On the path to achieving great and lasting success, one lesson we tend to overlook is the importance of keeping your self-talk positive.
As the sole architect of your destiny, you need to make sure you’re utilizing one of your greatest tools: your own voice. It’s that inner voice that will help you formulate a plan and drown out the external voices of critics and naysayers. Your voice holds the power to boost your confidence and help you both navigate and learn from setbacks when they occur.
Be brutally honest with yourself. Is your own voice joining the negative crowd of doubters? If the answer is yes, you’ll need to reprogram your thought process by telling yourself these three things today – and every day –for the rest of your life.
- Do it Now!
Procrastination is like quicksand. If left unchecked, it will pull you into a mouse trap of indecision. You’ll make excuse after excuse that will eventually diminish your dream. If you’re continually telling yourself its okay to do nothing, then nothing will be what you achieve. Instead, allow your inner voice to motivate you from morning until night, and fiercely commit to your dream with a sense of urgency. Remember, the difference between “could” and “did” lies in planning and action, so become your own greatest coach and advocate for change. Don’t take “no” for an answer, especially from yourself.
- I Deserve This!
Whenever I meet someone who’s allowed their dream to derail, or who appears to be passing up opportunities for personal growth or improvement, I always ask why they don’t deserve their absolute best. If you’re among those who are settling for anything less than the success you deserve, you simply must get out of your own way by escaping your dangerous comfort zone. Whatever your dream may be – whether it’s pursuing a career change you’ve always wanted, or starting your own business, begin by reminding yourself that you deserve a brighter future, and then invest in yourself. By giving your all to you, you’ll never cut corners on what’s most important: your happiness.
- I Know I Can!
Fear of failure, including the inability to reclaim your forward momentum after a set-back, is one of the greatest obstacles to success. And it’s one that can often be effectively addressed by empowering your inner voice. We all have fears, but we can’t habitually make fear-based decisions, or we’ll never reach our full potential. If we allow fear to paralyze our progress, we’ll create a blueprint for mediocrity, and miss the priceless lessons only trial and error can reveal. Make sure your self-talk is stronger than your fear. Daily you must relentlessly affirm, “Yes, I can!” I understand overcoming fear is not an overnight process, and may also require that you take advantage of additional resources at your disposal such as individual therapy. I know that it can be extremely uncomfortable to get out there on whatever happens to be your personal “ledge”, but the feeling of freedom is incomparable, and I assure you the view will be spectacular.
Start listening to your voice today. What are you saying? Do you believe you can succeed? It’s true that whether you think you can, or whether you think you can’t, you’re going to be right. When you do find yourself achieving success, make sure your self-talk remains positive and motivating. You don’t want to start telling yourself you’ve arrived and become complacent. Success is never owned. It’s rented and the rent is due every day.