“We are what we eat". This famous expression highlights the fact that what we figuratively "feed our brain" is absorbed into our thoughts and actions conditioning us to believe and act on every word.
When we are engaging in self talk, our inner speech is about an average pace of 4,000 words per minute—10 times faster than verbal speech.
This rapid self talk and the way we “feed our brain” can be a good or bad practice contingent on what our "self-talk" tells us.
Positive "self-talk" is a tried and true way to combat those conditioned beliefs, negative emotions, and feelings that we have, unfortunately, acquired over time.
As the expression goes “ a belief is just a thought that we keep on having” so what belief’s have you accepted about yourself which have resulted in your repetitive thinking?
Like a good habit, we must unlearn those negative thoughts that occupy space in our brain crowding them out with realistic and more positive thoughts we know to be true.
It starts with finding and practicing strategies that work for each of us. Positive strategies that begin by adopting a "growth mindset", changing the way we think on a daily basis, reinvigorating us once again with the love of learning we are all born with.
After all, you don’t see a 12 month old baby saying to himself, “I have fallen down too many times, I am not going to keep trying to walk”.
We can encourage self and others to engage our thinking with a growth mindset. We can compel self and our team to engage in self-talk that supports our movement forward and to see setbacks as opportunities, not failures.
People in a team talking with each other and communicating positively also helps to reinforce the example of what having a great mindset is all about.
It means that candid, two-way dialogue is happening consistently with people who don't judge you and work hard with you towards your success. Team members who help each others to develop and become the best they can be.
When we realise that we can all win together; the team, the organisation, and other stakeholders it creates inertia. Energy and effort that fuels great execution, that gets us to the results we seek.
And it all starts with how we talk to ourselves.
Check your "self-talk"…. is it positive? Forward-thinking? Action-oriented?
Want to enhance your growth mindset and address your negative self talk? Get in contact with Michelle Bakjac via email at michelle@bakjacconsulting.com to enquire about coaching and training to develop your staretgies.
Michelle Bakjac is an experienced Psychologist, Organisational Consultant, Coach, Speaker and Facilitator. As Director of Bakjac Consulting, she is a credentialed Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a member of Mental Toughness Partners and an MTQ Plus accredited Mental Toughness practitioner. Michelle assists individuals, teams and organisations to develop and improve performance, leadership, behaviour, resilience and wellbeing. You can find her at www.bakjacconsulting.com
