04 Mar Top Tips to Boost Your Positive Self Talk
Have you ever considered applying for promotion, taking on a new project or pursuing a huge goal then heard that negative critic in your head telling you “I can’t”? Boosting your positive self talk will enable you to banish that negative critic.
In Advance Performance’s Peak Performance course we focus on how to ‘rewire’ our neurological pathways. The purpose being to help us break down the process from thought to performance, and understand how to change our beliefs. This in turn, gives us the ability to increase our awareness of our self talk and its effects. The power of our thoughts is integral to changing our behaviour.
In his book The Brain That Changes Itself Norman Doidge explores the history of neuroplasticity and how scientists found that the brain can be ‘rewired’ simply by changing thoughts, learning new facts and skills, and thinking positively about the way we want to behave. In his latest book The Brain’s Way of Healing Doidge continues this theme and introduces us to John Pepper, a sufferer of Parkinson’s Disease who consciously taught himself to change his way of walking through positive self talk. He learned how to alter his gait and steps, which helped him build speed and strength.
Here are some tips to help you improve your own self talk for positive behaviour results and success:
Be aware of your negative mental chatter
When you begin to hear that mental negative chatter, stop yourself and consciously turn that negative thought into a positive one. Change the “I can’t” to “I can”, and think “I will”.
Write down the positive version of your negative thought as a powerful affirmation.
Write down the positive version of your negative thought with vivid images you can relate to in the present tense so that you have a positive physical thought to focus on.
Create positive triggers to boost your positive self talk
This could be introducing positive self talk mantras on your desk at work, listening to a ‘feel good’ positive playlist, or bookmarking your favourite TED Talks on your smart device.
Write down a positive plan to deal with one or more of your negative thoughts
If your mental chatter is making you believe you cannot achieve an important project at work, focus your attention on writing a detailed plan. Break down your final goal and replace with smaller achievable goals. You will complete the final project, and the way you got there may seem easier
Keep your Self Talk (and your conversation) focused on what ‘you do want!’ and off what ‘you don’t want!’
Let it go
Your own thoughts are influenced by every experience, encounter, and words you hear in your life. If you know that you are influenced by someone negative in your life, or you’re taking part in online activities which affect your positivity, then it could be the time to consciously let it or them go.
We would like to invite you to join us for our next webcast ‘How do we make the most of our talent?’ taking place on 22nd March. Heather Wright and John Bullock will explore in detail how our thinking builds our beliefs which lead us to the way we perform.
As Mahatma Gandhi said:
“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”