Self-talk is the inner dialogue that we all
have with ourselves from time to time. It has been proven that human beings spend
thousands of hours talking to themselves without even paying so much attention
to the results there of. What we say to ourselves has more impact than what
people say to us.
You are a product of your own thoughts. As we
think so are we and as we think so we live. Our self-image is a product of our
self-talk. We constantly speak ourselves into being by asserting certain facts
in our sub conscience often times without even being aware of the process. For
example, if someone was to ask you; “What have you been telling yourself lately?”
It is interesting to note that the majority of us we would have to first pose
to recollect our thoughts.
So here a few tips on how we can manage our
self-talk better so as to steer ourselves in the desired direction;
1.
Think
right
a.
Thoughts normally result into
actions so in order to manage our actions, we ought to start by managing our
thoughts. Be consciously aware of the thoughts that you entertain in your mind.
Your self-talk will often focus on the thoughts you entertain.
b.
Make a conscious decision to only
think positive. I made a covenant with myself that I would not allow negative
thoughts to make aboard in my mind so I consciously keep track of what I allow
to settle in my mind. This simple decision can change not only your thought
pattern but your attitude, esteem, character and outlook on life.
c.
Develop the culture of
anticipating good things to happen to you. Many of us have more faith for
negative things than positive things happening in our lives. Learn to expect
good things to happen to you and as you do, you will generate positive energy
which will attract more good and positive things to come your way.
2.
Feed
on right information
a.
What you feed your mind on, is
what it will spend time reflecting on. Feed your mind with inspiration and that
is exactly it will give you back. Keep track of the material you read, the
audios you listen to and the visuals you watch. They will soon a pattern of
thinking, feeling and behaving in your life.
b.
Develop a culture of reading and
more so reading inspirational and self-help material. The more you feed on
inspirational material, the more you build your esteem, confidence, courage and
motivation to accomplish your goals. Your self-talk will also tend to focus one
making right decisions and making positive changes in your life.
3.
Keep
the tight company
a.
Company not only influences
character but also thoughts and speech. We become like the people we keep
company with. Choose to keep company with people who inspire you to become
better, bring out the best in you and stir you to reach your full potential.
Surround yourself with giants and you will soon become like one of them.
b.
Have accountability partners-
people who hold you accountable and keep you in check regarding how you live
your life. We all need people in our lives who ask the tough questions so as to
ensure we are still on track. These can be close friends, a counselor or a life
coach. The more we get in the habit of periodically giving accountability for
our lives, the more we learn to live consciously.
4.
Make
time for regular mediation and reflection
a.
Develop a habit of meditation.
Often time’s people relate meditation to specific religions and religious
practice but meditation is healthy for all of us and we can benefit so much
from developing such a habit. Meditation is scheduled moments for one to
reflect and allow your mind and body to communicate to you. We are constantly
feeding our minds and bodies with information, we need to take the time to sort
through and rearrange that information that is what meditation will do for you.
This can be done on a daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly basis. This will be
our topic for the next discussion.
b.
Journaling is a legendary habit
that is embraced by many successful people but is almost becoming extinct in
this dot com era. The art of journaling helps you to capture your thoughts and
reflections on paper in a way that enables you to review them from time to
time. I know that many people take notes on their smart phones and i-pads but
they are highly unreliable and sometimes hard to keep track with. As much as
possible, I encourage people to keep a personal journal and maintain the habit
of reflecting and writing.
Noeline Kirabo
No comments:
Post a Comment