Talking to yourself – The Art of Combatting Negative Self-Talk
What people say about you can affect you, but what you say to yourself is even more critical. Listen here for a moment; you have to start (if you’re not already) becoming aware of the thoughts you have and the words you say to and about yourself. The jury is still out on this one, but some studies have noted we have almost 60,000 thoughts per day. Some of those are routine, like what am I having for breakfast? My guess is many of those thoughts are some of the conversations you have with yourself about yourself. You know those thoughts you have when you’re getting dressed in the morning, out with friends, about to step out of your comfort zone – yeah, those thoughts.
The first step is when you have that negative thought, is to stop and acknowledge it happened, and it’s not you. Too often that voice speaks, we accept it as fact and keep it moving; never once realizing that just because you have the thought doesn’t make the thought, you. Those who thrive in life, hear the voice, acknowledge it for what it is, and say something positive or talk back to it to combat what they heard. ATTENTION: The most dangerous thing you can do is to just let the voice talk without talking back to it.
Before I get on stage, it doesn’t matter if the audience is 20 or 3,800, I’ll often hear negative voices or feel those butterflies. I immediately say back, “shut up, not true, I got this, I have something important to say, and these are not feelings of nerves – it’s excitement!”
Again, I’m not letting the voice take control, I’m always in control, and I separate the voice from myself. To some of you, it may sound dumb to talk back to yourself, but I do it all the time, and if you start talking back the voice, you’ll see the changes in your confidence and life.