I’m sure you’ve heard someone talking to themselves out loud when they thought no one was listening. Do you ever talk to yourself out loud? What do you say to yourself when no one else can hear you?
Your thoughts are your self-talk. They can either be positive or negative. We have to be very careful where we let our thoughts roam. They can take you down a dark path if you let them. You start to think “I’m no good, I mess everything up, I’m a terrible mom, my kids hate me, my husband doesn’t want me, my job sucks, I’m miserable…..” On and on and on if we don’t interrupt.
When you say those things enough, you start to believe them. Negative thoughts lead to more negative thoughts, depression, and send you on a downward spiral. Negative thoughts can come from what others have said about you. They can come from being around people who are always talking negatively. They can pop up after a failure or mistake you made.
Only one thought can occupy your mind at a time. So the key to keeping your life on a positive note is to fill your mind with good thoughts. You have to purposefully acknowledge your thoughts and stop bad ones and focus on the good things.
Learning to turn a negative thought into a positive one can be a tremendous asset. You must first identify the negative thoughts and replace them with good ones. Reframe your mind around a negative situation and find the positive aspects of it and place your focus there. 4 steps to Defeat negative thoughts
I went through a stressful time in my life a few months back. I felt overwhelmed and like I had a million things to do. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get everything done, and I was becoming someone I didn’t want to be around. I listened to a talk by Craig Groeschel about self-talk, and he said the statements “I’m too busy” and “I don’t have enough time” were negative. Man, was that a rude awakening. I had been telling myself this for weeks. I thought it was a fact, but it turns out it was my negativity coming through.
I have since changed my thinking on “being too busy.” When I start to feel overwhelmed and hear myself saying “I’m so busy,” I turn my thoughts to “I have enough time for the things that matter.” I also like “Everything will get done.” It may not be on my schedule but things will get done and the seasons of business will pass. Don’t let it turn you into an angry, stressed out monster. Your family and co-workers will not want to be around you when you have a bad attitude.
I thought being busy was my “truth,” but I didn’t like that truth for my life, so I created a new one. We have the power to make our own truths in our lives. Don’t take for granted the power of your words.
I challenge you to find the areas in your life that you speak negatively about and start to redefine your truth. You have the power.
I’d love to hear from you about your self-talk struggles. Comment below.
Journey to L.I.F.E. 