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
