS. If it seems too simple, think twice. Try this and see YOUR results.